Ottumwa seniors sign with IHCC cheerleading | High School Sports - Ottumwacourier

April 25, 2019 at 10:07AM

OTTUMWA — There's a certain trend in sports that some teams follow.

When looking to fill out a roster, look for good athletes, even those that have played other sports.

Cyndi Mellin signed three more Ottumwa High School seniors on Wednesday to be part of the Indian Hills cheerleading program. Unlike other signees like Kaitlyn Fiscella and Allyson Shepherd, seniors Jillian Townsend, Emily Grooms and Holly Leffler have the common bond of not having been a part of cheerleading at OHS.

"A couple of the girls have cheered for Dance, Inc. and another team here in town. One has never cheered before," Mellin said. "Often times, athletes make fantastic cheerleaders. I reached out to this group. I reached out to Emily first to discuss dance and she indicated some interest in cheerleading. They came in and all three of them really impressed me. I'm super excited to have all three of them."

Leffler has played basketball and has been a teammate with Grooms in girls soccer at Ottumwa. All three students have been involved in activities at Ottumwa and will hope to put those athletic skills to the test in a brand new venture with the IHCC cheer program.

"I feel pretty excited about the opportunity to try something new," Leffler said. "We've never done anything like this before and now we get to experience it together for the first time. We had a lot of fun the first time we practiced.

"It's a unique way to be involved with the college," Grooms added. "You're always at the basketball games and you're meeting new people through all the competitions that we'll travel to."

Leffler and Grooms, according to Mellin, are expected to be bases next year for the cheer team. Townsend, meanwhile, will truly be tested athletically as Mellin sees the OHS senior as a flyer for the team.

"Originally, I was pretty nervous about trying this," Townsend said. "The day Cyndi texted Emily, Emily texted me and asked me to do cheerleading with her. I didn't know why I would want to try cheerleading, but after going through the recruiting process and meeting all the girls on the team, I found out that it's a fun activity to be a part of while you're in college.

"The flying was actually my favorite part of the routines. I'm actually really excited. It looks like a lot of fun."

Scott Jackson can be reached at sjackson@ottumwacourier.com. Follow him on Twitter@CourierScott.

OTTUMWA — There's a certain trend in sports that some teams follow.

When looking to fill out a roster, look for good athletes, even those that have played other sports.

Cyndi Mellin signed three more Ottumwa High School seniors on Wednesday to be part of the Indian Hills cheerleading program. Unlike other signees like Kaitlyn Fiscella and Allyson Shepherd, seniors Jillian Townsend, Emily Grooms and Holly Leffler have the common bond of not having been a part of cheerleading at OHS.

"A couple of the girls have cheered for Dance, Inc. and another team here in town. One has never cheered before," Mellin said. "Often times, athletes make fantastic cheerleaders. I reached out to this group. I reached out to Emily first to discuss dance and she indicated some interest in cheerleading. They came in and all three of them really impressed me. I'm super excited to have all three of them."

Leffler has played basketball and has been a teammate with Grooms in girls soccer at Ottumwa. All three students have been involved in activities at Ottumwa and will hope to put those athletic skills to the test in a brand new venture with the IHCC cheer program.

"I feel pretty excited about the opportunity to try something new," Leffler said. "We've never done anything like this before and now we get to experience it together for the first time. We had a lot of fun the first time we practiced.

"It's a unique way to be involved with the college," Grooms added. "You're always at the basketball games and you're meeting new people through all the competitions that we'll travel to."

Leffler and Grooms, according to Mellin, are expected to be bases next year for the cheer team. Townsend, meanwhile, will truly be tested athletically as Mellin sees the OHS senior as a flyer for the team.

"Originally, I was pretty nervous about trying this," Townsend said. "The day Cyndi texted Emily, Emily texted me and asked me to do cheerleading with her. I didn't know why I would want to try cheerleading, but after going through the recruiting process and meeting all the girls on the team, I found out that it's a fun activity to be a part of while you're in college.

"The flying was actually my favorite part of the routines. I'm actually really excited. It looks like a lot of fun."

Scott Jackson can be reached at sjackson@ottumwacourier.com. Follow him on Twitter@CourierScott.

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