Many of you may already know the importance of cheerleading. For two Ben Davis cheerleaders that importance extended all the way to Florida.

Junior Aubrey Fain and sophomore Trinity Lee recently spent a weekend at Disney World participating in an annual Cheerleading Summit.

“The highlight of Summit is the feeling of stepping on the mat in front of thousands of people knowing that we worked so hard all year for the short 2 minutes and 30 seconds you have to prove your season,” Fain said.

Fain and Lee were part of the Bankroll team, a group of cheerleaders from central Indiana who train in Plainfield.

“The thing I like most about cheerleading is the unbreakable bond and long-lasting friendship and family that it creates,” Fain said,

The Cheerleading Summit is an annual event for the sport. Junior, Ashley Akin has gone to the Summit before, but not this past trip.

“Only the best of the best are invited to the competition by the judges from other competitions throughout the season,” Akin said.

Akin has been to the Summit three times and says that even being able to perform on the summit stage is an honor. She mentions that last season was her last but she was part of other teams.

”I was a part of multiple teams that went to summit during my four years at Legends Cheer Academy 2,” Akin said.

As with any competition, practice is the key. Akin says that practices are everything but relaxed, contrary to what people think.

“I was on multiple teams I would practice twice as hard,” she said. “We did three hours a day Monday through Thursday and six hours on Saturday. I would constantly tell myself I’m not tired just so my body could push on, but in the end, my teammates and I grew stronger and closer because we were pushing for not ourselves but each other.”

Although this may seem stressful, it all pays off in the end.  Akin says that Summit was one of the best weekends of her life because of the opportunity of performing on stage and chance to go to Disney World with some of her best friends.

“The feeling is unmatchable,” she said.

Fain encourages all young girls to pursue cheerleading.

“My advice for any younger girl that is interested in cheerleading is you have to have a passion for it,” Fain said. “It’s like any other sport — you need to have drive and love for you to be successful.”