by Brittany Geragotelis
There’s not a person in the all-star cheer world who hasn’t heard of tumbling powerhouse Kiara Nowlin. Besides being a 3-time World Champion Power Tumbler and a member of the California All Stars team that won 2011 Worlds, this cheerlebrity is also a member of her high school’s squad and pulls in great grades.
Check out all the things that make this cheerleader a standout and prepare to bow to the tumbling master.
She’s ridiculously talented. At The Cheerleading Worlds this year, the run that had crowds standing in their seats was a round-off back handspring, whip, 1 ½, nodi, back handspring, back handspring, full, punch front, round-off back handspring, back handspring, side sumi, back handspring, back handspring, full, double full.
She’s not just famous in the cheer world. Videos of Kiara on YouTube have garnered millions of views and she’s landed spots in commercials for American Express and Verizon. Celebs love her too! Ellen DeGeneres had her tumble on her show in 2008 and at another AC photo shoot Kiara even had the chance to tumble for Jamie Foxx. “I was standing in the back area and hadn’t met her yet and then they called my name and I did a round-off back tuck and then shook her hand. I was so nervous, but she was really nice. During the commercial break she was doing forward rolls down the floor,” says Kiara.
She has tumbling fears, too! Despite the fact that she’s been tumbling since she was 2 ½ years old, Kiara isn’t immune to tumbling mental blocks. In fact, there have been more than a few times where she’s lost one of her signature skills. “For me, I had to look at it as, ‘How much do I want my tumbling back?’ If it’s important to you, you’ll put in the hours to get it back. I worked my way back to those skills, which helped me gain confidence. Encourage yourself—when you get a mental block everyone else knows you can do it, but you have to know you can do it, too.”
She’s just a regular kid—with a crazy fan following. It’s no secret that when Kiara’s in the competition venue, that her fans will find her. And you’d think something like that would go to a girls’ head, but that’s so not the case with Kiara. “I don’t think of myself as famous. At first it was odd. I was like, ‘Why do you want my autograph? How do you even know me?’ but now I’ve kind of gotten used to it. More than anything, I’m just really honored that people like to watch me tumble and ask me for advice. I never came into the sport thinking that people were going to know my name, but it’s a real honor.”
She feels the pressure to live up to the hype. Just like any other competitive athlete, Kiara still gets those butterflies before going out to perform and stresses about hitting all her skills. Sure, she wants to help her squad succeed, but she also wants to make sure that her fans are getting the show they came for. “I know that if I mess up, it’s going to end up on YouTube or the Fierce Boards. I do feel the pressure, but at the same time I’m grateful that people are watching me compete. It makes me want to do have my best performance every time.”
She believes in giving R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Besides being one of the most humble people you’ll ever meet, Kiara makes it a point to always be respectful of those around her—even when it comes to other competitors in the industry. “California All Stars really respects Top Gun. They’re good and it’s always interesting when we’re competing against each other.”
For Kiara’s full story, be sure to pick up the October 2011 issue of American Cheerleader, on newsstands September 6th. And if you have a question or comment for her, you can e-mail her at i.kiara@americancheerleader.com.
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2 responses so far ↓
Lily Sep 1, 2011 at 7:42 am
I love you Kiara!!!
I am a cheerleader/tumbler/former competitive gymnast who absolutely looks up to you!
sasha Dec 5, 2011 at 8:09 pm
Kiara ./you are my idol i love you like i wish i could do the thing you do.
I am a cheerleader/tumbler for two years.
i truly and honestly look up to you.
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