Gig Harbor grads Flynn, Rogers make CWU cheer squad

Two Gig Harbor cheerleaders will be continuing their cheer careers in college, together.

Hannah Rogers and Taylor Flynn, both 2016 Gig Harbor High grads, made the cut for the Central Washington University cheer team in April.

Around 30 girls attended the intense two-day tryout, with 16 making the cut. The CWU coach came out with a sheet of paper on Sunday night at the conclusion of the tryout.

“She started crying and said, ‘There’s girls we had to let go,’” Flynn said.

Luckily for Flynn and Rogers, they were not among those cut.

“I was really excited,” Flynn said. “I didn’t know if I made it. I saw it and was shocked, and I was like, ‘Wow, I made it.’”

Rogers said she’s excited for the opportunity to meet new people and go into her freshman year of college with an existing group of friends.

“I was really excited, just because it’ll be a great opportunity,” Rogers said. “I really like cheering in high school. It opened a lot of doors and I met a lot of new people.”

Going in with a teammate and Tides co-captain? Just the cherry on top.

“It was really exciting to make it together,” Rogers said. “It was just awesome. (Flynn) is one of my best friends.”

Flynn said she’s excited for the chance for both of them to represent Gig Harbor together.

“It was an honor to make the team together,” she said. “It’s going to be really fun having someone I know already on the team. We’ve been together the whole time.”

While cheer doesn’t often make headlines, Rogers said she’s proud to continue the strong legacy of cheer at Gig Harbor High School.

“You hear about football, baseball, etc., but it’s cool to represent cheer,” Rogers said. “It’s cool to continue the legacy and continue to represent Gig Harbor and the cheer team.”

This story was originally published July 14, 2016 at 10:41 AM with the headline "Gig Harbor grads Flynn, Rogers make CWU cheer squad."