Emelia Ortiz (9) has just joined the junior varsity Yorba Linda High School cheer team as a freshman while attending many honors classes. Before JV cheer, Emelia took three years of gymnastics to prepare herself for high school cheer and truly enjoyed the sport. As well as cheer and honors, Ortiz takes part in art as another extracurricular activity, as well as AP Human Geography.

YLHS cheer is an amazing team with many skilled participating athletes, including Emelia who has made the JV cheer team in only her freshman year. Most times you can witness her cheering at JV football games and attending one of her many classes around campus. The balance between her sport and classwork can overlap at times causing a need for her to plan ahead and communicate with many teachers and teammates at once. Yet, even though times can become stressful, Emelia has benefitted in many ways from cheer, such as participating in hours of exercise causing her to stay fit and continuously improve her new found skills in tumbling, flexibility, and stunting. She enjoys cheer as a way of, “…making new friends and enjoying the competitive but fun environment.”

Finding the time and energy to handle her classes, sport, and extracurricular activities is a key skill to acquire, and thankfully, one Emelia possesses. However, in some cases when homework and practice do pile up, she will rest in her free time, or on the weekends, head to Disneyland with her friends to reset and relieve stress. This is important to continue doing when balancing her life if she wants to continue cheer for the rest of high school, as she states. Emelia has so far maintained good grades in these first trial weeks of school, as well as kept up with her work despite the frequent practices and football games she is also required to attend.

Just as a freshman, Emelia Ortiz must balance her difficult honors classes with the busy schedule of being in cheer, while still taking art as an extracurricular as well as AP Human Geography. Her time management and balance between her social life as well as her school life is what pushes her to achieve her goals efficiently. Though balancing these responsibilities can be challenging, she manages to do so by managing her time well and planning ahead.