Head Over Heels: Male Gymnast Takes to Cheerleading

When you see the Century cheerleaders in action, Jones is the one without a pom pom.

The Carroll County Public School System doesn't offer the sport that Cole Jones trains for, so he chose something that used his skills that lets him participate in high school sports. 

Jones, a junior likes gymnastics. He has been taking classes at Mid-Atlantic in Eldersburg for more than five years but while at Century, he has a gold megaphone he uses to cheer and clap.

When asked what he does, Jones is forthcoming, "I catch people. I make sure they don’t die. I also tumble, do back flips, cheer, say the words into a megaphone at games."

During time outs, Jones takes his turn doing flips across the basketball court. This is his first year as a cheerleader at Century.

When asked why he joined, Jones credits the other cheerleaders, "They encouraged me to join for several years and I guess now, this is my first time I actually did it. They welcomed me. They definitely wanted me to be there.’’

There is more to cheering than just clapping hands shouting. There are also hand movements, which were the hardest part for Jones.

"The movements, the hand movements and learning the words to the cheers was easy, but the movements for the cheers, that was kind of difficult. Tumbling was easy. Also stunting and catching people was new to me and I had to learn that for the first time," Jones said about becoming a cheerleader.

The Knight cheerleaders do more than just cheer for the Century athletes, they also give back to the community, recently making blankets and visiting area nursing homes. 

Jones enjoys being part of the team, on and off the court. "It’s very fun to go to games and practice. Aside from the fun, there is also this connection with the other kids, the girls. I like being on a team.’’

Jones plans to go to college and is hopeful that maybe cheering can help fund the future. "Maybe I could get a scholarship, there are some scholarships for male gymnastics. I like science and mechanical stuff. I think I'd like to be a mechanic, an inventor or an engineer.’’

Jones is also involved in other clubs at school, but cheerleading is important to him.

"I am also in the robotics club which I have to split between cheerleading and the National Honor Society. This is my priority. It’s awesome," he said while taking a break from practice.