PRHS senior Kiana Martinez has been tumbling, flying and leading since she was just six years old. Now, with graduation up ahead giving her a sign that the end is near, she reflects on how the sport has shaped her.
From sophomore through junior year as captain of both the cheer and stunt team, Martinez is more than an athlete: she has become a mentor, a motivator, and a quiet force of resilience to her sisters.
“Leadership isn’t a title to boss people around,” she said, “It’s based on your values, it’s how you show up for your team, it’s how you carry yourself when things get hard.”
After half the stunt team left last year, starting their new journeys after graduation, the 2024-25 season started off with uncertainty. Many of the freshmen didn’t have a full understanding of the twist and turns stunt had. Having freshmen hitting the mat, meaning they performed for the first time, made it complex for the team due to competing with top-ranked teams in both Central Section and Mountain League. The pressure wasn’t just on the team but on the captains having to be the best in a known environment with talent that wasn’t fully polished.
Aside from all the challenges, whether under the Friday night lights or at important competitions, Martinez finds joy in the sisterhood she has built with the team. To her, the wins aren’t as important as the memories that are made throughout the journey. “Even in the bads and the lows I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Martinez shared.
Though she doesn’t plan to compete in college, Martinez’s love for the sport doesn’t end here. She plans to transfer from Cuesta College to Cal Poly SLO in hopes to continue helping both cheer and stunt coaches out. Even though it may be the last time she suits up as a Bearcat, she plans to stay active by doing pilates to balance her body. She also plans to teach gymnastics to little kids at Thrive Training Center Inc. during the summer, which is a role that fulfills her. “Teaching has brought me a lot of joy,” Martinez said. When asked what she’d tell her freshman self, her answer was quick, “It’ll be hard, but it’ll be okay. Take advice and enjoy it-every single moment.”She still recalls sitting in the same spot before every competition with her earbuds listening to Till I Collapse by Eminem. It became one of her rituals– just like being the last to get out of the bus. Though she is closing the chapter on competitive cheer and stunt, the connections she’s made through this sport are lifelong. The sport gave her a second home and has become her second family.
“Cheer taught me how to rely on others and how to be someone others can rely on.” Martinez mentioned. As she finishes writing the last page of her high school career, Martinez steps off the mat with an extraordinary legacy behind her. Not an ending, but an understanding that every fall and every rise was part of becoming the super star she is known as.
