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04/02/2020 12:00 AMAlyssa Cannavaciolo spent 13 years as a dancer prior to joining the North Haven cheerleading team. After deciding to focus solely on cheerleading in her freshman year, Alyssa has gone on to become an All-State cheerleader and a state champion with the Indians.
Alyssa earned All-State honors for North Haven during the recent season. The senior captain joined teammates Sophie Kornacki, Maddie LaDore, Emily Orth, and Grace Peruso as a member of the All-State Team, helping the Indians take second place at the Class L State Championship.
“I was just happy that all five of us got it. I thought it was really cool that everybody the team nominated got it,” says Alyssa. “We’re all so happy for each other, and it brings us closer together when that happens. It was a huge honor.”
Last year, Alyssa competed for a North Haven team that claimed first place at both the Southern Connecticut Conference Championship and the Class L State Championship, after which the Indians finished second at the New England Championship. Alyssa describes winning the state title as “the best feeling ever.”
“When we won, it kind of showed everyone how hard we worked for it and how good we were. It made people take us more seriously,” Alyssa says. “It was so much hard work and dedication. We practiced every single day. Everything just paid off.”
Alyssa first pursued cheerleading because she wanted to be a part of a team. As a dancer, Alyssa was unable to compete alongside any of her classmates. When she joined the North Haven cheer squad, Alyssa quickly made many friends in her new family.
“I liked that it was a team sport. Dance was so competitive, and I didn’t really dance with anyone I went to school with,” says Alyssa. “I don’t regret that decision, and I think it was the best decision I’ve made. I became so much closer with everybody I went to school with. Everybody made such a good bond that I wouldn’t trade for anything.”
With experience in dance and gymnastics, Alyssa felt that tumbling came naturally when she began her cheerleading career. Alyssa practiced tumbling for fun in her backyard, then started to take the art more seriously when she joined the cheerleading team.
Alyssa is constantly moving when the Indians are competing. She rarely has a moment to stop and catch her breath.
“There’s a few girls who just do everything. We don’t even get a second to breathe,” Alyssa says. “We have all these skills when you take them separately, but putting them all together for two minutes is so tiring. We have to push so hard sometimes. You just got to push through.”
Since Alyssa holds multiple roles for North Haven, there are times when the sport can get difficult. Still, Alyssa always finds a way to give her best effort, and she understands that her actions will help the Indians achieve their goals.
“We all have the same end goal. We want to win,” says Alyssa. “We want to others to know that this sport isn’t easy, but we also want to prove it to ourselves. We want to show ourselves that this hard work could pay off. While we may not have felt it in the moment, we know what it’s all for, and we want to make it worth it.”
Alyssa was named a captain alongside Kornacki entering her senior season. Alyssa was voted into that role by her teammates and coaches, and considers it a huge honor.
“Knowing that everybody was watching me and my actions, it made me want to be the best version of myself,” Alyssa says. “It made me realize what I wanted to pass on to other people.”
Alyssa isn’t sure if she’s going to continue with cheerleading in college. However, one thing that Alyssa is certain of is that her time with the North Haven cheer team has helped her grow as a person, while giving her an opportunity to experience everything the sport has to offer.
“It became something that I thought of as my thing. After I quit dance, I was kind of just doing it for fun, but I ended up taking it so much more seriously and wanted to succeed so much in it,” Alyssa says. “I realized how much I loved cheerleading, and I was good at it. I had so many friends who made the four years so memorable.”
As she fell in love with cheerleading, Alyssa grew closer to the teammates around her. The sport became a way for Alyssa to branch out and form unbreakable bonds with her fellow cheerleaders.
“This past year was the closest we have been by far. I was able to have my closest friends decide how we wanted to perform,” says Alyssa. “Me and my fellow captains and seniors made it a community and comfortable for everyone. We took it seriously, but we also tried to make it fun. We were all supportive of each other. It was a really memorable year for me.”