Winter sports are finally here, and competitive cheer is kicking off. The girls plan on making a state run and have already had success this year. In their first competition at Crystal Lake Central, they took home the second place trophy in the medium varsity division.
Senior Haleigh Lettau made her comeback on the mat that Sunday morning, after suffering an ankle injury at practice that set her back last season, right after her first competition. “I feel great, actually. I mean it took a lot to get where I am, like physical therapy, staying consistent with the braces I had to wear, worrying about what’s gonna happen to my ankle, and if it is gonna get reinjured. But I mean, I think that this year, I’ve just been more careful with how I use my ankle, and I think I will be fine for the rest of my senior season,” Lettau said.
Lettau’s injury took a toll on her career as a cheerleader, she has been cheering on this team since her sophomore year. This this injury took away many important things from her, such as practice and competitions with her teammates as she was not allowed to practice due to her injury, “I wasn’t allowed to set foot on the mat, but my coach gave me the opportunity to press play on the music at competitions, so I still felt like a part of the team and not isolated.”
Lettau continues to maintain her health on and off the mat, in order to be able to compete and give her best for her senior year, “this injury has changed my perspective about everything, including myself.” Lettau states.
Lettau’s mom, Coach Lauren Lettau, also coaches the girls on the varsity level. “It’s definitely different. I feel like there’s a lot more pressure on me, but at the same time, it’s nice to have my mom always there with me, especially when practices get tough.” Lettau says. “She’s always there to give pep talks which is super comforting, and everybody loves her at practice. She can definitely be picky with me and she for sure has hawk eyes for me. So it can definitely be annoying, but at the same time, I think she’s a great coach and I don’t look at her any differently than a coach when she’s at practice.”
Coach Lauren expresses that coaching the girls on the cheer team meant that she would have a bigger responsibility than just looking out for her daughter. “Both of my girls understood from day 1 that my focus would no longer just be on them, but that they would have to share my attention with many other kids as I took on a whole new level of commitment,” Coach Lauren says. “I’m still a mom, but Haleigh respects the role I play and I (too) respect the fact that she is just another one of my cheerleaders. Cheer is our safe space and we respect those boundaries. At the end of the day we are both so passionate about the sport that we don’t let anything affect that. Whatever happens outside of cheer stays outside and vice versa. Of course there’s perks to being her coach, such as being able to physically watch and be a part of her growth as a student athlete and more-so as a young adult.”
Lettau continues to follow her objective. “My main goal is to have as much fun as possible for my last year as a Lakes cheerleader, and last year cheering. The goal is always to go to state, but as long as our team is happy with where we end this season, I think that is the most crucial and important thing.”
