Cheerleading success motivates Chloe Johnson

Chloe Johnson competing in a FierceCheer Elite (Photo Courtesy of Chloe Johnson)

By Myiah Lucio, photo editor

Chloe Johnson, a junior at Maria Carrillo High School, is opening doors of opportunity with her ever-growing success in cheerleading. Starting  gymnastics around the time she could walk, she buil the skills and experience that would one day enable her path in cheerleading. With practice Johnson became better and better, eventually receivingmuch-deservedd recognition for her sport. Johnson was previously cheerleading for the team Fierce Cheer Elite and just recently switched to high school cheerleading. Within her first year Johnson was able to gain the spot of cheer captain where you may have seen her at Carrillo sports events.

After a total rebirth as a more competitive organization, the MCHS cheer team began the year by attending the USA Cheer Camp in July. This camp offered the chance to obtain scholarships and learn from college-level cheer coaches. Cheerleaders competed to perform in the London New Year’s Parade with the All American team. Judges from Varsity Spirit, one of the most influential cheerleading organizations, come to watch several groups of girls from all different schools perform, narrowing the bunch down until they find their chosen members.

With her experience, Johnson was exactly what the All American team was looking for. The Varsity Spirit team looks primarily at performance value and showmanship ability, as well as how quickly you can pick up choreography, due to the very short amount of time the selected group has to learn the dance. There is a very slim interest among recruiters in specialty skills, in case they are needed, but most of the time it's solely based on performance, confidence, and coachability. 

Johnson, being one of the cheerleaders picked from around the United States, felt as though the opportunity was surreal. “It was my first time going international so it was kind of a shock,” she said.

Not only was this an international performance opportunity, but the London New Year’s parade is widely known in the UK as “the greatest show on earth,” with thousands of performers and an even larger audience watching. Although this seems nerve wracking, Johnson has been performing for so long it feels natural. “Performing is an escape for me because I know that I am able to do it on my own no matter what. It’s kind of my way to actually showcase who I am,” said Johnson.

During Johnson’s time in London, she got the opportunity to meet new people from all over the United States. “Everyone was so sweet, and you find so much in common, like just being there and It’s insane seeing how people come together and make connections in such a short amount of time, being thousands of miles away,” proclaimed Johnson.

Johnson, being a lover of history, of course felt overjoyed at the opportunity to visit some of London’s breathtaking historic sights, including the House of Parliament, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the Crown Jewels of London. 

Motivated by her success, Johnson is continuing to work hard in cheer to carry on this path in college, while striving to accomplish more as she is pushed by those around her, including Maria Carrillo’s head cheerleading coach, Christina Davis. Although Davis has high expectations for her cheerleaders, this standard pushes the girls to their utmost potential, something Johnson attributes her success to.  

“CD is so set in stone of how she does things, but it’s perfect,” explains Johnson. “All these crazy things, stuff I never thought would actually come with highschool cheer.” 

Even knowing Johnson for only a year, Davis sees much promise in her.

Gaining this much exposure, Johnson is clearly turning heads of college coaches, specifically the cheer coach Connor Huber at UCLA. As a junior at MCHS, there will definitely be more to be seen of Johnson along her cheer journey. Because this sport has given her so much, Johnson would enjoy returning to Carrillo in the future to coach with Davis once she graduates, too.

Johnson said, “I definitely want to keep this sport in my life because of how much it’s done for me, and I definitely want to give back to the new generations of athletes that are coming in because they deserve the best experience they can get.”