Tiny Cheerleader

When you think of 'cheerleading' or 'cheerleader' what's the first thing that comes to mind? If you came of age in the late 1990's or early 2000's, like me, you may remember the 2000 Kirsten Dunst movie, Bring it On. My friend, Ashley, has a very positive association with cheerleading. When he seven-year-old daughter, Rowan, expressed interest in cheerleading, Ashley immediately enrolled her.

Rowan has been participating in cheerleading for the last two years. She cheers with Tribe Athletics. Rowan and her teammates recently participated in a competition, and they placed first! Their team had zero deductions on their routine. Ashley explained to me that this is very impressive! Rowan is one of the fliers on her team, which means that she's the teammate that gets lifted into the air and does aerial tricks.

I have known Rowan since she was a tiny chubby baby with glorious hair, so she's very comfortable around me. I've photographed her four times now. I can always get genuine smiles from Rowan, but first she needs to get her sillies out. She has so many ideas on poses she'd like to try but she sometimes gets sidetracked with the giggles.

Rowan had so much fun tumbling. You can see how passionate she is about the sport. Ashley joked that Rowan is constantly dancing and performing her tumbling tricks around the house.

I absolutely love photographing Rowan and seeing how her personality develops. She's the perfect mixture of glitter, sass, and a bit of mud. I'm looking to seeing Ashley, Rowan, and big brothers this summer for their family session.