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02/20/2019 11:00 PMTaylor Nichols rapidly rose to the rank of junior captain with the Branford cheerleading team. Taylor didn’t begin cheerleading until she was a freshman at the high school, but quickly became an integral member of the squad. During the past three seasons, Taylor has emerged as a leader for the Hornets, who feature no seniors on their team this year.
Branford recently earned a fourth-place finish in the All-Girl Division at the Southern Connecticut Conference Championship. It was an impressive performance for a younger group, and Taylor is eager to see what the Hornets can achieve as the team keeps improving.
“We took fourth place at SCCs out of a lot of teams there. We’re excited for the rest of the season to show how much we’ve improved,” Taylor says. “We’re working really hard. We’ve improved on the stunts, and I’m really excited for people to see what we have to show them.”
Taylor didn’t consider getting involved in cheerleading until her friend Mia Vuolo did. Taylor had never found a sport that really clicked with her, but she immediately made a connection with cheerleading.
“My friend Mia was a cheerleader, and she started telling me about everything that they would do. I started watching videos of cheer competitions, and I was hooked,” says Taylor. “Honestly, it’s the only sport that I’ve ever stuck with.”
Taylor’s favorite component of a cheer routine is stunting, which is when cheerleaders form pyramids and then do high-flying tosses. Taylor has spent many hours expanding her repertoire. Now, she’s seeing the fruits of her labor show up on the mat.
“I love stunting, because I can do it well, and it makes me want to show that off. I have more trouble tumbling, so I want to show what I have in stunting,” she says. “Over the summer, I was working on full-ups to extensions. When we finally got it after sticking with it the whole time, that was really exciting.”
Taylor can fill a few roles when it comes to stunting. This means that she has to prepare for many different scenarios, but Taylor knows that all the hard work is worth it.
“I’m a base and a back-spot. I’m pretty versatile on those. We have tumble routines. We have a single base and a partner stunt,” says Taylor. “It’s a lot to deal with, and it’s fun. It’s time-consuming, but in the end, that time pays off.”
Taylor says that one of the biggest challenges in a competition is dealing with the nerves that come with putting it all on the line for a given performance. Taylor overcomes those nerves by only focusing on what she can control.
“It’s always a little nerve-wracking, because you never know what can happen, but you can’t think about that,” Taylor says. “You have to do what you know how to do. You can’t spend your time trying to prevent those things from happening and not do anything.”
As a captain, Taylor tries to help her teammates stay strong mentally. Every competition is a high-pressure event, and Taylor tries to keep the Hornets loose, so they can perform to the best of their ability.
“Before every competition, I let everyone know whatever happens, happens,” says Taylor. “Go out and have the most fun. Don’t worry about the crowd. I don’t want anyone to beat themselves. Just go out and have fun.”
Head Coach Melissa Mansi appreciates what Taylor brings to her team as both an athlete and a calming voice. Mansi says that Taylor is a student of the sport who always supports her fellow Hornets.
“Taylor’s the total package. I’m lucky. She’s selfless, and she wants everybody to be successful. When Taylor speaks, it’s with the same message as me, and it makes coaching so much easier. She understands all the angles of the sport and our rules,” says Mansi. “Taylor is extremely versatile. She takes on every single role. She understands everyone’s duties. Taylor embodies what my program is and what Branford High School cheer stands for. She’s a great role model.”
Looking ahead to states, Taylor just wants her team to stick together. As long as the Hornets are out there having a good time, Taylor feels confident that they will deliver a solid performance.
“Basically, we just have to keep the team together as one. We need to all communicate together, so we know what we’re doing right or wrong,” Taylor says. “We just have to have fun, and do what we know how to do, and go for it.”