ROCHELLE — Trent Kreider had always found cheerleading to be interesting prior to trying out for the Rochelle Township High School team as a junior. Growing up, Kreider attended Rochelle football games and watched his older sister, Taylor, perform with the dance team on the sideline.

Over the last two years, Kreider has represented Rochelle on the sidelines, cheering at football and basketball games while also competing for the varsity cheer team during the winter season. While he was initially unsure about taking on a new sport, Kreider grew into his role on the team. The only boy on the team, Kreider also emerged as a role model for younger athletes.

“Coach [Trish] Rodeghero has been really helpful because when I first started, I had no idea what I was getting into,” Kreider said. “She taught me everything I needed to know and everyone on the team was always so helpful… The moment I joined the team, I thought to myself, ‘No other guy does it, so why not be the first one?’ I’ve had boys come up to me and tell me that they want to do cheerleading. When we taught a cheer clinic at Lincoln School, there were boys there who really wanted to do it… I felt like I made a change in our community.”

Kreider grew up playing football, baseball and bowling, but cheerleading has since become his passion. Kreider’s cheerleading career will continue at the collegiate level, as he tried out for and qualified to make the performance and competitive cheerleading teams at North Central College. Kreider intends to study radiation therapy to pursue a career in the medical field.

“I’m close with my family, so I knew it would come down to seeing the most people I could,” said Kreider, whose close friend, RTHS alum Alivia Henkel, runs track at North Central. “When I first arrived on my first visit to North Central, I knew it was for me… I loved the environment and when I went to check out their cheer program and meet with the team, I knew it was for me and I knew it would be a great fit. It was a good group of friends and it felt like I had known them for a long time. They wanted to keep reaching out to me and the coaches were also very kind.”

A two-time Academic All-Interstate 8 honoree, Kreider made significant strides during his first season with the cheer program, receiving the team’s Most Improved Varsity Cheerleader award. As a senior, Kreider helped the RTHS varsity team finish first at the Wilmington Invitational, the J-Hawk Invitational at Rockford Jefferson and the Andrew Winter Storm Classic in Tinley Park. Kreider’s senior season included a third-place performance at the Interstate 8 Conference meet.

“The cheer program has helped me build a lot more confidence, not just in cheerleading but in everything,” Kreider said. “The moment you go out and perform in front of a huge crowd, it truly changes your point of view… It taught me how to do my best and not crack under the pressure. I hadn’t ever done tumbling and I’m hoping that I can work more with the North Central team on skills like jumps and tumbling. I’m also looking to continue gaining more stunting experience.”

At North Central, Kreider will have the opportunity to perform and compete alongside a cheer squad that finished second in the 2024 NCA College Nationals at Daytona Beach, Florida. Kreider earned his spot on the North Central team after completing a tryout during the spring of this year. Kreider said he felt confident entering the tryout, which included learning and performing cheers and jumps as well as tumbling and stunting. Within days of completing his tryout and qualifying for the team, Kreider made his final decision to attend North Central.

“I started my cheer career late, so I’m excited to have more years to continue to cheer,” Kreider said. “I’ve been working on my coed stunts, which are one base and one girl, and I’ve been working on getting the girls up in the air by myself, which is a bigger opportunity for me than what I had in high school. It gives me a chance to work on more elite and harder skills… I’m not always the quickest learner, but when I put my mind to something, I’m focused and I know I can do it. Cheerleading has helped my confidence, so I went into the tryout confident and excited.”