messes up or injures themselves doing a roundoff or flip . At one practice, Staggs was struggling to perform a round-off tuck . Discouraged, she began to move on to the next move, but Cunningham stopped her. "So I'm going to count to three, when I say three, go," Cunningham said. Staggs still hesitated, but he wouldn't let her leave. The countdown continued, followed by a pep talk. "You've done this so many times before. You know you can do it, your body remembers how to do it, so just do it," said Cunningham. Deep down, Staggs knew she could do it too. "His main thing is : it's not that serious," Staggs said. "He helps you to realize your potential and overall help to get through things, whether it's personal or the whole team." This mindset helps Cunningham as well, especially in moments of failure . Earlier in the year at Moonlight Madness, which is a bit of a hype session for Cedarville's men's and Ethan Cunningham with Cedarville's cheer team. women's basketball teams, the cheer team performed a halftime show. The dark gym, fog machines and flashing lights provided a dramatic ambiance, but it was not necessarily the most conducive for tumbling. In the middle of the routine, Cunningham tumbled across the middle of the mat a little too zealously. "I don't know why in the moment I was just overconfident and I thought 'Yeah, I'm going to add one more thing ."' Cunningham said. "I landed and just completely shot back and fell over. It was so funny. And some people afterward asked 'did you roll your ankle?' No, I was just being stupid ." The friendly community of the cheer team has felt like home for Cunningham, as he grew up with three sisters . Pleiman feels that he brings a balance to the team, literally and figuratively. "He cools us down with all of our estrogen, shifting the energy to be more relaxed and calm," Pleiman said. "He's also protective like when we do the stunt, he's usually the first one to Spring 2023 Image courtesy of Athletic Department catch someone if they fall. He's there to support us physically and mentally" Cheer relies heavily on trust. As they lift their flyers high into the air, it is imperative that they lift each other up emotionally as well. "One of the biggest things that formed our community was our · stunting groups because we're practicing with the same group," Pleiman said . "We're learning together and celebrating together and getting to know one another." As Cunningham looks back on the season, he is proud of the ways he has grown on the team. "It has taught me to look at other people's perspectives in a group setting and be willing to try something even if I don 't agree with you," Cunningham said. To any that are considering cheer or kombucha, Cunningham's advice is the same : "Just try it!" Maggie Fipps is a sophomore Journa lism student and the Sports Editor of Cedars She enjoys playing the piano and thrifting, and you may spot her around campus sporting Packers gear head to toe. CED6RS 25
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