VYPE: How long have you been in cheer, and what first got you interested in the sport?
Addyson Petty: I’ve been in cheer for three years, what first got me interested in the sport was being able to support our athletes in all sports.
Ashlyn Hammer: I have been doing cheer since my sophomore year. I wanted to go out for cheer because I have a very outgoing personality and cheering aligns with that.
Brynlee Nightingale: I have been in cheer all four years of high school! I’ve always admired Fairview cheerleaders since I was a little girl and knew I wanted to be there one day!
Carson Faulk: I’ve been in cheer for four years, and I first got interested in the sport when an older girl I looked up to, Alli Milligan, started talking to me about it. She graduated the year I went in, so we never got it cheer together, but she coached me all spring until tryouts and is a big reason why I love the sport so much.
Josie Laverty: This will be my third year in cheer. I’ve always been interested in cheerleading since I was little. I remember looking up to the cheerleaders so I wanted to be that figure that the little girls can look up to.
Leslie Helms: I’ve done cheerleading throughout high school for four years, and it’s meant the world to me. I got interested in cheer because everybody was always telling me that I had the energy and the spirit for it, and I wanted to make use of that.
VYPE: Do you have a favorite memory in your time competing for your high school?
Addyson: My favorite memory is going to the state championship my sophomore year and getting to cheer our boys onto victory.
Ashlyn: It’s hard to pick just one memory that is my favorite. I’ve made so many with so many different girls that I love. I would say any of the bus rides to games as we all karaoke and goof around.
Brynlee: My favorite memories are always the friendships I make with each year’s team, they bring constant laughter and joy throughout them!
Carson: My favorite memory with my high school team is finding out my best friend and I made the team together our first year, as well as all the late bus rides together and endless laughs when we hang out with the team before a game.
Josie: My favorite memory would have to be winning state in football the second year. It was so much fun to cheer at that game. It was honestly so surreal – the energy of the fans in the stadium and it was all really exciting!
Leslie: My all-time favorite memory was my junior year when I was forced to spend the week of our first football game in a wheelchair. I did not want to miss it, so I begged my coach, Kaci, to let me cheer anyway. She agreed, and I spent the night before in bed dressing up my chair and even taking lessons on how to wheelie. While playing, I gave it a try, and landed on my back, with fans chuckling together with me. It’s one that will remain with me for life because it shows just how much I love being a part of cheer no matter what.
VYPE: What motivates you to be your best?
Addyson: What motivates me the most is knowing that the younger girls are looking up to us and knowing that our athletes and crowd are counting on us to get them hype.
Ashlyn: I want to leave a legacy after I leave high school. I want to be remembered for who I was and what I stood for.
Brynlee: The one thing that brings me motivation is I know there are girls always watching me cheer or mimic our moves, I hope to be inspiration for them as they grow older.
Carson: I am motivated to be my best by all of the little girls in my town. Getting to coach them in mini cheer camp, as well as teach them in my morning first aid hour, I have learned just how cool a cheerleader is to them and how big of an impact I can make with what I say and do. I always want to be the person they can see and look up to, and for that I try my best every single day, during the game and outside of it.
Josie: I just have to remember to really push myself. Even if I’m nervous or scared to do something, I remember that I can do anything I set my mind to!
Leslie: What really motivates me is the little kids on the sidelines that look up to us and mimic what we’re doing. I want to be a person that they look up to in a good way.
VYPE: What do your teammates mean to you?
Addyson: My teammates mean so much to me, no matter how hard of a practice we have we can come together and work to get better.
Ashlyn: They mean so much to me! Without my girls, we wouldn’t be a squad. We all go through wins and losses together.
Brynlee: To me, this team is a family. We are always there for each other, cheering or not.
Carson: My teammates are my sisters. I love them endlessly and always have the best time with them, and they sometimes drive me nuts just like real sisters, too. Over the years they have become my favorite family, and I know I will cherish them long after I graduate.
Josie: My teammates are a huge contribution! We all motivate each other to try things and we push each to be our best!
Leslie: My teammates have been a significant part of my journey too. They’re honest with me, they’re supportive, and they keep me in check sometimes by giving me a bit of tough love when I need it!
VYPE: Who do you look to as a role model and why?
Addyson: I look to my mom as a role model because she never fails to be support me.
Ashlyn: My biggest role model would have to be one of my youth group leaders. She has had very similar experiences as me and she continues to prove that you can still grow in your faith through dark moments in your life.
Brynlee: My number one role model is my mom. She has shown me how to live a kind life and always push through anything because there is a brighter end to any problem.
Carson: The person I looked up to as a role model is my older cousin, Drew Houk. He has always showed me what it means to follow Christ wholeheartedly, and I have never seen him show anything but compassion and love for others. He is kind, caring, and has always had a listening ear and a shoulder to lean on. He always displays his faith proudly and I aspire to be like him in my relationship with God.
Josie: I look up to both my mom and dad as role models. I look up to my mom because she always is so caring towards others. She has always had my back and wanted the best for me. She is such a hard worker too! My dad is my role model because he also a very hard worker and wants good for the people!! I hope to have all of their amazing attributes!
Leslie: My role model is Spiderman, which may sound funny, but he’s taught me a lot about perseverance and making the right choices even when it’s not easy.
