This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
03/23/2022 12:00 AMAfter joining the North Haven cheerleading team as a freshman, Rebecca Anastasio waited for her opportunity to join the varsity competition squad. Rebecca got that opportunity as a senior and went on to lead the Nighthawks as both a base and a gameday captain this season, receiving a major accolade from the Southern Connecticut Conference along the way.
Rebecca started participating in gameday cheerleading in when she was in 2nd grade. Rebecca had seen the cheerleaders perform on the sidelines while watching North Haven’s football games and decided to give it a try.
“When I was younger, I would look at the cheerleaders on the sidelines at different football games, and I liked it,” says Rebecca. “I decided I wanted to do it. I wanted to be like them.”
Rebecca continued with gameday cheering until she reached 8th grade at North Haven Middle School, where she joined the school’s competition cheer squad. As high school was approaching, Rebecca wanted to give the competitive side of the cheerleading a shot and quickly realized how much she liked it.
“A bunch of the girls who were doing sideline talked about competing and how much fun they had doing it. So, I thought maybe I should try it,” Rebecca says. “High school was around the corner. Maybe I should do it then, too. When I did it in 8th grade, I had an amazing time. It was so much fun. That was what led me to try out in high school.”
As a freshman, Rebecca joined the North Haven cheerleading team and spent the year at the JV level. It was much different situation as Rebecca was now both competing alongside and against older athletes who had more experience. Rebecca soon started to recognize the team aspect of the sport and understood that everyone must do their job in order for a routine to succeed. Once her mindset toward competing changed, Rebecca felt more comfortable on the mat.
“It was very different. You went from mainly 7th- and 8th-graders in middle school to now freshmen, sophomores, and juniors at the high school level,” says Rebecca. “It was very nerve-wracking. I was afraid. I thought everyone was better than me. But then I realized everyone is an important part of the team no matter what. It was eye opening.”
Feeling comfortable is crucial for Rebecca as she serves as a base for North Haven. To be a base, Rebecca feels that it’s all about trust. The base has to trust the flyer to complete the stunt, while the flyer needs to trust the bases to help the stunt run smoothly. Building that trust between the flyers and bases not only allowed the team to perform better stunts, but also build stronger team camaraderie.
“Basing has its ups and downs. There’s bruises and bumps always. But without a base in the structure, there’s no way of letting the flyer stay in the air. It takes trust,” Rebecca says. “You have to trust your other base to work with you, and you have to trust your flyer to be able to stay up. That’s what builds a team as a whole.”
Rebecca competed at the JV level as a sophomore before seeing her junior season get canceled. In the summer preceding her senior year, Rebecca’s coaching staff pulled her aside and told her that she was going to start working with the varsity team. Once her senior season began, Rebecca was informed that she had made the varsity competition squad.
“It was shocking. I did not expect it at all. I was honestly thinking about just doing sideline cheer my senior year. But then I set a goal for myself, and I was determined to be on varsity,” says Rebecca. “It was something I had wanted to do since freshman year. I set that goal for myself and achieved it. It was something I loved and something I wouldn’t give away.”
Now a varsity cheerleader, Rebecca was practicing five days a week. While the schedule could get rigorous, Rebecca loved being involved in the routine and truly felt like she belonged.
“My freshman year, I was very shy coming in. The stereotypical cheerleader is looked at as the most popular or the most outgoing. I wasn’t that,” Rebecca says. “I was afraid I was going to be judged for different things. Now my senior year, I was there for the younger girls. I wanted to be that person I didn’t have my freshman year.”
In addition to being a varsity cheerleader, Rebecca was named a gameday captain as a senior. Rebecca felt honored to earn the role and always wanted to be there for everyone. If there were any nerves or tense moments, Rebecca made sure that her fellow cheerleaders were feeling calm and confident.
Rebecca and her teammates helped North Haven turned in a couple of solid postseason showings with a fourth-place finish at the SCC Championship and a second-place performance in the Class L State Championship. At the SCC meet, Rebecca was presented with the SCC’s Cheerleading Merit Award, a character-based accolade that was voted on by all the coaches in the conference.
Outside of cheerleading, Rebecca has also spent time serving as a leader in the North Haven community in her senior year. During the first two weeks of February, Rebecca organized a food drive through the North Haven Congregational Church. Even though the holidays were over, Rebecca wanted to help out people in need. Rebecca is hoping that this act of generosity will become a tradition in North Haven.
“During the holiday season, people are doing food drives or raising money for people in need. I wanted to continue that,” says Rebecca. “I reached out to different sports teams and asked them to donate any non-perishable food items. We had a good amount of food that we collected. I hope that they will continue it next year and going forward. It’s important to give throughout the year.”
Rebecca has also been a member of the North Haven girls’ outdoor track team since her freshman year. Rebecca competes in the shot put and the javelin for the Nighthawks.
Rebecca was only in her second year of cheerleading as a freshman and didn’t know what to expect. However, as she continued on in the program, Rebecca got to know a group of teammates and coaches who helped the Nighthawks reach new heights and also helped Rebecca realize that she deserved a spot on North Haven’s varsity roster.
“I felt honored. Coming into my freshman year. I never expected to be on the varsity level, nor be captain. When it came to my senior year, I set goals to accomplish both of those,” Rebecca says. “We defied so many odds this season. For a team of eight, we molded as an amazing group of girls. I could never wish for anything more than the season I just had.”