The Hagerty Huskies are the best around on the mat, back-to-back state cheerleading champions. It’s not easy to tumble, or lift a girl in the air, all with a smile on your face. But senior Olivia Albano is used to carrying her own weight.
“Cheerlifters, yea. I know it sounds funny, but it kinda flows,” joked Albano.
Olivia and teammates Kellen Marini and Erin Catlin make up the cheerlifting squad, three girls who compete in both cheerleading and weightlifting.
“We are like our own mini little team, I really love them. And we relate on a different level than some of the cheerleaders or some of the weightlifters,” said Albano. “It is just nice to be able to share our stresses and also our triumphs with each other.”
The two sports sound like night and day with the stereotypes alone illustrating completely different girls.
“It’s unique. Because cheerleaders are classified as more girly and then you have got your weightlifters that are the brute force but they kind of go together,” explained junior cheerlifter, Kellen Marini.
More than you would think. The clean and jerk that makes up half the score during weightlifting competitions? According to senior Erin catlin, it’s a mirror of the muscles needed to lift a flier for a stunt. “I think that is what has made the people that do both, successful in both, is that we are building on what we already know, and just using it in either sport.”
While there are similarities, there is also one glaring difference.
“Weights, you miss a weight and you are mad, you can be mad. No one cares, you should be mad,” said weightlifting coach Matt Malkovich. “In cheer you have to be smiling all the time and that’s tough to do. I give them a lot of credit on that.”
Olivia, the smallest of the cheerlifters, doesn’t look like she can carry much. But her nickname would convince you otherwise. The juggernugget.
“I don’t really know, a juggernaut is something that has to do with a video game and they are really big guys, so a juggernugget is like a smaller version of that,” said Albano laughing.
Competing in the 110-pound weight class, Olivia was 5 pounds away from winning states last year, taking the podium for silver instead. At regionals last week, the senior – with a bow in her hair -- lifted a total of 310, that number a near lock to win her the championship this season.
“I am going to go with my girl; I think she has got a pretty good shot. I don’t want to be too overconfident but I’ll take her in battle any day of the week. Just getting goose bumps thinking about it,” said Malkovich.
It’s a chance for a double gold with the state championships for the two sports held on back to back weekends. But no matter the outcome, when the lifts are completed, and the routines wrapped up, no one can doubt just how strong these girls are.