Freshman Juliet Polito, a previous member of the junior varsity dance team, had never even tried cheerleading before, but after being offered a spot as the JV cheer team’s new flyer, she is now only a few days away from being thrown in the air at their first game. 

“When I offered her the spot, she was very enthusiastic about the role,” team captain and freshman Chloe Marrs said. “She’s getting along great with the girls, and she’s a very positive and hardworking person.”

Polito joined the squad on Nov. 3, and the team’s first game is a girls’ basketball home game scheduled for Tuesday.

“I feel pretty prepared for the game,” Polito said. “I think that Chloe’s a very good teacher, and she has done very well at getting me ready.”

The change in sport from dance to cheer has been different and challenging, according to Polito

“I’ve been dancing since I was 2 years old, but I just recently quit, so I was looking for something else to do,” she said. “I like the cheer team a lot more so far because I feel like everybody is more put together and we feel more like a team.”

Polito’s previous experience in the dance world is benefitting her with her new position in cheer and  has helped her build skills and abilities in time for the first game. Many skills and tricks performed in dance can cross over into cheer.

“We have six days now until our first game, so it would be very hard to teach her all of the new cheer skills,” Marrs said. “But her having previous experience with dance seems to help, and she is quickly getting to where she needs to be.”

Polito’s new position on the team as the flyer — which requires her to be lifted into the air during a stunt and perch on top of the stunt or pyramid — might seem scary to some, but to her, it is coming naturally. 

“Being a flyer is actually a lot better than I was expecting, it seems much scarier than it actually is, and I think i’m catching on to it well,” Polito said, “It’s not easy, but Chloe’s really good at directing me, and I think it’s quick to catch on to.”

By Addy Carroll