Ryan Collins grew up a huge fan.
Now she’s one of them.
Collins, a Mayfair native, has been cheerleading since she was 5 years old. During that time, she would often go to events where the St. Hubert High School cheerleading team was competing.
For those not in the know, the Bambies are the New York Yankees when it comes to cheerleading, always finishing as one of the best in the Catholic League, state and country.
Collins was one of those in awe when the Bambies took the floor to do their routine.
Now, she’s one people are in awe of.
“I’ve known Lisa (McNesby) and all the coaches here for a long time, they are amazing,” said Collins, a senior. “They really are a big part of me coming here. They’re always in my corner. They would cheer me on when I was at St. Matt’s. I looked up to them. I was obsessed with them. I would watch them in complete awe. I wanted to be like them when I was younger.
“It’s the coolest thing to cheer for St. Hubert. It’s crazy to think about. I don’t think about it, but I guess I am who I wanted to be when I was a younger me. I hope girls see me and want to go to St. Hubert. I hope I can be for Hubert’s what it was for me when I was younger.”
If there are, Collins is setting the perfect example.
A three-sport athlete, Collins runs cross country and track for the Bambies. She also is one of the top students in the school, ranking in the top 10 of her senior class, and because of that, is in the National Honor Society.
That means long days with very little free time.
Collins gets out of school shortly before 2 p.m. She goes to track practice for a few hours, runs home, gets a short break, then it’s back to the school to practice cheerleading from 6:30 p.m. until about 9 p.m. Then it’s home, eat, shower, homework and sneak in some sleep.
That’s the price you pay to be a champion.
And recently, Collins picked up her first hardware in her senior year.
Hubert took first place in the 33rd annual Philadelphia Catholic League Competitive Spirit Championships at Archbishop Ryan. The Bambies won the PCL Large Varsity competition. The Brown team also took first place in the Junior Varsity Large and the Gold team took first place in the Junior Varsity Large Non-Tumbling competition.
The Ragdolls took first place in the Junior Varsity Small competition.
Obviously, this is just the beginning of the road for the Bambies, who still have a lot of important competitions on their schedule, but this wasn’t a bad way to start the season, especially because for Collins, it’s one of the most fun on the schedule.
“PCL is everyone’s favorite,” Collins said. “Everyone goes to Disney, so nationals are great, but I love doing it in our hometown. Close to us. Show out to the people who know us. It means a lot more than performing for people who know us and know about us. When we cheer at nationals, they only know us at St. Hubert. It’s fun because it’s at Ryan. We always want to do good in their gym. I’m friends with a lot of Ryan girls, we talk when we see each other, we’ll talk, mess around. We’re all friends. That’s what makes PCL fun, it’s with people you know.”
PCL is fun, but there is still a lot of work to do.
When Collins was a freshman, the Bambies brought home a national championship. That meant everything.
The only thing that would mean more is doing it in her final season.
“Winning this year means so much more because when we won freshman year, it was in our heads that we could win,” Collins said. “Even the alumni knew we could win. Then a lot of girls graduated, it’s like, ‘This will be a building year.’ We came into open gyms to win. We have to work 10 times harder and prove ourselves that we can win. Closing how I came in would be amazing.
“We have a really good team and we’re really close. I’m friends with everyone. It’s hard when everyone isn’t close. We all talk in school and out of school. That helps. We all want to win for each other. If you’re not in the mood for yourself, do it for the girl next to you. It might be an off day for you, but your teammate could be on. Work hard for them.”
Next year, Collins hopes to go to college and major in exercise science. She has even bigger goals down the line.
“I’m really interested in physical therapy or becoming a sports physician,” Collins said. “It’s a lot of work. I like school. I like math and science, I’m into those subjects. I think I’ve been an athlete my whole life, so I want to continue that as a career. I can’t imagine not growing up around sports and stuff so I want to continue that as long as I can.”
She’s ready for the next step. But she’s thankful to those in her corner, which starts with her family, especially her sister, Danni.
“I would say my sister is my biggest supporter, we’re each other’s best friends,” Collins said. “She’s in eighth grade, so we won’t be in high school together. And obviously my parents, they’ve given me all the ideals and motivation I have, they instilled in me that. I wouldn’t be there.
“Danni does soccer, basketball, track and softball. She’s a great athlete. We love running together. We did a lot of workouts together, we stuck together. We love doing things together and pushing each other. She pushes me, I don’t know if she realizes that. She’s pushing me as much as I’m pushing her.”
Hopefully the younger sister pushes her big sis to a memorable senior year. She’s already had the best high school experience.
“I love St. Hubert’s,” she said. “I went to Masterman for middle school and I was going to go to their high school. But I can’t imagine my life if I didn’t choose Hubert. I made best friends, made so many memories. I don’t want to imagine my life. It’s been awesome for me. I really liked Masterman, it was an amazing school with so many opportunities. But I needed to go to Hubert’s. It was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
