Coupeville Sports

Kaela Hollrigel

The lighter side of Hollrigel’s personality surfaces.

Kaela Hollrigel is a busy young woman.

The Coupeville High School junior, who moved to the Island last October, has added cheer to a schedule already chock-full.

Along with being a wingman for the Wolf cheer squad, Hollrigel is a leader in both ASB and National Honor Society, while also participating in Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Toss in side activities (“My primary interests are reading and doing art, like painting and drawing”), favorite classes like science and art and hanging out with family (“I love to spend time with my mom and sister”) and she’s got a lot going on.

Though, and this is a HUGE plus, Hollrigel still finds the time to appreciate a little AC/DC, so, when CHS football announcer Willie Smith cranks up his pre-game tunes over the PA system this fall, at least one Wolf cheerleader will enjoy the moment.

Hollrigel picked up the cheer bug as a way to meet people in her new home, and it’s worked out splendidly.

“I started because I wanted to be a part of a team that is fun and a great workout,” she said. “I also wanted to join cheer because I thought it would be a great way to make friends, and it is.”

Now several months intro her introduction to the sport, Hollrigel has come to appreciate the connections that grow between teammates.

“I enjoy so many things in cheer. Like the great bond all of us have formed like a family; we all call it Ohana,” she said. “Also I love how much fun all the dances are and the routines and our coach Cheridan (Eck) makes our practices so much fun for all of us because each day is a new experience.”

Team leaders have helped show her the way, and she looks up to them for their leadership, style and inclusiveness.

“Some players that have really been a role model to me are our team captains, Allison Dickson and Sylvia Hurlburt, because they are such great role models for the whole team and with the help of Cheridan they make practice even more fun then it already is,” Hollrigel said.

“And that’s pretty hard, because we all have so much fun.”

But, while it’s enjoyable, there is also a lot of work involved, work that Hollrigel and her teammates would like to see appreciated.

“I would consider CHS cheer a sport, because as a team we do a great workout every day during practice,” she said. “We also have Workout Wednesday’s, where we do our own personalized workouts.

“As a team we also have a great workout when stunting because we have to throw and lift girls up in the air,” Hollrigel added. “That, to me, is why cheer is considered a sport.”