Sport: Cheerleading
Positions: Base and back spot
Parents: Steve and Sarah Kahle
Hometown: Winchester
What do you love about cheerleading?: You’re constantly surrounded by your teammates or your friends, and you all get to work really hard together and to try to put out a routine on the mat. And it’s also kind of like a stress reliever for me. It’s something that I just really enjoy doing.
Most memorable moment in cheerleading: Throughout practice, once all of our stunts hit, and you come down, just celebrating with your teammates and getting really excited with them is my favorite [moment].
Most embarrassing moment in cheerleading: A few years ago at a cheer camp, I did a backflip basically, and I landed on my face. [It was embarrassing because] a lot of people were watching.
Most difficult moment in cheerleading: Definitely making stunts hit. In cheerleading, you have to kind of move around positions and just try to get things to work. So it can be really frustrating, but you just kind of get together with your group and overcome it. We just work through it.
Three people you can have dinner with, dead or alive: Simone Biles, [cheerleader] Gabi Butler and [cyclist] Haley Smith because they’re all female athletes [whose] mottos are about working hard and discipline, and so they’re kind of just inspirations for me.
Biggest athletic influences: My dad. He didn’t do cheer, but he’s very invested into everything that I’ve done, and he’s always just pushing me to get to the next step. Also, I would say my coach Shawnee [DeHaven] at [Appalachian Athletics] All-Star [cheer]. She is constantly doing her research, she’s going home, looking at things, trying to just help get me to the next step, and is just willing to take extra time to work with me.
Favorite teacher: Mr. [Jason] Brown, because it’s easy to tell that he cares a lot about the well-being of his students, and he genuinely wants the best for them, and he’s really willing to work with you. (Brown teaches history at James Wood.)
Favorite athlete: Gabi Butler
Favorite team: Senior Elite cheer
Favorite movie: “The Nightmare Before Christmas”
Favorite TV show: “Gilmore Girls”
Favorite song: “Same Old Situation” by Sublime with Rome
Favorite food: Chicken nuggets
Worst thing you’ve eaten: Meatloaf
Plans after high school: I want to continue cheering when I go to university, and I hope to become an occupational therapist. I want to be a pediatric occupational therapist, so I just want to have the opportunity to work with kids and to help them out.
— Compiled by Joe Tuman
— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at rniedzwiecki@winchesterstar.com
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