Interview: Ryan Martin from Cheerleader Nation

London Rockets caught up with Ryan from Cheerleader Nation this week and found out what she’s up to since the show ended, what cheering in school has meant to hear and her plans to cheer at university.

LR: Ryan, we’ve just seen Dunbar win at Nationals on Cheerleader Nation - what’s happened to Dunbar cheer since then! Are you still cheering?

RM: I am still cheering for Dunbar! this year is my senior year and we have still been doing great each year. We have won every year since the show and hopefully I can get one more national title this year before I have to graduate!

LR: You might not know this but here in the United Kingdom, we don’t really have cheerleading in schools. Can you imagine what life at Dunbar would have been like for you without cheerleading?

How important was it to you as part of your high school experience?

RM: Wow! Dunbar without cheerleading is like peanut butter without jelly!! Haha i know thats silly but seriously I can’t imagine my school without it. Our school has only be open for 19 years, but we have always had a great cheerleading program.

“Cheerleading has been an extremely important part of my high school career and has taught me about teamwork, dedication and hard work”

It’s been an extremely important part of my high school career. It has taught me about teamwork, dedication and hard work! I have also made so many wonderful memories and made connections with great people through the years!

LR: You’re a flyer, or top girl as you’re called in the US! Tell us what goes through your mind when you’re up there but a lot of our readers only know about cheerleading because of Cheerleader Nation so go easy on the cheer-speak!

RM: Well when I’m in the air, the only thing going through my mind is to stay “tight” and squeeze every muscle I have! The tighter you are, the lighter you feel to your bases and the more control they have over the stunt.

LR: Dunbar is all girl - why do you think that is? What’s your opinion of coed teams?

RM: Dunbar has had COED teams in the past but we have found that the guys at our school just don’t want to cheer! We actually won a Cheersport National Championship with a COED team when I was in middle school but lately the guys that come out for the team aren’t prepared to actually work hard. most of them think they can just meet girls and goof off but Dunbar is far from that!

I have cheered competitively on an all star COEd team before and I think its great. personally, I like all girl teams better, but im planning to cheer COED in college!

LR: A number of UK based cheerleaders are heading to America this summer to a UCA camp - any advice for them about how to get the most out of camp?

RM: UCA camps are the best! every team i have ever cheered on has attended a UCA camp and I love all of them. They have the best stunts, dances, and staff in the country! I am actually going to try out for the UCA staff this summer!

LR: Finally Ryan, the London Rockets cheer blog often features debates about ‘what ‘ cheerleading is. From the NFL to UCA, there are so many opinions, often conflicting, what is cheerleading to you? What makes it a sport and what, in your opinion stops outsiders from taking it seriously?

RM: Actually I don’t even know what I would exactly call cheerleading, but I know you have to be very athletic, dedicated, in shape and also very tough if you want to cheer competitively! It takes up most of my time and we really do condition and work harder than most sports team in our school!!

Ryan has her own blog over at Inside Cheerleading which you can read by clicking here!