SAN JOSE, Calif. — Cassidy Bacon loves to perform in front of people. And when it comes to cheerleading, this is the perfect outlet for her. Not only does she get to perform, but she gets to have fun and create great friendships at the same time!

Cassidy is a Gold River Discovery Center student, in the second grade, and has been with Nor*Cal Elite All-Stars (Team Hero) for three years. Here, she can learn, train, and grow as a cheer and tumbling athlete. Her goals with cheerleading hopefully lead her to be a professional cheerleader with the Dallas Cowboys. While cheering is fun and energetic, there is a lot of discipline and detail involved in all aspects of it.

Although Cassidy has taken gymnastics, ballet, hip-hop, jazz, and contemporary dance — all of which have helped her in her cheerleading endeavors — there is nothing like being part of a team. In fact, she enjoys being a member of her cheer team because she likes her teammates and coaches so much.

A big challenge for her is doing what is called a “full out”: doing a full practice run to music with no counts. She manages it by counting in her head and a lot of practice. While it takes serious concentration to get it right, it helps her to do this by practicing in front of her mirror at home.

While cheer is a huge part of Cassidy’s extracurricular activities, she loves to have sleepovers with friends and dance. The best advice she’s received is “To have a friend is to be a friend,” and that carries into her school, friend, and cheer life as well.

She knows that everyone is important to the team, and when she hears her coach say, “You can do this, Bacon!” she knows she can with the help of her team and coaches around her!

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