Karli New, a sophomore at UCA and member of the UCA Cheer team, has wanted to be a cheerleader pretty much all of her life.
“When I was little I used to watch college and professional football with my dad and eventually became obsessed with cheer. While watching the games, I would try to do all the flips and tricks they would show the cheerleaders doing on TV and that’s when my parents put me in gymnastics classes,” New said.
She began cheering in junior high and has now cheered for a total of 8 years. She also served as the co-captain for her squad in both junior high and high school.
“I’ve known since I was little that being a college cheerleader was something I wanted to do. It honestly has been my biggest dream since then,” New said.
She used the skills she learned from cheerleading in school and worked with a private cheer coach to get to the collegiate level.
“There were times that I would sit back and really ask myself if this was something that I thought I was capable of. This sport makes it very easy to get discouraged and be extremely hard on yourself just based on the toll your body and mind takes, but in my opinion, it’s worth the world,” New said.
The only time New has ever taken a break from cheerleading is due to an injury sustained during the sport.
“The longest break I’ve ever taken from cheer was when I had a severe knee injury in the 9th grade and had to do physical recovery to get back into it, or a concussion here and there,” she said.
New’s favorite thing about being a cheerleader is how it makes her feel. “I’d definitely have to say the adrenaline rush you get being on the field and the mat. There’s nothing like walking out onto the field for pregame on your very first college game day, I remember it like it was yesterday,” she said.
“There’s absolutely nothing like getting to meet everyone that you’ve ever looked up to in the sport and getting to compete alongside them,” New said.
Outside of cheerleading, New is majoring in communications with a minor in marketing. She hopes to go into high-end real estate and possibly open her own brokerage one day.
“My favorite thing about communication is getting to learn the concepts of what goes into the way a person thinks or acts on certain things. It’s really cool to see all the different
situations and things that people do that you can read off of,” she said.
New is also a member of Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority.
When it comes to other sports, New has participated in competitively riding horses, playing soccer and running track.
“I would definitely have to say that barrel racing and cheer are my favorite sports but I can’t compare them because they are both so different! I love them both in so many different ways,” New said.
“Cheer has been one of my first loves since I can remember and it has brought me so many things that I hold so dear to my heart and I could never thank it enough. I am so beyond grateful for the opportunity I have been granted here,” she said.
