Chelsea, MI. – As Chelsea sideline cheers only senior this season Sami Krakowiak knows she has to step up big to help the young team. She gives advice, positive reinforcement, and helps the other girls with anything they need to help make them and the team better. Sami is as unselfish off the field as much she is on it.
When you see her, you first notice her big smile and happy, outward positive attitude. She is not afraid to speak her mind, take command, ask questions, or make suggestions. But in spite of all her positivity, it has not always been good for her.
At the young age of 2 and a half, her mother sadly passed away. Sami does not remember much about her mother but her Aunt Christy Motsinger, her mother’s sister, helps her to remember along with the rest of her family members.
“My mom was such a big inspiration to me because she fought for her life for 2 years just so she could see me grow up and even when she wasn’t feeling well she still sat there on the carpet to play with me,” Sami reminisces. “If I woke up in the middle of the night She would just hold me when I cried. She was an amazing woman and she fought everyday and she’s still with me in my heart and always will be.”
Sami has been cheering since she was about 4 or 5 years old and has loved it ever since. She has found a lot of motivation to cheer coming from her aunt and her mom, who were twin cheerleaders at Chelsea, and she has always looked up to her aunt since her mom has passed and she wanted to follow in their footsteps.
Sami loves cheer because of the bond you build with not only your team but your coach too. She spends 9 months out of the year with her teammates and knows the way you work as a team could make or break you.
“The bond makes you feel like a family,” Sami says. “Your coach may yell at you and tell you to get your stuff together but she’s always there for you. The girls and coach on my team are my second family and I love sharing a ton of moments with them.”
Sami not only does sideline cheer for her Bulldogs but also competitive. And although she loves sideline, she loves competitive even more!
“I love competitive with a passion, much more than I do sideline,” Sami said. “Don’t get me wrong I love cheering the bulldogs on every Friday night but competitive is all about us girls. The people come to the competitions to see us not anyone else. Competitive is also much more thrilling and, well, competitive for us. We make our own rivals and get to focus on us more.”
Like anything else, there is always a slight downside and Sami says her least favorite part about cheer is “when you’re on a team for so long you all kind of get sick of each other after a few months and it could really get to you. You never want that tight bond to break between you and other teammates. “
In her spare time, when she is able to find some, she loves hanging out with her best friend and her family. She also loves to play with her dogs, cook, and catch up on sleep from a late Friday night game.
Her favorite memory of her cheer career so far is definitely every year when they are trying to learn their dance routine for the pep rally and all of them get so confused and laugh when they can’t get it exactly right.
“I love every year around homecoming because we’re all just so ready to have fun together and do something different than the usual,” Sami stated.
Sami not only has the respect of her teammates but also her coach.
“Sami has a passion for cheer and it shines through,” Head Coach Stephanie Pratto stated. “She is always encouraging, helpful, and positive and we love that about her. Sami is a team player who loves her team and is always striving to do her best. Having her is an asset to our program. “
Sami’s plans after high school are still a little bit up in the air as of right now. She will definitely be going to college to get her bachelors degree in BSN so she can become a registered nurse and work with her CNA at a hospital but she’s not sure where yet. She is also not sure she will cheer in college. Her goal though is to someday become a pediatric nurse practitioner.
“Honestly, after I graduate I’m gonna miss everything about cheer,” Sami said. “Cheer is my escape from the real world. I really am gonna miss my coach because she has been so amazing and there for me whenever I needed her to be. She keeps me sane most of the time and I really will miss her being my coach.”
