Watch Teenage Girl With Down Syndrome Do What She Loves The Most – Cheerleading!
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A teenage girl with Down syndrome has spoken out about her passion and revealed why she loves nothing more than being a cheerleader.
Now-20-year-old AnnCatherine Heigl, also known as AC, surprised her family as she came home from school one day and told them she desired to start cheerleading in her school’s team.
While the girl’s family has always been supportive of Ann, they never expected her to take on cheerleading due to her fear of performing in front of the crowds.
“I love to cheer. It feels good inside,” AC admitted in an interview with Barcroft TV.
“I’m a flyer, so I get lifted up in the air. I like everything, I like being up in the air, I like being on a team. I was shy and I didn’t like being in crowds before. I was nervous, but I’m not nervous now when we run out in front of everyone.”
Speaking of her sister’s achievements, proud 22-year-old Lillie, who is studying law, said:
“When I saw AC out on the university court for the first time, I cried. I remember being at my college basketball games and seeing the cheerleaders and it clicked in my head, that’s what my sister is doing at a different university, and my sister is doing that with Down syndrome.
“That’s such a big deal. She’s the first person to do that and it’s so cool. It’s kind of a mystery to us and we don’t know where she got the idea.
“We were really surprised because we knew from performances in elementary school that she didn’t like crowds or big audiences.”
As AC’s mother explained, the middle school cheer team coach first suggested that the then-13-year-old would be better off performing as a mascot. However, AC declined and fought for her place in the school’s team.
From there, she advanced into the cheer team at her high school and announced she also wanted to be a cheerleader once she joins a university.
“We just didn’t think it was possible,” Lillie admitted.
“When you think of college basketball and cheerleaders, you don’t really think about people with Down syndrome in that scenario because it’s not what we are used to seeing.”
As the proud sister added, she hopes for AC to inspire people with intellectual disabilities to stop at nothing when it comes to achieving their dreams.
“There’s a general perception that if someone finds out their child has Down Syndrome, they are almost supposed to mourn their child, that they won’t be able to do lots of things like drive, live independently,” she added.
“I think it’s important for everyone to see AnnCatherine, going to college as a university athlete, to know someone like her can live a quality, full life.
“A lot of people assume that people with intellectual disabilities don’t want to participate in sports. But I think we would see many more people like her in sports if there were better access and a change in attitude.
“When I look at my sister, I don’t see someone who has become a cheerleader despite having Down syndrome. I see someone who has broken through the barriers society has placed before her because she has Down syndrome.”
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