Many people fear public speaking. It is uncomfortable to speak about a topic in front of strangers for a lot of people because everybody is staring and the speaker is wondering what everybody is thinking about.
Well, cheerleaders, like North Idaho College cheerleader Kylie Crateau, love performing in front of large crowds.
Not only does Crateau have the strength, flexibility and skill to be a cheerleader, but also an enjoyment of showcasing her talents under the spotlight.
“I knew her in high school, watching the high school cheerleaders at the games and stuff and she’s really comfortable in front of large groups of people which is obviously something that’s very important in cheerleading and something that’s hard to teach,” NIC head coach Leslie Pulley said. “So if somebody has that natural ability already, not to mention her skills, which I saw at the games and at their practices, I went to a few, I wanted her.”
Crateau, like her coach, Pulley, cheered at Post Falls High School and Crateau is in her sophomore year at NIC.
She decided to cheer at NIC because of the short distance NIC is to Post Falls.
Crateau can be seen pumping up the crowd at home volleyball and basketball games. But, she said she likes cheering at basketball games more.
“It’s fun to watch and then the fans I guess, it’s kind of like an in closed type of thing so it’s a lot more fun, hyped up,” Crateau said.
Crateau said she liked cheering at football games in high school, but since NIC does not have a football team, basketball is her next favorite to cheer.
Besides cheering for NIC student-athletes, the NIC cheerleading team competes in national cheer competitions.
The Cardinals won in 2011 and finished second last year. It also performs locally.
Crateau said her squad performed in Spokane and at Lakeland High School this season. In both instances, NIC did not compete against other schools.
Crateau said she enjoys cheering at sporting events and competitions.
“Cheering at games is showing your student body the skill and talent you have whereas competing is to other cheerleaders,” Crateau said.
Crateau is considered a veteran on the team because of her experience as a NIC cheerleader, her skill and her leadership qualities.
Crateau said she leads by example and tries “not to overstep, I guess, because people don’t like to be told what they need to do.” She said she is “nice” and offers “encouragement” when communicating with teammates.
“She is a flexible leader,” Pulley said. “She’s not the most vocal person on the team unless we need a vocal person that day. She definitely leads by example and I would say her best leadership quality is the extra work. She’s always there doing it.”
When performing cheers at NIC home games, Crateau can take a number of positions.
She said in the past she has been a flyer-a girl that is thrown in the air-but since the roster was heavy with flyers this year, she took the base role and performed as a flyer when needed.
She also performs like a flyer and a base at the same time when her team forms a pyramid because she acts as the middle layer. In the pyramid, there is a bottom layer of cheerleaders, a middle layer and a girl on top of the middle layer.
When Crateau is not cheerleading and studying, she said she enjoys swimming and boating in the summer.
Crateau also stays busy with her work schedule.
She said she recently started working at San Francisco Sourdough Eatery on Sherman Avenue in downtown Coeur d’Alene. Previously, she worked two years at Forever 21, a girls clothing store at the Spokane Valley Mall.
Crateau will return to NIC next year to cheer, but after that, she is not sure what she wants to do.
“I’m just going with the flow, whatever sparks an interest.”
