Freshman Savitneed Svay, who was self inspired to join cheerleading, has been apart of the cheering team for one season. Svay plays the position of a flyer. Svay decided to start cheering because she says that, “[she] knew it was something that [she] would enjoy.” Svay also says that she is an outgoing person which is why she also wanted to cheer.
Cheering is very important to her, Svay says, “[she loves] the adrenaline [she gets] when [she gets] on the competition floor and it’s just something that [she enjoys] being apart of. Also, knowing [she] accomplished something with my team is a great feeling after you put so much effort into it.” According to Svay, the season is going in the right direction. “[They] are having [their] competition soon and all [they] can do now is to practice hard and hit everything, making sure everything is clean. So [they] are prepared.” Svay also says how her favorite part about cheering is competing in front of everybody and hitting her routine that she and her team have been working on.
Svay’s goal before next season is to be able to do a tumble. She also says, “That’s something [she’s] weak at. [She feels] like if [she puts] [her] time and energy into something, and is actually determined then [she] would accomplish that goal.” When questioned about the feelings that go through her mind, Svay says, “Once [she gets] on the floor, [she feels] the adrenaline rushing and [she doesn’t] really think about anything else. Hitting the routines and basically entertaining the judges, nothing goes through [her] head besides that.”
Overall, Svay says that she loves cheering and says her experience with cheering can sometimes get stressful but her team always maintains to stay on track. Although Svay comes across tough situations, she says that she has been noticing improvements. “[She has] improved a lot from the beginning of the season because [she has] learned a lot of new things.”
Svay’s advice for those who want to join cheerleading is to have a strong mind set. “It’s a very physical sport. Never think you can’t do something because there’s always a way to fix your mistake. In my opinion, cheering is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical. If you don’t have the mentality, it’s not for you.”
