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Friday, August 1, 2008
A House Full of Spirit
Greater Reading, PA
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A Mother’s and Daughters’ Love for Cheerleading
A key component to every athlete’s success is motivation. In the Gombar household, there is not only an abundance of motivation, but also plenty of support and inspiration for each family member. MaryBeth Gardner- Gombar and her three daughters Jess, Alyssa and Laura Gombar, share a lifelong passion for cheerleading, the sport where motivation and inspiration are key.
It was at the age of seven that MaryBeth became involved in the world of cheering. She started as a mascot and cheered for ten years. Interestingly, her daughters followed suit by becoming mascots for surrounding area teams at the ages of three and four. The eldest daughter, Jess, now a sophomore at Bloomsburg University, first found her love of the sport when neighborhood cheerleaders tossed her around in the air. Her sister Alyssa, presently a junior at Exeter, saw how much her older sister loved cheering and decided to try the sport as well. Finally, the torch passed down to Laura, a seventh grader at Exeter.
It wasn’t always all smiles for the Gombars. In 2005 Jess almost lost her life in a cheerleading accident. While practicing a competition routine, the front of the cheer mountain collapsed while Jess, the varsity captain and flyer, was on top. The front of her body fell while her ankles remained held. Her head hit the gym floor which lacked professional spring floor mats. Jess broke a rib and received an emergency craniotomy due to a shattered left side of her skull. She suffered a subdural hematoma.
The incident didn’t slow the family down. Jess continued cheering, and to this day, coaches with her mom for Exeter Youth Football and Cheer (EYF). Mom tells us, “Jess always considered it a sport, and after her accident went right back to flying against her mother’s and doctor’s advice.” Jess composed EYF’s winning tryout routine for nationals and aspires to coach her own squad. As a result of Jess’ accident, Alyssa and Laura are aware of how dangerous stunting is. “They bring to each squad the awareness of safety and how easily accidents can happen,” said their mother. They are both involved in Fall Cheer, Winter Cheer, and competition squad. Alyssa’s position is base, while Laura is a flyer. Alyssa’s competition squad won a bid to nationals, and Laura was in four national competitions for EYF. The girls participate in creating their teams’ routines.
MaryBeth has been acutely involved with and supportive of her daughters’ careers as cheerleaders, although she says, “the greatest fear as a parent is the flying.” After Jess’ accident, she became prime advocate for Exeter’s purchase of the proper spring floor mats. She assisted in starting a JV team, has been the Vice President of the Parent Cheer Club for six years, and proudly bears an Exeter Cheerleading insignia on the back of her Ford Explorer.
The Gombars are excited about Exeter’s present talent and feel positive for the school’s future. Exeter competes at local BCCA (Berks County Cheerleading Association) Competitions and also travels to places such as Slippery Rock. Cheering is becoming more of a recognized sport, much to the Gombar’s delight.
When posed with the question of how their involvement in the same sport unites them closer as sisters, in a flurry of excitement they agree in unison, “We always have something to talk about.” At dinner, one girl often grabs a nearby sister to demonstrate new routines. “I’ll be like, ‘look what I learned today,’” Laura said. Each sister loves observing the others’ progress in cheering, along with offering advice and motivation in frustrating and difficult times. They also enjoy making impromptu routines to songs on the radio.
A treasured moment shared by the girls occurred when Jess was walked out on the field for Senior Recognition for Cheer. “I went on the field, and my sisters were there in uniform to meet me. Alyssa was bawling worse than I was,” Jess remembered. “We were all involved in it,” Alyssa agreed.
MaryBeth knows what it takes to be successful in this sport. As to her daughters’ spirit and dedication, she is “awful, awful proud of all three of them.”
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