In today’s episode of This Hits Different, Shelby Cassesse tells the story of Rockstar Cheer’s cheerabilities program, which offers a cheer program for children with disabilities.
Have an idea for This Hits Different? Let us know here.
Cranberry cheerabilities program offers sport to all
On a July afternoon at Rockstar Cheer in Cranberry, competitve cheer and tumbling teams work on perfecting their craft, as they have since the facility opened in 2006.
But almost 15 years ago, the staff realized something was missing, thanks to one of their competitive cheerleaders and her sister.
“One of our athletes had a little sister who had medical problems, and she wanted to be a cheerleader,” said coach Becky Troppman. “We kept telling her we were going to make a team, and then, unfortunately, she passed away.”
In her honor, Rockstar started the cheerabilities team the next year for kids with disabilities.
Troppman led the effort and is still one of the team's main coaches.
“Just the plain joy that they have for doing something that I’ve loved all my life, and then bringing it to the gym and letting everyone see what they’re capable of doing… I am blessed to be able to have that in my life and help them every day," she said.
Word eventually spread to the Harpalani family about the relatively new team. Luccia was a first grader at the time, and decided to give a new sport a try. Let's just say it went well.
“Cheerleading makes me happy,” she said. “I love it there.”
That was 11 years ago. Luccia is now heading into her senior year at Pine-Richland, She's a varsity cheerleader and still as active as ever with the team that sparked the passion.
“I love competition, I love being out there,” she said. “(My) teammates have been good, I have a lot of friends.”
From a first grader just discovering the world, to a confident performer who loves her teammates, Luccia is just one of the dozens of girls who found a home in the cheerabilities program.
Her mother Jennifer says it's hard to describe the impact.
“It’s given her the confidence to be out there in front of everyone,” Jennifer said. “So on that level, it’s amazing. But she’s made lifelong best friends here. She feels like this is family.”
Clearly, this goes far deeper than tumbling and competition. These are bonds that make a community. And, for the cheerabilities program, community is what it's all about. The team works closely with events like Spread the word to End the word, Buddy Walk — a fundraiser for the National Down Syndrome Society — and they have a big sister program with some of the older girls at Rockstar.
“Everyone is just so accepted for who they are and the ability that they have. Everybody is so accepting, and that’s what created that nurturing environment that allows the girls to learn and allows everybody to be family.”
As Becky reflects on her time coaching the cheerabilities program, it's not the number of points earned or competitions won.
Becky counts the program's success in the number of girls who want to come back to coach, measured in the growth she sees in the kids who eventually become adults right in front of her eyes.
“Confidence, them getting out there and being able to perform in front of such a big audience, it lets them see that they’re able do what everyone else can do,” she said “It gives them the confidence to walk away and do anything they put their mind to.”