By Staff Writer, Cynthia Arakelian

Dancing “since [she] can remember,” Stephanie Bautista (’07) has always enjoyed performing in front of an audience. Making her mark as a former Toll Middle School drill team member and a current Varsity Cheer Captain, she will continue at Glendale Community College’s competition squad.
Bautista not only has the passion and pride for the sport but also the commitment needed to make it big in the cheerleading world.
Although she joined the Hoover Cheer Team simply because “an opportunity came up,” her dedication and passion showed from the start. Bautista’s presence in the varsity team for the past three years and involvement in nine competitions has made her the great cheerleader that she is today.
Bautista believes that school spirit, commitment, hard work, and the drive for improvement are all qualities a cheerleader should have.
“Without a doubt she is the epitome of what a high school cheerleader should represent,” said Coach Melanie Moreno. “She has devoted 110% to all aspects of cheerleading because she understands that all elements combined are what make a true cheerleader.”
However, remaining humble, Bautista describes that one of her weaknesses is her lack of tumbling skills, also known as floor gymnastics, consisting of somersaults, back handsprings, and roundoffs, something that is needed for many squads.
Nonetheless, with motivation, she uses her strengths and weaknesses not only to be the best cheerleader she can be, but the best captain as well. Despite the support she gets from family and friends, Bautista states, “I get motivation from the false negative ideas a lot of people make about our team and the sport in general.”
While Bautista gets her motivation from other’s opinions, Denise Le (’08) states that as a captain Bautista, a diligent and talented cheerleader, “inspired me my freshman year to never give up and be more enthusiastic.” She also helped her become a better performer and advised her to simply ignore all the drama that comes with a team consisting of 50 plus girls.
Luckily, cheerleading has created many memorable moments in her life. While attending a cheer camp amongst 150 cheerleaders at University of California Los Angeles, Bautista was one of the five seniors chosen to receive an application to join the staff of the Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA), the top cheer industry. This was a great honor for her, as she looks up to the UCA staff of instructors, individuals who handle events such as competitions and camps.
Another memorable moment took place her junior and senior year as she was awarded an all-star medal, an award handed to only a few members in each squad. Her award qualified her to attend a trip to London to perform in the London New Year’s Parade.
Like any other sport, cheerleading can take up much of one’s time. Bautista admits that “cheerleading has influenced my grades a lot because I dedicate more of my time to cheerleading.”
“It affects my free time as well, as Friday nights are taken up by football and basketball games and Saturdays are used for competitions.”
Although she is involved in other extracurricular activities, such as the Hoover choir and her church’s music and dance ministry, Bautista places her main focus on cheer. As she practices two hours each day, as well as after school during competition season, she states that “it is a big part of me; it’s my life.”
As Bautista continues, she hopes that others will cheer her along the way to success.