For certain students, competitive cheer is more than just a sport.The gym is their home and they share so many great memories with their teammates.

Junior Sierra Drysdale has been cheering competitively since she was nine years old. She has switched cheer teams several times, and is currently with Columbus Power Elite.

“I am really close with my teammates and the coaches push me really hard to perform my best,” she said. “I love going to competitions because they are really exciting and eventful.”

Throughout the cheer season, they form special bonds with each other.

“Winning first place at a competition is something you will always remember,” she said. “I remember when I was young and my team won first place. It was one of the happiest days of my life and it is something that I will always remember.”

Drysdale also mentioned that her favorite part of competitive cheer is learning new tumbling skills and passes.

Sophomore Madison Hatfield also cheers for Columbus Power Elite. She is on two teams, senior three and senior four. Hatfield has been cheering competitively for five years now.

“I enjoy competitive cheer because it is something I feel that I am good at and I love,” Hatfield said.

The biggest competition Hatfield has been to is D2 Summit in Tampa, Florida. This competition is one of Power’s main focuses during the season.

“Competitions are always super nerve racking but also fun at the same time,” she said.

Like Drysdale, Hatfield has made many great memories since she first started cheering with Power Elite.

“My favorite memory was landing my full, after not doing it in many months,” Hatfield said. “I had been working on this skill for a very long time, so when I finally did it again I was so happy and proud of myself. I wanted to keep doing it over and over again.”

Both Drysdale and Hatfield, said that competitive cheer is very different from school cheer.

“The overall skills you need for competitive cheer are a lot more difficult than school cheer,” Drysdale said. “School cheer is more about pepping up the crowd and cheering on a team, whereas competitive is performing a routine as one giant team.”

Cheerleaders have to learn to use teamwork to do well at any competition.