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When LaFayette High student Chasidy Lewis traveled all the way to Hawaii to participate in the All-American Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade, she probably wasn’t expecting to have to learn a whole routine in four days but that’s what a true athlete does. 

Lewis, who has athleticism in her veins, joined the All-American team in her 10th-grade year and got to perform with cheerleaders from all around the country this month. 

“The NCA All-American Program is one of the most popular programs in the history of cheerleading,” according to the NCA website. The recognition is given to those cheer students who show technical skills, leadership and strong personal values.

The experience amplified what she loves most about being on a team, making friends. 

She recalled meeting some girls from back home in Alabama but also from Tennessee and beyond. 

With only a week in Hawaii, Lewis said the group only got to practice the routine once before the performance. But even worse, she remembered how she got even less time to practice than most. 

After noticing some other girls practicing the routine, Lewis found out that they had missed a message about the routine sent back in October. She was left with only four days to not only learn but master the routine, and with her father by her side not only meet expectations but exceed them.

“But surprisingly, I was really good, because I got on the second row in the whole line out of like 40 rows,” Lewis recalled.

Lewis has always been athletic. When her father and coach Chase Lewis was busy coaching basketball, Lewis remembered hanging out with the older students on the cheer team from her school and learning their routines with them.

Though that is what sparked her interest in cheer, Lewis is a well-rounded student-athlete. She also plays volleyball, softball and plays in the marching band. Having her father coach her last year was unique for Lewis. 

At first, during volleyball season, she said she resisted it, but once softball started she was ready to admit that it was pretty cool to have her dad as the coach. 

Now LaFayette High has a new volleyball coach, but Lewis said she loves her too. 

“She’s amazing. She taught us a lot of things,” Lewis gushed. “She got me more into volleyball, like I’m now wanting to do club, wanting to watch volleyball, rather than just hit the ball around.”

She said she likes to try out all different kinds of activities to see what she likes and doesn’t like. 

One new activity Lewis tried her hand at in Hawaii for the first time was beach volleyball. Though it wasn’t her favorite, she did enjoy swimming. 

She also remembered making friends with the other cheerleaders on the way down to the practice. 

“I joined softball to see one of my friends and then made more that I never thought about even talking to or they probably never thought about talking to me,” Lewis said. 

Overall, Lewis said she would recommend other students take the opportunity to go if they get the chance. 

“[The] overall experience was great. I do encourage other cheerleaders that [if] they get All-American trying to go to Hawaii or even Philadelphia, Disney, like London … yeah, just do that,” Lewis said.