From the outside looking in, high school and all-star cheer may look like the same thing, but in reality, they are extremely different. In high school cheer, the main objective is cheering for the school and pumping up the crowd. There is less stunting and more holding up signs and tumbling on hard floors. All-Star cheer is extremely different. It has a demanding routine of tumbling, stunting, and doing motions. The stunts are much more intense and the routine is at a very fast pace. 

Freshman Delanie Pietryga is now making the switch from one to the other. Pietryga had previously been doing all-star cheer for five years. She is now on her way to becoming the best Millard West cheerleader she can be.

Pietryga was previously at the all-star cheer gym, Airborne Academy before starting her high school cheer journey. Pietryga tried out to be a part of the West team last April and found out she made the team soon after.  She was extremely excited to start the season. Pietryga is enjoying this new experience of high school cheer but also has had the stress of learning how to adapt to it. 

Pietyrga enjoys the different vibe that high school cheer brings. 

“I like high school cheer because I’m more involved with the school and I’m with my friends that go to the same school as me,” Pietryga said. “As for all-star cheer, I’m not involved with the high school or my school friends.” 

Along with the differences in Pietryga’s enjoyment of both types of cheer, the difficulty and time management are other major differences. Pietryga believes that the hardest part about high school cheer is having to remember a lot of cheers in a short amount of time. While the hard part about all-star cheer is having to push through the routine and use a lot of strength and endurance. 

The time spent on each type of cheer is also a major difference. 

“High school cheer has a lot more practices compared to my all-star team,” Pietryga said. “In all-star, we traveled a lot more and that took up a lot of my weekends.” 

Starting from all-star and going to high school cheer can be difficult and Pietryga is still adapting to the differences. She thinks she is not adjusting to the team very well but is glad she is trying out high school cheer. Others around her have a different opinion and think she is handling it just fine. 

“I think Delanie is doing really well in high school cheer,” Pietryga’s mother Deb Pietryga said. “ It has made her more involved with the school and she really enjoys spending her time with her school friends through cheer. Her tumbling skills are advancing and she’s learning a lot about teamwork.” 

With her past experience with cheer and outgoing personality, many think Pietryga brings a lot to her team and will help them greatly throughout this season. These two things are extremely important to have before joining the Millard West cheer team. 

“Delanie has a very outgoing personality,” Pietryga’s old cheer coach, Sophie Weaver said. “She is very easy to get along with and works well with others. Her personality alone will bring a lot to the squad.” 

Pietryga is enjoying her experience in high school cheer, but she also misses doing all-star cheer. 

“I miss doing the more advanced stunting and all my friends and coaches from my old all-star cheer gym,”  Pietryga explained. “I wish I could do both but that would take up a lot of time. But I’m glad I’m trying high school cheer out.” 

In all-star cheer, many bonds are made that are hard to break. The coaches and teammates become like a family. Pietryga is not the only one who misses the friends and coaches from her old all-star gym – they miss her too. 

“I miss her goofy personality,” Weaver explained. “She would always make everyone laugh and have a good time. She always tried her hardest but had fun at the same time.” 

Even though it may not seem like it, the switch from all-star cheer to high school cheer has been a big adjustment.  While it has been a challenge, Pietryga has adjusted well and is enjoying her new challenge. She looks forward to cheering on the Wildcats and pumping up the crowd throughout this year. Make sure to look for Pietryga on the sidelines of an upcoming game.