THS has a variety of extracurricular activities, many of which students participate in. It’s a way to meet new people and explore different interests they have. Yet, for some, they have an extracurricular outside of the school that they enjoy. 

Katlyne Ellis is a senior at THS with a special passion for cheerleading. Her love for cheer started when she was young and her older sister was her tumbling coach. “That’s what me and my sister did, and it’s how we bonded while growing up,” Ellis said. Ellis stopped cheerleading when she moved to Danville, VA. 

While in Danville, Ellis danced for two years but quit to start pursuing competitive cheer. She started cheering at Cheer Extreme in her junior year. This year she has been accepted on the teams of Smack, Knockout, and C-4. Smack is a senior medium all-girl level four, Knockout is a senior medium all-girl level five, and C-4 is a senior medium coed level four. 

Ellis has been cheering for six years, four of them being in Alabama before she moved to Danville. Ellis’s positions in cheer are basing and flying. “Basing takes a lot of strength, more than some realize.” Ellis said. 

While Ellis loves the sport it takes a lot of time out of her schedule. Cheer Extreme is in Kernersville, North Carolina, approximately one hour away. She has practice Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday; sometimes Saturdays and Sundays. She also has competitions she has to miss school for. Some of them being in Florida, Indiana, Texas, Georgia, and Tennessee. 

Ellis has a very strong love for cheer and has met some of her best friends through the sport. “The energy is amazing in the gym, and a lot of my teammates are great support systems,” Ellis said. Cheerleading may take a lot of time from her but she adores the sport. She can’t wait for what this season has in store for her.