Seniors ‘pave the way’ for Baldwin cheer team

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, January 21, 2018 | 12:03 PM

There are four seniors on the Baldwin competitive cheerleading team.

All four are captains.

Kaitlyn Joyce, Sarah Dempsey and Leila Crawford are co-captains of the competitive squad. Emma Hampsay is a varsity team captain.

“Our captains are an asset to our team and really have helped pave the way to where the team is today,” said Taryn Madden, Baldwin's co-coach with Dena Mihalsky. “Each performs at a different stunting position so the younger girls can look to them for guidance in many areas.

“At practice, they are always motivating the team to do their best and prepare them for what is ahead. Our slogan is ‘All in for Baldwin,' and they make sure their team performs ‘all in' every time.”

Baldwin has qualified for the state finals in each of the last four years, placing 16th in 2015 and 11th in 2016, then improving to third and second the past two years. The Highlanders also finished first in the WPIAL large varsity and medium varsity divisions the past two years.

Joyce, Dempsey and Hampsay have been competitive team members for four years, and Crawford has cheered competitively the past two seasons.

Joyce has a 4.0 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society, Special Olympics club and Baldwin's preschool program. She also was a JV cheerleading captain as a sophomore.

She plans to attend Duquesne in the school's six-year occupational therapy program, graduating with a doctorate degree.

“This (Baldwin cheerleading) program has become a huge part of my life,” Joyce said, “and I'm so excited to see how we do for the rest of the season and how everyone here will continue to grow as athletes.

“This year's team, compared to the one I was on my freshman year, is at a whole new level of skill. Although we have bad days at practice, we're all still one big family, which is definitely an atmosphere I have been in on (as a member of) any team at Baldwin.”

Dempsey is a dual-sport athlete at Baldwin. Along with cheering, she is a pole-vaulting specialist in the girls track and field program.

Dempsey owns a 3.9 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society and Special Olympics club. She acted as a competitive team representative as a sophomore.

“This year differs from my past three years because we have become so much more motivated,” Dempsey said, “and this year we are very goal-oriented.”

Next year, Dempsey will attend Gannon and major in occupational therapy. She also will continue her cheerleading career on a competitive cheer scholarship.

Hampsay, meanwhile, has been accepted into Point Park, IUP and Cal (Pa.) and is in the process of deciding which to attend. She is going to study psychology in college.

“At WPIALs, my team and I really showed true sportsmanship,” Hampsay said. “We worked very hard in order to accomplish our goals.”

Hampsay has a 3.5 GPA and is in Baldwin's gifted program. She acted as a junior representative on the cheerleading squad last season.

“My freshman year, we couldn't even imagine accomplishing what we have today,” she said. “Since then, we really put a strong team together. Throughout the years, we have been working very hard and pushing ourselves to accomplish everything.

“I am very proud to call myself a Baldwin cheerleader, and am very upset I will be graduating and not returning to keep working with them next year. I am still deciding if I would want to continue cheerleading (next year). It depends on the college I choose.”

Crawford owns a 3.4 GPA and participates in the French, Yearbook and Special Olympics clubs at Baldwin.

“Being captain is a great honor,” Crawford said, “and I could not ask for a better team to coach and to learn from. The WPIAL performance, in my eyes, has really opened up the team to our full potential, and I believe this was a definite win in our book.

“Both the Baldwin competitive cheer and Baldwin high school cheer teams love to perform and make the crowd excited to the best of our abilities, and in the future we only hope to see more positive advances as we have seen over the past couple of years. We see every day as a chance to get better and cannot wait to see what we as a team can accomplish.”

Crawford plans to attend a two- or four-year college, pursuing a career in nursing.

Are there any cheerleading plans in her future?

“That's been a long-time dream for me since I was little,” Crawford said. “Maybe I'll find the school that is just right for both my education and cheerleading.”

Ray Fisher is a freelance writer.

Tags: Baldwin