The cheers, the pom-poms and the halftime routines. Behind the glitter lies a hardworking journey that Coppell sophomore varsity cheerleader Avery Ayres knows all too well.
Ayres began cheerleading at age 5, with this year marking her 10th year of participating in competitive cheerleading and her second year of school cheer at CHS. She began her cheerleading career at Spirit of Texas and now competes with Cheer Athletics in Plano.
“As a kid cheerleading was simply a hobby and I found it to be a lot of fun,” Ayres said. “Now cheerleading is still really fun but it has transformed into more of a major time commitment inside and outside of school.”
Ayres’s freshman year was a major adjustment from middle school cheerleading to high school cheerleading as she began to feel more pressure from the sport.
“Last year was my first year of doing both in school and competitive cheer and it was extremely stressful,” Ayres said. “Most of the stress came from how physically demanding competitive cheer is, and doing that on top of school cheer ended up being a lot at once.”
In addition to the many hours Ayres spent at cheerleading practice, she found it difficult to find balance between her school life and cheerleading. During freshman year, Ayres’s regular school days were often hectic trying to manage everything on her plate.
“There is no clear answer as to how to manage everything,” Ayres said. “You just have to figure it out as you go. However, as freshman year went on, I slowly became more acclimated to the fast paced lifestyle”
The stress increases once Ayres reaches spring competition season. Competitions start with a warm up before the team performs its routine. Within those three minutes of performance are the hours of practice beforehand.
Ayres recently broke her ankle and foot as a result of a cheerleading injury, in October of this year.
“This was definitely one of the hardest experiences I’ve been through in cheer,” Ayres said. “Seeing someone else competing in my place was an unusual feeling I had to get used to.”
Despite being injured, Ayres still showed up to practice to help and encouraged her teammates. Through her cheerleading journey, Ayres has found comfort from many people in her life.
“The biggest help in my life is God, and the more committed I became to competitive cheer the stronger my relationship with God became,” Ayres said. “There’s also been a lot of support from my family and friends throughout my years of competing.”
Sophomore Yansy Martinez has been friends with Ayres for many years and cheered alongside her last year. Martinez knows that Ayres cheerleading career is more than just impressive routines but also a display of Avery’s determination and passion for the sport despite the ups and downs shes had.
“Avery is really committed to what she does even when things get hard for she continues to push through and gives effort to everything she does,” Martinez said. “Avery has been doing cheer basically her whole life shes come so far and has even made it to competing with a worlds team which placed second at worlds last season”
However, it’s not just her friends who know how hardworking she is. According to CHS cheer coach Debra Sartin, Ayres is a committed leader.
“She’s always focused and attentive to what we have to say,” Sartin said. “Before competitions she is always instilling confidence within her teammates and she’s become a lot more confident with herself through her cheer journey.”
Ayres is also known to be consistent and never complains. Sartin highlights Avery’s ability to give her all in school cheer and competitive cheer.
“Avery’s competitive cheerleading has positively influenced her school cheerleading,” Sartin said. “It’s transformed her work ethic into being extremely strong and it’s very admirable how she manages to balance all her commitments.”
Ten years of experience has developed Ayres into a confident and dedicated cheerleader.
“The route to being a successful cheerleader isn’t something I’ve fully figured out myself but taking it step by step and focusing on the small things has led to me being better,” Ayres said. “I’d advise all young aspiring cheerleaders to work on this as they continue to grow.”
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