Carly Weiner’s sophomore cheerleading season with Northern Illinois University brought her to many new places including Nashville, Tennessee, where she and her Huskie teammates cheered on the football program during its close battle against the Vanderbilt Commodores this past fall.

Traveling for road games was one of several new responsibilities Weiner took on as a second-year cheerleader with the Huskies. In addition to becoming a role model for the new freshmen, Weiner said she saw both her confidence and her basing skills improve this season.

“My sophomore season was great,” Weiner said. “My favorite moment was traveling to Vanderbilt, which was my first time traveling with the team for a road game. I feel like my biggest improvement this season was my confidence. I felt my first season provided me with a lot of experience, and I tried to pick out my weaknesses from last season and improve on them this season. My basing skills have improved and my tumbling has been more consistent.”

Weiner, who helped lead Rochelle to the IHSA State Championships and win a Northern Illinois Big 12 Conference Championship her senior season, said her biggest focus entering her junior season is on becoming a strong leader for the underclassmen. The former Lady Hub, who’s currently studying nursing with a minor in rehabilitation in hopes of pursuing a career as a geriatric nurse, will have additional time to prepare for next season due to the coronavirus.

“COVID-19 prevented us from competing at NCA Nationals, which is something we look forward to every year,” Weiner said. “We placed third last season, and we were looking to compete for the national championship this season. We practiced twice a day, for three hours each day, during spring break in order to prepare for nationals. It was devastating for us, but I believe the virus will light a fire under us to work even harder for the nationals next season.”