Ashtyn Griggs will trade in the purple and white of Gilmer High for the green and gold of Piedmont University when she enrolls in the coming months.
Griggs, a 2023 GHS honor graduate, is set to cheer for the Lions. She also considered attending Shorter University and the University of North Georgia before settling on Piedmont and its Demorest campus.
Familiarity and continued interest helped aid her decision.
“I went to Piedmont’s cheer clinics last year and this past year, and their coach kept texting me almost once a week telling me different things about their program,” Griggs said. “I did a call with her and then went on a tour. It’s a small campus, and I feel like it’s a place where I can make good connections with my teachers and classmates.”
Griggs was able to meet some Piedmont cheerleaders when she visited. She received the grand tour and got to check out the athletic and academic facilities.
“It’s a Division III school right in the middle of Demorest,” Griggs said. “It’s a smaller school but still has a pretty nice campus.”
Griggs began building the foundation of her competition cheerleading skill set when she was 6 years old. She started taking gymnastics and tumbling classes, as well as dance class. Griggs said she played other sports at the rec level, but cheerleading remained her passion.
Griggs did not join an all-star gym that competed in the youth ranks, but she continued to cheer at Clear Creek Middle School. In those days, CCMS did not field a competition team, so Griggs was limited to sideline cheer at football and basketball games.
However, her talent allowed her to get some high school experience while still at CCMS.
“In eighth grade, I made the JV competition team. So I would do spirit (sideline) for Clear Creek and then do competitions with the high school,” Griggs said.
She described what that initial experience was like and what she enjoys about competition cheer, saying, “It was different because I did not know what to expect. I knew how to do the routine, but I wasn’t expecting the crowd. It was very different, but right then, I knew I loved it.”
She added, “I like the two minutes and 30 seconds on the mat. You get one chance to prove everything you can do and you go out there and have fun in front of the crowd.
“It’s very nerve-racking, but it’s also an adrenaline rush before you go out there. My whole mind is blank before I go out there and somehow I remember the routine and just do it.”
Griggs was a four-year varsity competition cheerleader at GHS and on the sideline for football games. She entered her sophomore season with two years of competition experience under her belt but suffered a knee injury while back spotting at Gilmer’s first competition of the season.
“I was out for the whole rest of the season, but honestly I came back better than I ever was before,” Griggs said of the brief setback.
Most of Griggs’ time at GHS was spent at the flyer position. She could often be found twisting and tumbling after being tossed into the air when she was not on the top of pyramids. She noted that will likely be her position at Piedmont as well.
“I’ll be a flyer, but I’ll do pretty much anything they need me to do,” she said. “We have to compete with each other to make it onto the mat (for competitions). The coach will put the best 16 or so on the floor and then we’ll have alternates. Everyone will be learning the same stuff, but not everyone will be on the floor.
“I’ll also cheer for basketball and volleyball. I like that as well because you get to interact with the crowd and stuff.”
Griggs credits GHS head coach Naomi Esparza as a major influence in helping her reach her cheerleading potential.
“She’s helped me since my eighth grade year,” Griggs said. “She’s always believed in me, and when I was having a bad day, she was always there to talk to me. She helped me through my injury and helped me get into Piedmont.”
Esparza believes Griggs is set up for success at the next level.
“Ashtyn’s dedication is unwavering. Her commitment to the betterment of the program and betterment of herself as an athlete makes her the perfect candidate for collegiate cheerleading,” said Esparza.
“She’s hardworking, resilient and determined to be a model athlete. On the floor she fulfills many roles as a flyer and backspot. She continually put herself in leadership roles within the program and always strived to be the best athlete and best leader she could be.”
Griggs said she is looking forward to the new experiences that lie ahead, as well as meeting new people. She plans on studying nursing and received some hands-on experience at GHS in the work-based learning program, which led to employment
“I’ve always liked helping people, and I work as a CNA (certified nursing assistant) at the nursing home,” Griggs said. “I’ve learned a lot and have my own residents I take care of. I love taking care of others and helping them get better.”