TERRE HAUTE — They were close to the endzone. She could just tell.
Indiana State University was facing off against the Quincy Hawks in the first football game of the season. And while Sycamores cheerleader Aubree Cole wasn’t watching the action on the field with her own eyes, she knew the home team was winning.
It wasn’t that she was bored by football; Cole’s family will tell you that she’s the biggest Colts fan in the entire Hoosier state. She would have loved to seen her school’s game-winning touchdown for herself, but unfortunately, standing at 5-foot, 2-inches, the ISU cheerleader had a tough time seeing over the heads of the towering defensive backs lined up on the sidelines.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryBut it was all right, the Greenfield-Central grad said with a grin. She could feel the crowd. And as a cheerleader, that’s always a memorable feeling.
Life can be hectic for an Indiana State University student like Cole. It’s a challenge balancing the honors college and being an active member of the Sycamores cheer squad, she said. But the countless rewarding experiences make the juggling act worth it.
On a typical day, she wakes up at 6 a.m. and rolls out of bed, trying not to wake her roommate as she slips out of her dorm room to head to the gym.
She spends her morning weight training with the other cheerleaders, practicing barbell squats and the dreaded chin-up drills. Cole is a base, responsible for lifting and throwing the “flyers” in to the air during complex stunts. Like any other D1 athlete, the Greenfield-Central grad understands the impact the squad’s morning conditioning sessions have on developing her athletic performance.
Next comes classes and homework. She never lets schoolwork go by the wayside; honors college students are expected to maintain a solid GPA and to log community service hours each semester. If she’s lucky, Cole has time to grab a bite to eat before heading to cheer practice at the end of the day.
It’s all right, she said. She likes to stay busy.
“I love the spirit that we bring to the school and to football games,” Cole said. “Because sometimes it’s not going too well for the team, and it’s good to be among the people who bring a positive attitude when things aren’t looking great.”
She graduated from Greenfield-Central in 2017 and had her sights set on being a D1 cheerleader. She gained plenty of practice managing her time and priorities during her high school years, she said; she was the class of 2017’s student council president, class secretary and a member of the national honors society. She was also on the Cougars JV tennis team, served as the vice president of the mayor’s youth council and was involved in the Student Leadership Academy.
And of course, cheerleading, she added. In fact, it was her high school cheerleading coach, Laken Rosing, who mentored Cole during her time at Greenfield-Central and taught her how to manage a busy schedule, she said.
Cole is the type of student who comes in early and leaves late, Rosing said. A varsity cheerleader for all four years, she quickly developed a close relationship with her cheer coach. She often came to her for help on topics that had nothing to do with cheer, from homework to college applications to general life advice.
“Aubree is just one of those people that you can’t help but like,” Rosing said. “She works so hard and really no matter what task you give her, she’s going to take it in stride with a big smile on her face.”
“She’s a natural leader, and someone you can always count on,” Rosing added.
Cole’s current coach, Tammy Shike, the head cheer coach at Indiana State, quickly learned that the Greenfield-Central grad was mature beyond her years, she said.
Shike teaches her squad this mantra: School first, team second and your social life is third. As a freshman, Cole seems to grasp the concept more than some of the junior or senior cheerleaders at ISU, Shike said.
There are more than 500 D1 athletes at Indiana State, and the cheerleading squad is considered among their ranks. Thus, they’re all held to the same expectations as student football and basketball players. And in terms of natural talent and leadership, Cole outshines many of them, Shike said.
“She’s very mature, which is a gift,” Shike said. “They tell you to live locally and think globally. Except Aubree already thinks globally. She gets when things are important to the team.”
“I’d have a team of Aubrees if I could do it,” Shike said.
Cole said she’s been humbled by the opportunities given to her by ISU and the cheer squad. Keeping up a relentlessly positive attitude is the key to success, she said.
“Smarts got nothing to do with it,” Aubree said with a wave of her hand and a laugh.
“Having a positive personality, it drives you to continue to want to get better,” she continued. “When you have a negative attitude in life, you just have no motivation to improve. Why would you want to? When you have a positive outlook, and you want to continue get better, you will.”
