Dill Signs To Cheer At Kansas State
When you hear that an athlete has signed a scholarship to attend college, cheerleading isn’t the first sport that comes to mind.
But when that athlete is McDonald County’s Carlie Dill, cheerleading should leap into your mind. Dill recently signed to become a cheerleader at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan.
Dill was a four-year cheerleader at MCHS, earning Best All-Around the past two years. She also earned NCA All-American honors in 2016 and 2017 while being named a Top All-American.
“I am ecstatic,” Dill said on her signing day. “I cannot believe this is happening.”
Dill said she attended two tryouts where 120 girls were vying for 36 spots.
“We made two trips in one weekend and with all the flooding we weren’t sure we could make it at all,” Dill said. “I had already learned their two fight songs and of course, I had to do all the usual jumps, tumbling stunts and things like that.”
Dill said the tryouts were set up in different stations – one where you would do the fight song, one for tumbling and jumps, and one for stunts and cheers.
To announce those chosen, all 120 girls were set in a big circle and the numbers of the 36 selected were read aloud.
“My number was one of the very last ones called,” Dill said. “It was in the bottom five. I was in tears by then. I was certain I wasn’t going to make it.”
Dill said she had prepared for the tryouts by taking dance classes for 12 years and being a cheerleader since third grade.
“A lot of hard work went into it,” she said. “I do want to thank my Mom and Dad for everything. My Mom was the best cheer coach I could’ve asked for and Dad for making two round trips to Manhattan in one weekend.”
Dill said all 36 of the cheerleaders perform at home football games and they are divided into smaller groups for basketball, volleyball and other sports.
“I want to thank all the varsity cheerleaders at MCHS for supporting me during the tryouts,” Dill said. “I will miss them all.”
The nerve-raking tryouts will be required again next year. Dill said that even if you are a returning cheerleader next year, you still have to go through the tryout process and be selected again.
Dill said she selected Kansas State because of the school’s veterinarian program.
She is the daughter of Jason and Jill Dill of Anderson.