Some people are so fiercely driven to succeed that they shine in everything they put their mind to. Caira Pettway is one of those people. Track star by day, and all star cheerleading champion by night, there's no stopping this girl.

At a young age, Pettway's parents signed her up for soccer. But true passion was yet to be discovered. Caira's sister was already enrolled in cheerleading, so that was next on the list of sports to try. Many years, practices, and competitions later, Ciara was a full-blown national and world-ranked cheerleader. Her accolades are pretty impressive—she's a world and summit champion, and a nine-time NCA national champion.

But this go-getter doesn't just tumble and stunt in her free time. She's also a record-breaking track star. Since seventh grade, Pettway has been running and leaping toward her goal of running in college, and hopefully professionally. Her ultimate goal is to compete in the 2020 Olympics, and with her impressive track record in both competitive sports, anything is possible.

She makes it look easy, but keeping up with school, track, cheer and other extracurriculars is no walk in the park. We asked Caira what it's like to juggle her busy schedule.

While doing both sports, I've learned so many lessons I can use throughout life, and time management is the biggest. Running back and forth and trying to catch flights here and there can be a hassle, but moving on a schedule makes it easier. Sometimes, I have homework to do, track and cheer all on the same day, so I've learned to make myself go home straight from track, complete my homework in about 45 minutes to an hour, shower, eat and then leave for cheer. I've learned I'm capable of balancing several things at a time.



In training for both sports, Pettway works hard, but gets in double the workouts. Her involvement in cheer and track helps her succeed as an all-around athlete. She shared what it's like to train for both of her sports.

While in the offseason for track, we're in the weight room a lot. We do things such as pull-ups, bench press, squats, deadlifts, etc. This helps with cheer because it makes lifting people over my head feel like a piece of cake. Running and lifting helps with leg strength, so my legs don't feel like Jell-O at the end of a full-out during competition season. Cheer has helped me with track by building up muscles that could help me with running. For example, we do a lot of ab conditioning for cheerleading, and to run, you need a strong core to hold your top-end speed. Also, full-outs help build up stamina. I start to notice how much easier running a 400 in practice gets when we're doing full-outs at the gym.


The pressure and effort required to keep up with two or more sports while in high school can be pretty draining, and Pettway's journey hasn't always been easy. But when the going got tough and she wanted to call it quits, Caira stuck with it, and didn't let the bumps in the road derail her focus. It takes an incredible amount of drive and dedication to achieve at such a high level, and it looks like she's not slowing down anytime soon.

We hope to see you in the 2020 Olympics, Caira!

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