Rebecca Jozwiak | multimedia editor

Swimming, football, soccer, basketball – you name it, and freshman Jakob Brewer has probably done it. After years of immersing himself in the world of athletics, Brewer finally found his calling in his sophomore year of high school: cheerleading.

Brewer’s interest in cheer started from a young age when he would watch his older brother play football while he was in elementary school. At those games, Brewer said he would learn the cheerleader routines, watching in awe as they soared into the sky while tumbling and stunting.

As the years progressed, Brewer began trying some sports for himself. After swimming for a period of time, he started out his high school career as a football player. But, in his sophomore year, Brewer decided to go back to his roots.

“The only reason why I didn’t cheer sooner was because I was afraid of how everyone felt about me,” Brewer said. “I was afraid that I’d get bullied. Why would I want to put myself in that position?”

Regardless of the social norm, the nursing major vowed to himself that he would try out for the team.

He made it.

Brewer became a member of the varsity squad as a first-year sophomore tryout, all while being self-taught and experiencing ridicule.

“The transition, I would say, was rough,” Brewer said. “You got the footballers that would try to make fun of me.”

Brewer put in extra work after high school practices, too. When he was at home, he would tumble after practice to perfect his skills. He said his dedication proved that “men in cheerleading aren’t just shaking pom-poms and smiling.”

Whenever he was cheering with his team, though, the Duquesne star quite literally put his blood, sweat and tears into his performances. He once broke his ankle from a tumbling pass; two years ago at nationals, Brewer dislocated his finger while upside down in a tumbling pass.

“My coach popped [my finger] back in place, and I cheered,” Brewer said. “Your team needs you. It’s different from football, where you’re replaceable.”

For Brewer and other men in the cheerleading community, he said they’re on the sidelines cheering for themselves – not just for the sport that plays behind them.

Although he’s used to being the only male on his cheerleading teams, Brewer takes advantage of the spotlight that is cast upon him and other men in the community.

“I love being the center of attention,” Brewer said.

The freshman has no problem with lighting up dim areas with his confidence, said Meghan Alvarez, a senior on the cheerleading team. The two met at tryouts and connected after being put into the same stunt group.

“His personality is such a statement,” Alvarez noted. “He is who he is in the best way possible.

Alvarez said that the cheerleaders feel at home with Brewer, and trust him to do their stunt, like freshman Baylie Wingard.

Wingard met Brewer at cheer tryouts, where the two worked together in a practice group before trying out together.

“With Jakob underneath me, it feels like I don’t have to worry as much,” Wingard said. “I can just focus on what I need to do in the stunts.”

When he isn’t immersing himself in his studies or at practice, Brewer helps run his family’s business – Freddy’s Haunts.  

The business, a haunted house, is located in Independence Township. While he occasionally gets to scare patrons, Brewer usually takes on a managerial role in the back of the house. When he’s not working for his family, he also works part-time as a manager at his local Taco Bell.

“If he’s stressed, you can never tell,” Wingard observed. “‘He always has a smile on his face or is [saying] ‘We can do this.’”

Though it sounds overwhelming, Brewer said he loves diving into the unknown chaos of his life

At one point, Brewer worked two part-time jobs, cheered for three teams and received a nursing certification, all before graduating high school. He said he doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.

He’ll continue working, he said, one cheer at a time.

Rebecca Jozwiak can be reached at jozwiakr@duq.edu