Rileigh Ivory, 12, began her cheerleading career in the eighth grade after being begged by her best friend to join. Through five years of cheerleading, she grew her confidence and became a leader that younger girls look up to—and aspire Rito be. Ivory learned how to push herself while keeping a positive and uplifting attitude. Anyone who knows her knows her contagious smile and nonstop dedication.
Ivory admits that as a freshman she cared about what others thought of her, and the need to fit in when first starting high school showed through. It took some convincing to get her to join the squad, but she quickly realized the sport fit her personality perfectly. Cheer became a passion of hers as she started to work at her tumbling and stunting skills. Now as a senior, she is seen as a leader and responsible member of the team, and is motivated to set a positive example every practice and gameday.
One of her favorite memories of cheerleading is “competing at nationals in 2025,” said Ivory. It was a goal the team had been working towards for a long time. Nationals is the bid event (invite only), end of the year competition in Orlando, Florida, against all other invited U.S. high school teams. Getting a bid to the competition in itself is a huge accomplishment for the SHS cheerleading programs, but attending was a monumental experience, especially for Ivory. The performance reflected the dedication and hard work she put in to endless after-school and early-morning weekend practices.
It’s a given that any team faces challenges throughout their season. One of Ivory’s main goals is to “leave all negativity at the door,” meaning any outside feelings should not affect the practice environment. Cheer is an extremely demanding sport whether or not people realize how physically and mentally tasking it is. Ivory says she balances cheer, school, and social life very easily, saying it has, “never been a challenge, since [she] genuinely enjoys practice and performances.” Looking ahead to graduation, she knows she will miss every part of cheer: the team, the routines, and the people.
To younger cheerleaders who look up to her, Ivory offers a piece of simple advice: “do not let others’ negativity control or affect you.” Her story shows that confidence and positivity can take you far, on and off the mat.
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