Sylvia Hurlburt (right) and fellow cheerleaders Jovanah Foote (left) and Nicole Becker celebrate the end of a summer cheer camp. (Pam Headridge photo)
Hurlburt smiles through the rain and cold at a middle school track meet in South Whidbey last year.
Sylvia Hurlburt has wanted to be a cheerleader her entire life.
At least it may seem that way at times for the Coupeville High School freshman, who first picked up the pom poms in kindergarten and has never looked back. Inspired by a connection with Wolf coach Sylvia Arnold, getting the chance to cheer for the red and black has been a dream for the friendly 9th grader.
“Well, I really liked the fact that I had the same name as the coach, I mean, how cool is that!,” Hurlburt said. “It also just seemed to be something that I really wanted to do. I went through elementary and middle school watching the “Big Girls” cheer and have always wanted to do what they do.”
Her love affair with cheer continues to this day.
“My favorite part … oh jeez, I love so many things about cheering,” Hurlburt said. “Well, first off, we are all just one huge family. It’s so nice to know that you have people by you whenever you need them there.
“Also, it’s just so fun to do; it’s awesome when you think you couldn’t do something and you find out you can, you feel amazing,” she added. “I could do without the seniors graduating this year, ha ha, I love all of them! But besides that, there isn’t really anything bad about cheer.”
A talented track sprinter and lifelong dancer (“I love dance. That’s who I am.”) who does tap and modern at Island Dance in Langley, Hurlburt may be a cheerleader, but she is most assuredly an athlete, as well. While there is always debate about whether cheer is a sport or an activity, there is little doubt where Hurlburt falls on the matter.
“Those people are so wrong. How would you feel, either lifting someone up and only having them stand on your hands? Or to be the one standing on their hands?,” Hurlburt said. “Cheer is definitely a real sport.
“We work as hard, if not harder than some of our sports teams at school,” she added. “If this can’t convince them, I would just tell them to try cheer themselves, and give it their all, and then say it isn’t a real sport.”
After spending the fall and winter working on the cheer sidelines, Hurlburt will follow the path set by older brother Larry, a state meet participant last year as a senior, and join the Wolf track team in the spring. Dance, as always, will remain a huge part of her day-to-day life.
“I may enjoy running and cheer, but my whole life has been dance from age three,” Hurlburt said. “My choreographer, Charlene Brown, has helped me with my dance so much. I can never thank her enough.”
Hurlburt’s upbeat, can-do attitude carries over to her schoolwork, as well, as she is one of the rare student athletes to proclaim total love for her time spent in the classroom.
“I really like all of my classes, yes, all six of them,” Hurlburt said. “But a few that I especially enjoy? Well, I really like English and art.
“I love writing, so English is perfect and I’m pretty creative, so art is great and really fun!,” she added. “I have a few favorite teachers like Mr. (Kyle) Nelson, who teaches geometry — he is so funny and makes math not boring. I also love my art teacher, Mrs. (Tacy) Bigelow, because she inspires me to do some things that I would never think of doing.”
Hurlburt draws inspiration from her family and friends as well.
“I have a lot of people who have helped me get to where I am,” she said. “There are my parents, Troy and Kristin Hurlburt, of course. My best friends Jovanah Foote, Jennifer Helms and Jai’Lysa Hoskins.
“My brother Larry has helped me improve with my running a lot, and so has Jai,” she added. “They all mean so much to me.
And when she’s not cheering, or dancing, or running? She’s always up to something.
“I also love just sitting down and reading a book on my Kindle and having a snack in the process,” Hurlburt said. “I love being with my friends too. All of them are so much fun to be with and so unique in their own ways that most of the time you can’t help but want to be around them.”
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