When Liberty High School’s Lisa Alvey started the schools competitive sport cheer (stunt) team four years ago, she had thoughts of being able to send more girls to college with scholarships.
Stunt was a new sport sprouting on college campuses across the nation. Schools in the Central Valley are starting to pick it up, and Liberty was on the forefront of it.
Stunt combines some of the fundamentals in cheer — pyramids, partner stunts and tumbling — and combines it with a competitive atmosphere with two teams going head to head doing the same routines. Whoever does it best earns the points.
“There is a lot more drive to get better than cheer,” Malia Waag said. “You have a lot of girls on your team. We all push our hardest to get the job done. We all have fun with each other. When it comes to us wanting to beat schools, we all get really competitive. We don’t want to lose and push ourselves as hard as we can to do better. We all know we are trying to get the team better.”
“You think of it like you’re in a pyramid,” said Ashlyn Brown. “If I am the reason for one bobble, the whole thing can come down. It’s a lot of pressure to make sure you are on top of your game You don’t want to let down your team. Stunt is way more of a team sport than cheer is. You get way closer to those on the stunt team. The bond is like no other. You want everyone to be good. It’s not a self-serving thing. It’s my team. We are going to do this.
Liberty has grown from winning just one game four years ago, and not really knowing the rules, to now competing against some of the best teams in the league, namely Madera and Bullard.
“We were weak our first year and did not do well. After the first year, I wanted to quit. Lisa wouldn’t let me,” Gianna Burgess said.
“We are very grateful because we didn’t think we were going to do this in college,” said Harley Caldon. “Going to another school for four years, you don’t know people. It brings a lot of friendships from the get-go because we all worked out and know each other. I love the connections we’ve made with the girls. We are all there for the right reason. We all love the sport.”
“I saw such a big change,” said Bailey Alexander. “I was on the first team, and we started off not knowing rules. Stunt was such a new sport, the rules were so confusing. We didn’t know what we were getting into. From the first year to the third year (because I didn’t do it sophomore year) was a big change. I saw how much better they were. It was crazy growth. To senior year, we know everything about stunt. We are so much cleaner and much sharper motions and technique. We all worked so hard for our tumbling. All of us put in the extra work to put to get where we are now.”
“I’ve been on the team since my freshman year,” Brown said. “The growth in stunt is unfathomable. I have to give a lot of credit to my dad who recorded every single game. I get nostalgic, and re-watch our videos. Sometimes we had no idea what wee were doing. We won one game our freshman year. We were pretty bad. Looking at the growth of freshman year was insane. Our first few practices, we were in a classroom barely able to do lifts with the flyers hitting the ceiling. Now, we are constantly at the school doing insane stunts. Our sophomore year, we picked up so many girls. We got a lot of girls last year. It was a mazing to see the growth, not only skill-wise, but to see the amount of people who wanted to participate in it really opened peoples’ eyes to this sport. The growth from barely knowing what anything was (I knew no stunt terms) and I know so much about stunting. We are able to sit and talk each other to change things up to hit the stunt. It grew in every way, which was big.”
After Liberty’s most successful season, seven seniors are continuing their stunt career with Fresno Pacific University’s fledgling program. Shaira Castillo-Ponce (base), Bailey Alexander (base and tumbler), Ashlyn Brown (back spot and tumbler), Malia Waag (back spot and base), Gianna Burgess (flyer and tumbler), Gianna Williamson (base and tumbler) and Harley Caldon (base and tumbler) are not only the biggest group of Liberty seniors headed to one university at the same time, but they are also among the biggest group of Liberty seniors playing athletics at a four-year college.
“I couldn’t be more proud of these girls,” said advisor Alvey. “The whole reason I started this new program at Liberty was to give girls another opportunity to continue to compete in their choice of a sport in college. Watching them work hard, grow, and now take the next step by signing to compete in college is such an incredible honor. They’ve earned every bit of this moment, and I can’t wait to see all they accomplish.”
“We broke a record. It’s amazing that so many people are dedicated to play sports outside of school, and not just for fun,” Caldon said.
The Madera Tribune sat down with all seven of the seniors, in two different conversations, to talk to them about their historic signings.
Madera Tribune: What was your grade point average? What are you going to major in and what are you going to do with that?
Shaira Castillo-Ponce: 4.41 GPA. Major- pre-health sciences. I want to get my bachelors and go to medical to get my doctorate to get into pediatric medicine.
Bailey Alexander: 3.5 GPA. Major- business. I have no idea what I’m going to do with it. I know I can do a lot with it. If I find something I like better, I will switch it or get a minor in something.
Malia Waag: 3.7 GPA. Major- pre-med to go into the nursing program. I want to become a pediatric trauma nurse or hospital nurse.
Ashlyn Brown: 4.38 GPA. Major- pre-health to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist. A few of us are taking a lot of health and bio classes. It’s nice we got those classes together because you are going in knowing someone. Because I am going to be comfortable knowing people in the class, it leads to a chance to branch out to people It will be a good, healthy balance of both. But, I will end up talking to these girls the most because I’ll talk to them in class and at stunt practice.
Gianna Williamson: 4.0 GPA. Major- business. I am working at my dad’s company and grow his company.
Gianna Burgess: 3.9 GPA. Major- business. I’m not really sure what I want to do with it, yet.
Harley Caldon: 3.9 GPA. Major- business. I want to use my major to go into real estate.
MT: Malia, you also had your sister, Bella, coaching you. How was that?
MW: It was definitely butting heads at time. With her being two years older than me, we grew up with her trying to boss me around and getting mad at it. Her going into a coach setting, I had to respect her in that manor. It took a second to adjust. It was nice because we were able to come home and she told me how I did that day. But then, it was not so nice, because I had to come home and hear about it. We had to balance that. There was definitely butting heads, but it got us closer.
MT: What other schools were you looking at and was it just for school?
HC: I was considering Fresno State and do cheer. I was convinced during football season I wanted to go there. I thought it would be a good school and go through Bulldog Bound. It would be a good financial option. Stunt season happened. I liked stunt a lot more than I did cheer. Fresno Pacific started stunt, and did pretty good. I wanted to be a part of their journey. I liked FPU as a school because it’s a small school like Liberty and it’s private. I feel like I would make better connections and learn better. Fresno State was my other option.
GB: I didn’t have a second choice. I fell in love with FPU because both of my older sisters went there. It kind of stuck with me. I knew they had a stunt team. I went to a couple of games and really liked it. I knew FPU was for me.
GW: I considered Fresno State for a little bit. I didn’t like the school aspect. I figured I would do better learning with a smaller group of people so I liked Fresno Pacific. I did think about cheering for FPU instead of doing stunt. Ultimately, I decided to do stunt because FPU doesn’t have a football team. I would enjoy stunt more, and it’s more competitive.
AB: I didn’t even know what schools had stunt. FPU has stunt, and it’s right here so I had to do it. We kept going to their clinics, which got us on their radar. They reached out on Instagram. We went to a clinic in the fall semester of our senior year. The coach told us to come to a tryout.
MW: I was looking at a couple of different schools before I even thought about doing stunt. My first thought was going to community for three years, and moving on to Fresno State. When FPU got stunt, it was the first school that I thought I would want to go to. I didn’t try to get recruited by other schools, but I know two other schools reached out to me. They were kind of far, and I wanted to stay local. I took tours of FPU, and felt comfortable there. I didn’t even think about doing stunt in college until my junior year because I thought I would miss it too much. I thought about doing it in college. My coach brought FPU up to me, and I tried out.
BA: I was looking at other schools for school. I was looking at Fresno State for cheer. That was what I was mainly focused on. My senior year, I fell in love with stunt more than cheer. Whenever I went to the stunt clinics for FPU, I really liked it. I reached out to the coach. She put me off because she thought I was going to Fresno State. I reached out to her and she said she really wanted me on her team. I went from there. I chose it over Fresno State because of the school aspect. FPU is so small, so I felt like it was a better option schooling-wise and athletic-wise. It was a very hard decision to choose FPU. My senior year, I couldn’t leave stunt behind. I didn’t want to leave cheer behind, too.
SCP: I was thinking about going to other schools, but I wasn’t planning on doing sports in college. My mom was looking at UC Merced and I was looking at UC Davis or even Fresno State. My senior year, I just loved stunt. With more girls, it was competitive to win your spot. I felt like with a lot of girls, it fun and entertaining. I didn’t even know about FPU until they announced they were having a stunt team. At first, I was worried because I have a very picky mom. She picks on everything and I didn’t think she wouldn’t like the school. We toured it, and she loved it, too.
MT: You have six other teammates going to FPU. How will that be on the team and in school.
SCP: I felt very relaxed to have people I know there. It’s not like I’m going in not knowing what I’m doing and being the only one on the team. It felt very welcoming.
BA: I’m glad. I feel more comfortable and I know people and I can ask them questions. I feel like I would have been lost or know I was doing thing right. I’m glad we all chose FPU.
MW: I was really glad we got to do that. Although I’m going to have a lot more teammates, which is also fun and exciting, I’m happy that I always know I have the support of my teammates from high school. We all know what each other is capable of. In stunt, so many people are so different in stunting. You just have to adapt. Knowing how these girls work, it will be really nice because they know how I work.
AB: It makes the transition a lot smoother. I would be way more nervous going into a sport and school where I know no one. I’m someone who has a hard shell to crack at the beginning. I don’t open up very much. Once you get to know me, I’m a completely different person. Going in with people I know, my shell will be way more open than it would have been. It makes it a lot easier for people to know who I am.
MT: Did you ever think you would be a college athlete?
HC: I didn’t think I would take cheer or stunt that far. I knew I liked it, but I didn’t know of the opportunities. I barely knew of FPU as a school my freshman year. I’m glad my junior year, I started taking stunt more serious. I made a social media account just for cheer for colleges to reach out.
GB: When we were little, we went to Fresno State games, so maybe I’ll cheer for them. I knew I wasn’t that good, so I couldn’t. I did not think I would be stunting in college.
GW: Fresno State had high tumbling requirements. I tried to learn more tumbling skills. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t get past my mental blocks. Stunt wasn’t even in my heard. I’m doing stunt for fun.
SCP: It feels really weird. It’s so much different than high school. It’s going to take a while to get used to. It’s definitely a change.
BA: I am really excited because I didn’t know this would be an opportunity. I’m glad I have it. I’m also a little scared because it’s school and a sport, but I’m excited.
MW: It’s kind of surreal feeling to me. Growing up, I never found a sport I liked until my sophomore year when I did cheer and stunt. Even then, I never really thought I would become a college athlete. I felt like I was late to the game. To now say I’m going to be a college athlete, it’s really crazy. Freshman year me would not believe that, at all. The first couple of weeks of training will be something. I’m hoping I can adapt quickly.
AB: If you asked freshman year me if I was going to be a college athlete, I would have laughed in your face. I used to be a competitive gymnast. Now, I’m going to be a college athlete. That excites me because I’m a person that needs to be mentally and physically challenged. If I went into college lacking that challenge physically, I would have plateaued and slumped. It would have not been good for me. It helps me physically and mentally by doing this sport.
MT: Burgess and Williamson signed Letters of Intent in November while Caldon followed in December or January. The other four signed as the year went on with Castillo finishing off the seven in May.
AB: I was sent my letter to sign in December, but I didn’t sign until March. Part of it was deciding what to do, but the other part was communicating with FPU about everything to make sure everything was nailed down. It was kind of surreal to sign. I was thinking, this is it, to sign this paper. It almost didn’t feel real.
MW: I signed at the same time as Ashlyn. I didn’t know what it was I signed until after. There was a lot of paperwork I signed. It was really crazy that it really happen and it solidified that I was going to be a college athlete. I was actually going to college and doing this competing against other colleges.
BA: I signed in April. I felt very relieved that I was committed to FPU and knew what I was doing. The decision from Fresno State to FPU lasted until April.
SCP: I signed at the beginning of May. It was stressful. I got the information in December. I was in school when I got the paperwork. I thought it was something normal, but I realized I actually signed my NLI.
HC: I felt a lot of adrenaline. This was my final decision, and I finally mad up my mind. I’m not wavering my choice. I’m glad I made the decision. I couldn’t be more ecstatic.
GB: I felt very accomplished. I was proud of myself because I am starting a new journey for myself.
GW: I signed and realized this is what I’m doing. This is the next level. I have to make sure I’m ready for it. I was excited, but really intimidated.
MT: What are your thoughts about knowing what you will be doing and where you will be going for the next four years?
HC: I feel amazing. The last four years actually meant something. I didn’t just do a sport to stay athletic and have fun with my friends. It meant that I am going to do it at the college level and competing at a higher level. I am very proud of myself and my teammates.
GB: I’m very proud of myself and my friends. I didn’t think I would be doing any of this. I didn’t think I would be going to a four-year college and doing a sport.
GW: I am proud of myself and my teammates. I am excited for a more competitive team, not that our team was competitive. We had two teams we were competitive with. Every game, it’s going to be a tough competition. We’re already starting with weight training. I’m excited to see where that takes us and how far we can progress.
MT: How big has the growth been for Liberty stunt from the first year to the fourth?
SCP: My first year, I was being put in stunts and I never did it. Stunt has so much technique in it. After having a lot of practices and going through film, it has helped us a lot. I don’t think we would have competed with Bullard if it wasn’t for them.
MW: The growth has been kind of crazy. I didn’t do stunt my freshman year. Going in sophomore year, I was nervous because I didn’t know anything. There was so much growth from the first two years. Rules constantly changed in stunt. Even now, it’s hard to adapt. I can’t imagine doing it the first year. Stunt is such a particular sport. Doing stunt the past three years was amazing to see. I’m so excited to see where it goings. We keep getting sharper and cleaner every year. Every year, we realize how important that is. The first two years, we were worried about getting our skills down. This year, we focused on being sharp and clean. Coach Rachel Wheeler and Lisa have really pushed us.
HC: I am so proud of the girls. This was our best year, and I’m glad we were able to finish off strong. I’m so proud we beat Madera, who were back-to-back champions. I’m still a little flustered about the Bullard game. We still had an amazing season. I didn’t even think we would get close to Bullard or Madera in our freshman and sophomore seasons.
GB: I am really proud of the girls. We started off barely doing halves to looking at a video and hitting it on the first try. We got used to each other. We did really good last year, and that made me happy. We went from losing every game to winning almost every game.
GW: I am proud of the fact that we started the team, and it grew so much. We had about 30 girls this year. That really helped. All of those girls are just starting. I am so excited to see what they will do. I’m excited to go back and watch their games to see their growth. After our freshman year, we realized we didn’t like to lose and knew what the sport was about and what it meant to us. That’s when it kicked off and was something we can enjoy to be good at.
MT: The last game of the year was probably the best stunt games in the four years. Liberty lost a close game to Bullard and these seniors still think about that game.
SCP: It was super intense. We went through the season undefeated, and losing to them it was biggest heartbreak of my life. We definitely should have won that game. It was so intense that we sat in school re-watching the game looking all of our mistakes.
AB: I thought we got nervous in the beginning, and we were shaky. Looking back, Bullard was the same way. I was frustrated I thought we blew it. But, it was a close game.
HC: Our last game against Bullard was a good example of a high intensity game. That was the most stressful game we’ve ever had. I think that was the best game we’ve ever done. We had some hiccups. Ultimately, most of the team really tried for that game because they were our biggest competition. This was a good example of a stunt game. The game against Bullard showed we wanted to be there. Our team is full of go-getters. It was a good eye-opener of what college is going to be like. I’m glad we had that to build off of instead of a game against a game that was handed to us.
GB: Our last game with Bullard showed how much we pushed ourselves and did the best we can.
GB: Our last game with Bullard was intense. Both teams wanted it bad. It was a good example of what the sport really is. It’s not just cheerleaders standing on the sideline. Even thought it didn’t turn out how we wanted, it was still a close game against a great team.
MT: What are you families’ thoughts of you staying relatively close to home?
SCP: They were all very shocked. They were all proud of me. The love that I’m close to home. They wanted to keep me close. We have so many family traditions throughout the year, I would have been sad to miss those.
BA: They are really happy I got to be close. They were really scared I was going to go far. They would be okay and would support the opportunity to go far and have that adventure. But, they wanted me to stay close. They were super excited it was a private, Christian college. They thought it would be perfect for me because of who I am.
MW: They are happy I am staying close to home. For a while, I talked about wanting to be far enough to venture on my own to enjoy life, but be close enough to where if I wanted to come home, I can. I’m happy I’m sticking closer to home. My family wouldn’t have cared if I would have gone far. We are used to spending time apart. My mom pushes me to do adventure things. She wants me to travel the world. She’s happy I get to stay close to home for this.
AB: My brothers didn’t know what was going on with me and my future. They were getting emotional, but I told them I was staying at home, and commuting. To see their faces light up made me feel happy. It was a good moment to see how happy my brothers were that I was going to stay home with them. My mom told me I had to do a sport to do things. She’s happy that I’m continuing that. Everyone is happy with the decision. It’s nice to see how proud everyone is.
GW: My parents were really happy. My dad was worried about me going out of state. He talked to me about out of state schools. He went to Alabama, and liked it. He was really happy that I am doing stunt. He liked the sport. He’s definitely a stunt dad.
GB: My parents were really supportive of my choice. Fresno Pacific is right there. My sister is doing stunt, and my teammates are there.
HC: The support system is already at FPU. My family was supportive because it’s a university and that I’m doing stunt. Ten kids signed to do a sport, and that’s amazing.