Fieldcrest graduate Carolyn Megow will cheer at Illinois

Carolyn Megow grew up attending University of Illinois basketball games with her family.

After she became a cheerleader for Fieldcrest Middle School, she was at a Fighting Illini game and decided that someday she wanted to cheer for Illinois.

Someday is here.

Megow, who graduated from Fieldcrest High School in May, was one of 10 incoming freshmen to make the Illinois cheerleading team for the 2023-24 school year.

“I remember telling my mom, ‘I’m going to do that. I want to cheer there, and I want to be underneath all those lights and in front of all those people,’ ” Megow said. “It’s just a surreal experience that I am part of the team now and that is going to be me for the next couple years.”

Megow went through a competitive process to earn a spot on the team.

First, she had to send in a video of her displaying some required tumbling skills along with performing the school song.

“I remember telling my mom, ‘I’m going to do that. I want to cheer there and I want to be underneath all those lights and in front of all those people. It’s just a surreal experience that I am part of the team now.”

—  Carolyn Megow, Fieldcrest graduate

Megow later received an email inviting her to an in-person tryout April 30, which included clinics before the actual tryout. Megow said about 40 to 50 people tried out for the team, which included freshmen and the returning cheerleaders.

Megow said the tryout “was a long day” after she had Fieldcrest’s prom the night before, getting home at 2 a.m. before leaving for Champaign-Urbana at 6 a.m.

At the end of tryouts, Megow learned she had made the squad.

“It is so exciting and definitely a testament to if you work hard for something, you can do anything you put your mind to,” Megow said. “A lot of girls on the team have all-star cheer backgrounds and have dedicated their whole life to cheer. Me coming from a small community and cheer has never been my main focus, but still being able to compete and do it at this level is something I am so grateful for, and I’m so excited to devote the time and energy that I’ve always wanted to a sport that I love.”

Megow said she’s coming in without as much experience as many of her teammates. Her cheerleading resume includes youth football, middle school and high school sideline cheer without any competitive cheer experience or participation on cheer teams outside of a school setting.

In high school, Megow also played volleyball, basketball and participated in track and field, so her focus was never entirely on cheerleading.

“It’s definitely different,” Megow said. “I feel like I’m going in without as much experience as some of the other girls because of my small community background, but I made the team, and I’m just excited to get in there and see what I can do to get on everyone’s level. They must have saw potential in me.”

Megow chose to continue cheerleading in college over her other sports because it gave her a chance to attend a large university while remaining part of a team.

“I’ve always been part of a team throughout my high school career during every season,” Megow said. “College is a big transition, and I can’t image going into college not being part of a team. I knew I wanted to go to a big school for the purpose of my education.

“U of I gave me an opportunity to get the best of both worlds when it comes to going to a big school and still getting that experience of being part of an athletic team.”

Megow, who will study mathematics, will move in at Illinois the second week of August to begin cheerleading camp before the rest of the school’s freshmen move in a week later.

She’ll cheer on the sidelines for football, men’s basketball and some women’s basketball games. The Illini cheerleading squad does not compete.

Until camp starts, she’s been given workouts and tumbling to practice at home.