At the age of 9, Karah Anderson (10) was placed into cheer simply as a way for her to have something to do. What started as her parents hoping she would like cheer turned into the place where she spends most of her time.
Although Anderson spends most of her free time at cheer, she found that it can bring many positive aspects to her life.
“Once I started cheer, it became everything I wanted,” Anderson said. “I became super motivated, and it quickly became my main focus. Not only did it motivate me, but it also affected me because it really helps me with my confidence, and gives me a whole other perspective on mental health. So it definitely means something more to me than a sport.”While cheer has positively impacted Anderson in many ways, it also presents its own challenges.
“I think the biggest challenge in cheer is yourself,” Anderson said. “I think you’re the hardest person on yourself, and at the end of the day, it’s literally just you versus yourself.”
Even while facing these challenges, Anderson has been able to make many memories, making it difficult to choose just one.
“It would be hard to choose just one, but I think I would have to say my favorite memory was probably Summit, 2025,” Anderson said. “It was my last comp of all Stars here, and it was with revolt, it was such a good moment, we went into day two in second place, and that season was just so amazing because there were so many seniors, and I was also leaving, so it was just so memorable.”
After high school, Anderson plans to attend college and continue cheerleading while pursuing a degree in secondary education.
“After high school, I want to become a teacher, and I just want to really connect with students on a deeper level; become the teacher that I would want to have,” Anderson said. “I also want to continue cheering because this is my first year doing high school cheer, and I really enjoy it, so I really want to continue it.”
In summary, Anderson found a passion for cheer and found that even though she faces challenges, she is still able to overcome them and make many memories, and even plans to continue cheerleading in college.
