Oswego East Student-Athlete of the Week Leah Guarni

Cheerleading is about precision, skill, teamwork, and passion. The meticulous nature of routines demands a rigorous practice schedule and attention to detail. To have a successful routine, all members must execute their skills while working as one unit, and that requires leaders who are positive, empathetic, and understand the goals of the team. Fortunately for the Wolves, junior Leah Guarni has all of those qualities, which is why she is this week’s Oswego East student-athlete of the week.

Leah has always found success in athletics, and growing up she divided her time among many sports. "Leah is incredibly athletic and played many sports such as soccer, softball, volleyball, and cheerleading," says Nick and Beth Guarni, Leah’s parents.

Upon arriving at OE, Leah had a difficult choice to make as the seasons of volleyball and cheer overlapped. "Because of the environment around the team, coaches, and family atmosphere, I knew cheerleading was something I wanted to do in high school," says Leah.

Cheerleading has been a family affair for the Guarni family as their oldest daughter Emma (OE class of '22) and youngest Claire (future Wolf) also participate. "Leah and her sisters have a close relationship," say Nick and Beth. They go on to say, "From early on they have watched and learned from each other. Emma set a great example as a student and athlete for her sisters, and we are so impressed that Leah and Claire also share these same strengths and characteristics."

As an assistant coach during Leah’s freshman year, now head coach Emily Clements saw the qualities that would allow Leah to succeed and blossom into the leader she is today.

"Leah is a bright, positive person who is dedicated to all that she does," says Emily. She goes on to say, "Leah earned the title of All-Conference athlete her freshman year due to her skill and drive as an athlete and has demonstrated her greatness from the start of her freshman year. She cares about her team as if they are her family and has proven to be a natural leader. Her teammates listen to Leah because she treats her team with respect and understands the potential that others possess."

It is evident that Leah’s focus is team before individual when asked about her goals for the season, saying, "I want the team to have a clean routine and hit all of our stunts and take a lot of pride in that," says Leah. Leah’s unselfish nature is also shown through her volunteer work this summer with the Murphy Junior High cheerleading team. She was able to work with those student-athletes to help them create their cheer routine and help set an example of what it means to cheer at the high school level.

Leah is also a member of the Key Club at OE, choosing that club because "I like to give my time and help make other people’s lives better," says Leah. Balancing cheerleading and clubs can be a challenge in its own right, but Leah manages to do so while also maintaining a GPA over 4.0. She is interested in attending a larger school with a big game day atmosphere and majoring in something related to math, such as accounting or finance.

Oswego East's math department chair and Leah’s math teacher, Adam Thurlwell, sees the same qualities in Leah as a student as those that have made her a successful cheerleader, saying, "Leah is a respectful, driven, patient, intelligent young lady who has personality, confidence, and a very mature, calming presence about her." He also believes she will be successful in the math field, saying, "Mathematical concepts seem to click with Leah fairly quickly and easily. I can certainly see her going into this field and thriving, as finance could be a great spot for her as I can see Leah as both a people person and flourishing by working with numbers."

Leah has a bright future ahead of her, as Coach Clements says, "Leah is an exceptional human being and a remarkable athlete. Her excellence shines through everything she does, and her dedication and passion are bound to propel her wherever she wants to go in life." As someone who has been mentored and is now the mentor, she offers advice to future Wolves, saying, "Find people you have connections with and share similar passions with to motivate you and help develop you as a person." Leah and her teammates will look to forge even closer bonds this winter as they head into the competitive season and look to earn an opportunity to return to state.