By Jasmine Pacheco

  Paris Mickle is a Ponte Vedra High School sophomore attending All-Star Cheer, a training gym in Jacksonville, Florida, with high hopes of expanding her athletic career. 

    Mickle has been a cheerleader for the past four years, and she recently began participating in new sports with hopes of acquiring a broad range of skills to aid her in the long run. Mickle also runs track, plays soccer, participates in many triathlons, and takes dance classes. 

    If aimed for, the benefits of participating in a variety of sports are greatly favorable. Mickle commented, “I view cheer as a helpful thing which I plan on using to help me get an advantage at improving my physical strength.” 

    All-Star Cheer varies in levels of student ability. With a total of seven levels, All-Star Cheer is quick to encourage their students to continue working and achieve their highest level seven which allows the use of an extended amount of mastery levels. Mickle is a level four cheerleader attending. In this level she focuses her time on tumbling such as standing passes to tucks and running layouts. 

   Mickle gained interest in the sport of cheer at age 11 and has continued to practice weekly allowing her to strengthen her athletic potential since then. Mickle typically attends her cheer practice twice a week for two hours each day. She trains to improve her levels of endurance, concentration, and physical strength.  

    Cheerleading can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. More specifically, competitive cheerleading involves physical exertion and skill which an individual or team must use to compete against others. All-Star Cheerleading tends to have a higher skill level in comparison to high school cheerleading. Sideline cheer is performed alongside other sporting events such as basketball and football. This form of cheer focuses on engaging with the fans and keeping the spirits high during events. Unlike sideline cheer, All-Star cheerleaders also travel around the world to compete against other teams. This happens year-round, not only during football or basketball season. 

    Mickle stated, “I have been cheerleading since I was 11 which gave me the opportunity to learn many new things, and I am using my abilities and discipline gained from cheer and transferring it to my weekly practices of track which has helped me significantly improve.” 

    By improving her techniques on a weekly basis, Mickle is committed to enhancing her skills in order to succeed in other sports as well.