Marble Falls grad Berkman joins Baylor cheer squad

CAPTION: Alyssa Berkman is a new member of the 2024-25 Baylor University cheer squad, opting to try out again in her second year at the university. Courtesy photo

Marble Falls High School graduate Alyssa Berkman is returning to the sidelines in a familiar role – as a cheerleader.

The 2023 Marble Falls High School graduate is a member of the Baylor University cheer squad for the 2024-25 school year.

“I’m extremely excited,” she said. “I love being able to work with people and come in contact with tons of people.”

Berkman had tried out for the squad as a high school senior.

“It was God’s plan for me not to make it last year,” she said. “Cheer has been such a big thing. It was hard, it was a very touchy subject.”

Instead of wallowing in what might have been, Berkman concentrated on her studies, renewed old friendships and made new ones. Among the newest friends were members of the Baylor cheer squad.

And as the 2023-24 school year began to wind down, Berkman considered trying out again.

She gives a lot of credit to her mother, former Marble Falls High School cheer coach Lauren Berkman, who is now an assistant principal at Marble Falls Elementary School.

“I felt like I wasn’t ready to give it up,” the younger Berkman said. “In high school there aren’t as many girls (trying out). At BU, you have hundreds of girls trying out.”

The first part of the tryout includes submitting a preliminary video that that has candidate introductions, answering interview questions, performing the fight song and running and standing tumbling. Then in-person tryouts follow.

Those include meeting specific tumbling and stunting requirements as well and preferred skills. To say that making the squad is an achievement is an understatement.

The squad, which has 36 cheerleaders, attend football, basketball, volleyball and soccer games.

“Most of the time, the seniors get to choose which road games they’ll attend,” she said.

To help prepare for the season, the Baylor cheerleaders will participate in cheer camp and then in two-a-day workouts “like we were in high school.”

“I’ll go back a week early for welcome week,” Berkman said. “We help students move in.”

In high school, Berkman was apart of a squad that cheered during football playoff games and district titles. Now she’ll experience the thrills of cheering on Baylor squads that contend for Big 12 Conference titles.

“I can create memories, I can sit down and create with people,” she said. “It’s what I’m most excited about cheer.”

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