Making Pro Cheer League History: The Stars Are Aligning for Seneka Erickson

BY KAYLEE HASENBANK

Inside Cheer recently sat down with Seneka Erickson to discuss her journey through every level of the sport, reflecting on her experiences in All Star, College, the Pro Cheer League, and the U.S. National Team! Seneka’s story begins in Utah, where gymnastics shaped her entire childhood, starting at age 4. After spending a decade as a gymnast and earning herself a spot on the Junior Olympic team, a series of injuries forced her to make a difficult choice. What started as a chance to try something new, quickly became the start of an exciting and very rewarding chapter!

“I grew up in Utah and was a gymnast from ages 4 to 14. I got to be on the Junior Olympic team in gymnastics, but it got to the point where I was just injuring myself so often,” she told us. “I lost track of how many times I broke my wrist before the doctors warned me I would have permanent damage if I kept going. I had to make a decision, so we thought that the best step would just be to try cheer to see how it goes, and it ended up being the best decision.” As it turned out, the stars aligned for Seneka. Making the transition to cheer, and how that decision led her exactly where she was meant to be, has proven to be the perfect path. So far, she’s had the opportunity to cheer as an All Star, a Pro, in college at Kennesaw State, and has also added coaching to her resume. In late July, she made Atlanta Air for the second year and is so excited for the new season ahead. Here’s more of our conversation with Seneka, in her own words.

Tell us your Favorite All Star Memory

Moving down to Georgia and making The Stingray Allstars Orange will always be a highlight of my career because that’s where everything started for me. I would also say winning The Cheerleading Worlds twice. When I won Worlds with Senior Starz, that was the first time any team in Utah or at the program had ever won Worlds, so that was super special. The second time with Stingray Electric in Georgia. Stingrays have so many World titles, but Electric has never won Worlds, so for that team to win Worlds for the very first time and I got to be a part of was also a really big memory for me.

How would you Describe All Star Cheer?

I would say cheerleading is one of the hardest sports out there, and I don’t think it gets enough recognition. Cheerleading is something that is different because it’s such a team-based sport. You can’t do any of it without every single person that’s on that mat, and everyone is used in a specific way, and it’s very high endurance. You have tumbling, you have stunting, you have strength, and it’s all put into a 2.5-minute routine. It’s very fast-paced, high endurance, super intense, and the major thing is just to have trust between all of your teammates.

When I was in gymnastics, I was competing against my teammates in a way. I was doing skills that I’m going to be competing and trying to beat you in. So it’s more head-on there. And then in cheerleading, everyone has your back. We all have the same goal, and you can’t do it without the person standing next to you.

COLLEGE CHEER

What made you choose to cheer in college, and at Kennesaw State University specifically?

I wasn’t interested in college cheer at all. It wasn’t in my mind until after
I graduated high school. When I went to Georgia and met up with The Stingray coaches, I asked “what do I do for housing or living situations?” The coaches said, “We recommend cheering in college. It’s 15 minutes down the road, next to Stingrays.” That was super convenient because it’s very hard to find an All Star team where you can also do college. Kennesaw offered in-state tuition, so it would help pay for my college there, and then I tried out for Kennesaw Cheer.

What were your expectations going into college cheerleading?

I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew that it was going to be different. I knew what college cheerleading was because my sister cheered at Louisville and was on the all-girl team there, so she was a huge inspiration. She helped me prepare for it a little bit more. She’s honestly one of the biggest inspirations to me, the whole reason I even moved, because she could do it.

What was the biggest adjustment when you transitioned from All Star cheer to college cheer?

With the leadership, it was kind of different because I feel like in All Star, you don’t really have seniority. The more years that you’re on a team, obviously, you feel more comfortable to speak up and lead the team. But when I joined Kennesaw, I noticed that the seniors are in charge and we are the new freshmen. Since my coach also coaches at Stingrays, it was pretty similar because they run practices pretty similarly. I would say the huge difference was doing Game Day. I walked into my first practice and we’re starting to learn all the cheers and the fight song and I just felt like, this is not what I’m used to. I don’t really know if I like it. And then tumbling, you’re used to the springs and all of a sudden, it’s dead mat.

PRO CHEER LEAGUE

What was your first experience with the Pro Cheer League tryout like?

I think since last year was the first Pro Cheer League ever, that whole thing was very new to everyone, so nobody really knew what to expect and how things were gonna go. I kind of went into it with my confident little bubbly self. The first thing I saw was cameras everywhere. Camera over here, camera over there. And it’s like, whoa, what is happening right now, why am I getting filmed? This actually seems like a big deal. And then you see all of these high-profile people like Angel Rice—people who are well- known—and it’s just like, wait, let me step back for a second. It was different just because the environment was a little different. I was used to trying out with my All Star team, but when I walk into pro, you’re literally surrounded by the best athletes. So that was really eye-opening. I had interviews and it was more media-based. They had an idea of some games, so they were having us practice bullseye on a little small X. It was definitely different just because they were game-focused and more intense. But overall, it was such a cool experience that I’m glad I got to be a part of!

How did it feel to make history and earn a spot on the first-ever Pro Cheer League team?

When I first found out that I made the pro-level team, I really was blessed. I feel like it was almost in a way where I was seeing all the hard work had finally paid off. I can say that I’m a professional athlete and it’s the first ever team to ever be made, and I am making history. I think just to be a part of something so amazing and being able to have an opportunity after college was the biggest thing for me. Obviously, pay was included, but whether that was a thing or not, just having the opportunity to showcase to all the younger kids and being an inspiration to others is super, super cool to be a part of.

How do you explain professional cheerleading to someone who’s never heard of it?

When I tell people I’m a professional cheerleader, they’re kind of like “The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders?, what’s going on?” They have that idea where it’s sideline cheer, shaking your poms, glitter, you’re doing some dancing, but it’s actually something completely different than that. It’s showcasing how hard cheerleading is. We’re doing things that have never been done before. You’re seeing double backs in baskets, double backs on the floor, you’re seeing all these crazy skills that have never been seen before. In pro, you still have that 2-minute and 30-second routine where you’re doing that routine, but then after you get to see individually the talents every person has. You have bullseye, the highest tumbler, big trick all-girl, big trick co-ed, highest basket, these skills that kind of break it down to people who don’t understand cheerleading and get to see the skills in more depth.

Photo Credit: Varsity for Pro Cheer League