lindsaymuse

Junior Haley Keenan may have began her athletic career by wearing hair bows and leotards, but now she can be seen sporting pompoms and a cheer skirt. Keenan didn’t just stick with tumbling. Instead, she flipped into a new sport and landed a spot on the Varsity cheer team.

For Keenan, gymnastics has been her second nature ever since she was little. When Keenan was 3, her parents signed her up for artistic gymnastics, which involves the vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.

“I didn’t really like it (artistic gymnastics) so I started trampoline and tumbling instead when I was 7, and I really enjoyed it,”  Keenan said.

Fast forward nine years and, Keenan is now a Level 9 out of 10 at Airborne Academy. She competes in a competition season that ranges from January to June. At a competition, she competes in three different events: power tumbling, trampoline, and double mini. Each event consists of two routines in which she competes as an individual to score for her entire team.

By the time Keenan set her heart on going to Marian, she realized that Marian didn’t have a gymnastics team. Her love of tumbling was so strong that she decided to find a place where she could put her unique talents to use: the cheer team.

“I wanted to be able to put my tumbling skills to use, and my mom was a cheerleader, and she wanted me to try it,” Keenan said.

Keenan made the varsity team her freshman year and has participated for three years. Despite early practices at 6 A.M.,  Keenan shows up with a smile and gives 100 percent while learning and perfecting routines. Her favorite part of cheer is the spirit and the closeness of all of the girls, working as one.

Keenan has learned a lot during her time on the cheer team. She knows what it is like to be tired, yet to be able to put a smile on her face and jump just a little bit higher. She knows what it’s like to a be a team player, especially at the base of a pyramid.

Keenan has also learned what it’s like to have a routine be judged by coaches, parents, athletes and the entire student body.

“It was terrifying at first, but by now it has helped me to improve my confidence,” Keenan said.

As a cheerleader, Keenan also gets the opportunity to participate in unique camps and tryouts. This past summer, Keenan, and the Marian cheer team participated in the Universal Cheerleaders Association camp in downtown Omaha, where Keenan received the chance to try out for the title of All-American. After learning all the routines, performing for the Marian coach, Allie Clark, and doing a cheer, dance, and jump in front of the entire camp, Keenan earned the All-American title.

This All-American title is sanctioned by the Cheerleading Association, and has opened up unique opportunities for Keenan.

“I was invited to be in parade in London, but I was unable to go. However, it was still an honor to be asked to go,” Keenan said.

This recognition and opportunity will stay with Keenan for a long time. She has learned that she can do anything she sets her mind to, even if it means blazing a new path for a young gymnast with tumbling in her blood.