MaxPreps Weekly Honor Roll, presented by the United States Marine Corps: Alexis Castorena, South Iredell

When a young freshman joined the South Iredell (Statesville, N.C.) cheerleading program, coach Kelly Owen knew she had a special competitor.

Alexis Castorena was bright, athletic and a born leader.

With an unwritten rule in the school that a ninth-grader couldn't be a member of the varsity team, Castorena accepted her role on the junior varsity squad and became the face of the team; she was even voted a captain by her teammates. The following three years on varsity, Castorena was also named captain.

"There's 18 girls on varsity, so the fact that 17 other girls see something in her that they should have to be like is probably one of the biggest compliments she can have," Owen said.

"I think it's because the girls do trust her. They know how much time and energy she's going to put into it, and she's fair to everybody. She tries to help those who are maybe quieter on the team or are kind of those ones that are in the shadows that aren't as close to as many people. Everybody wants to be around her."

Castorena certainly has the utmost respect of all her teammates. The 17-year-old senior is now in her final year as a leader and hopes to impact the lives of those who are around her.

"For me, it means that I'm doing a good job by leading them in the direction they need to be – not only through cheerleading, but through our community and through school," Castorena said.

Castorena was into gymnastics at a young age and recalls getting involved in cheerleading around 2 or 3. She always competed at the club level as well as with her school team.

As a sixth-grader, Castorena competed on her local club, the Bobcats, and placed second in the small varsity division at the Cheer Ltd. Nationals at CANAM in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The next year, Castorena and her teammates won the national title. The team returned the following year and repeated as national champions for good measure.

"It was kind of like an overwhelming feeling, because we didn't really expect to win it either year,"
Castorena said. "It was very shocking and very grateful."

After competing at nationals as a freshman and placing runner-up again, Castorena was back the next season, this time as a coach for the Tiny Cats, a group of 5- to 9-year-old cheerleaders. Her girls nailed their routine on the big stage and won a national championship.

Taking home titles as a competitor and coach hold a special place in Castorena's cheerleading career.

"It was kind of a humbling experience, I guess you could say, because I know what it feels like to win that national championship," Castorena said. "To see people I learned to love and coach for over a half a year's period to win that and to get to experience that, too, it was an awesome feeling. It was humbling just to see little kids would get so happy to be able to enjoy what I enjoyed."

In her final year competing in the NCHSAA Invitational Cheerleading Championship at the state level with her high school team, Castorena and South Iredell nabbed fourth place out of 12 teams in the D-1 small varsity division on Nov. 19 in Raleigh, N.C.

Castorena has always been Owen's go-to leader for every competition.

"The one thing that I think is special about our competition program is that we do not bring in any outside choreographers," Owen said. "We do our own music and we do our own choreography, which is something you don't see very much in North Carolina. And (Alexis) has a big part of that, as far as making up dances, helping me make up different stunts and everything. There's just as much of her in putting together a routine that's state competition-worthy as there is for me."

As hard as Castorena works as a cheerleader, she's just as strong in the classroom.

She is ranked 15th in her class of 189, and has a GPA of 4.5. Her class load is mind-blogging, taking all AP courses, two college courses and one honors class. Castorena was recently recognized as South Iredell's female winner of the prestigious Wendy's High School Heisman award.

"I know that if there's something on my mind at 12 o'clock at night I can text Alexis, and I know she's up studying," Owen said. "She has the weirdest sleep schedule of any kid I've ever met. She'll go to sleep for three hours, wake up and work on something for an AP course and go back to sleep for two hours, wake up and work on something. We'll be at a game and waiting for a football game, and she's writing an essay on the sidelines. If she has a spare moment, she's working on things she has to get done. She's not a procrastinator."

Doing well in school has always been important for Castorena.

"My parents coach and everyone that's always had a good influence on me, they've always told me to put school before cheerleading," Castorena said.

Learn more about the MaxPreps US Marines program at www.maxpreps.com/marines

She takes part in numerous extracurricular school activities, including National Honor Society for the last two years; Beta Club for two years; an all-girls service club that helps community members called the Vikinettes Club, and Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA).

She plans to attend the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in the fall and major in professions of deafness.

"I basically want to go to different countries and work with the deaf kids in grades K-8 and help them learn and basically be an interpreter and teacher at the same time," Castorena said. "My ultimate goal is to start a charity between many different countries with deaf kids so that they can unite and learn at the same time."

Castorena figures she volunteers about 15-20 hours per month and is a regular assisting at multiple rest homes, and an animal shelter as well as raising money for charities.

She considers her work at rest homes the most fulfilling volunteer activity. It isn't uncommon for her to spend a weekend afternoon talking with Alzheimer's patients, reading to them or joining in on craft time.

"Getting to see them smile and enjoy my cheerfulness and my encouragement is probably the most rewarding," she said.