The heavy costume swallowed him whole, his hair damp from the lack of ventilation. He felt a mutual energy between him and the crowd, a smile beaming beneath his mask.

Freshman Nolan Quintanilla became the mascot for Canyon Junior High his eighth grade year, eventually leading him to be part of the freshmen cheer squad. Quintanilla followed in his mother’s footsteps when he became a cheerleader, but not before trying several sports in hopes of being like his brothers.

“When I was little, my dad was a coach and my brothers grew up playing basketball, football, soccer, everything,” Quintanilla said. “Being the smallest kid, I wanted to do what my brothers were doing, so I tried every sport and I hated all of them. So at the end of my seventh grade year I tried out for mascot and got it, which made me want to be a cheerleader.”

Quintanilla said he experienced challenges in his transition to become a cheerleader.

“I quickly found out cheerleaders don’t just sit there and look pretty,” Quintanilla said. “In the summer, we worked our butts off. We ran a mile every other day and learned how to stunt. All the work made me more physically fit.”

After Quintanilla joined cheer, he added to his long list of interests and goals.

“I’m really a performer,” Quintanilla said. “I do dancing, singing, acting and now cheerleading. I’m playing the part of Sam in the musical this year, which is pretty cool because I’m the only freshman on the main roster. I also want to do All-District choir, make One Act, and cheer again next year.”