Senior Katlyn Altobell is participating in the junior varsity (JV) winter cheer team for the first time. The cheer team tries new stunts every practice to work on perfecting the skills of the cheerleaders. Cheer practice includes multiple risks, and “stunting,” or getting into position to throw a cheerleader into the air, is just one of them. Altobell is a flyer, one of the girls that goes into the air when the team is stunting.

“I’m more confident now and my crowd anxiety has gone down so much,” Altobell said.

This is Altobell’s first and last year as a cheerleader. Since this was her last year Altobell decided that she would get involved in school activities somehow.

“I decided that since it was my senior year that I might as well get involved,” Altobell said.

She tried out for the winter cheer team this season and got a spot in the JV squad.

“It was so nerve racking,” Altobell said.

Altobell and the rest of the tryouts had to perform three simple cheers and “spirit” in front of the coaches. Spirit is a cheer term used to define how the cheerleaders act during a cheer or in front of an audience.

Practices are on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school. The cheer team usually does three laps of running to get warmed up. Then it’s onto stunting for the rest of the practice. Altobell and her fellow cheerleaders will do new stunts and old stunts until it is perfected. The risk is too big to do it at an actual sporting event without mats to break their fall.

“It helped a lot with my anxiety,” Altobell said. “I like being on a small team with people and showing team spirit.”

The choice of going out and doing something extra curricular has turned out to be life changing for Altobell.

“I don’t feel nervous anymore, and I feel like I have more of a purpose when I’m in front of a crowd,” Altobell said. “I never thought I would be in front of a crowd.”

According to Altobell she has learned a lot about how much she can handle and how much she can hold back. She also said that this has built up her self confidence and has conquered her anxiety with crowds. Her love for the team will bring her to finish out the rest of the season.