Baldwin cheer captain Cali Chraska remembers the WPIAL competition in December as the first time in the season that the cheer team performed their routine flawlessly.
“I was so happy because I looked at my team and I just loved everyone,” Chraska, a junior, said. “They’re so important to me, and I feel like all these girls trusted me in being their captain, and that’s part of what made us hit.”
That success was important because it helped set the team up for the state competition, where the Highlanders won the first state title in Baldwin history.
Chraska is the competition captain for the competitive cheer team, which entails helping out the team by creating practice plans and communicating with the girls and coaches. She was the first junior competition captain in five years, Chraska said.
“If a girl needs a ride to practice, I’ll give her a ride. If my coach needs help with extra things like getting our uniform pieces ready, or making crewnecks for the Pink Out game,” it’s the job of the captains to help, Chraska said.
Chraska has been cheering since second grade. She appreciates the sport because of the connections it has created for her.
“I didn’t grow up with a really big friend group, and I’ve made so many friends through cheerleading,” Chraska said.
Cheerleading has helped in other ways as well, she said.
“I also struggled with anxiety before cheerleading, and I feel that it has definitely leveled down because of cheerleading,” Chraska said. “The opportunities that I want to take, cheerleading allows me to feel like I should.”
In cheer, Chraska struggled with a mental block during her freshman and sophomore years, which is common for cheerleaders.
“It’s basically where your mind won’t let you do a flip or another kind of tumbling, but your body knows what to do,” Chraska said.
Since then, Chraska has worked to get past that and build confidence in her tumbling. Now she helps other girls on the team master harder tumbling skills.
“Some girls this past season were scared about coming into competitive cheer because they had never done it before. But I feel like a lot of the older girls helped the younger girls because they knew how it felt,” Chraska said.
She said many of the upperclassmen will talk about embarrassing or scary moments to make the underclassmen feel better about making a mistake.
“We have trials and tribulations throughout the sport, but at the end of the day, our team is very ‘go with the flow,’ ” Chraska said.
Junior Lily Weidensall explains how Chraska’s mindset impacts the cheer team.
“Cali’s mindset and positivity radiate throughout the whole team, making competitions and games more fun while also incorporating hard work,” Weidensall said.
Being on both teams makes cheerleading a full-year sport for Chraska. She trains three times a week, doing endurance running, lifting weights, and of course, practicing their routines.
“Definitely, there are some hard days when my body is in pain. But all in all, I feel as happy as I was coming into practice, leaving it,” Chraska said.
Sometimes practice can be challenging, especially in high-stakes situations right before competitions. If a group’s stunt team falls, for example, Chraska will go over to them and see how she can help. This is the mindset that all of the captains had during this last season.
“I think we were all very calm. We would never yell at someone if something went wrong, even if it was during a competition and we lost because of it,” Chraska said.
The competitive team hosts many fundraisers throughout the summer, and Chraska believes that this builds the team’s camaraderie.
“I feel like that’s what connects a lot of the girls by doing hard things together,” Chraska said. “Nobody wants to wash cars for five hours, but we’re all going to do it because it’s what we have to do for our team. It’s what we have to do to get better.”
Senior Carly Dowhy, who was a captain with Chraska, complimented Chraska’s hard work and dedication.
“Cali always performs very well at games, competitions, and practices because she always gives 100 percent effort to everything she does,” Dowhy said. “Leading the team alongside her was a great experience because she is a great leader, teammate, and friend.”
