Cheer Hosts Special Guest

Jeremy Lin averaged 17 points and six assists in the last two home games of his career, earning the Harvard co-captain Ivy Player of the Week. The league’s Rookie of the Week award went to teammate Brandyn Curry, who averaged 17.5 points and five assists over two nights.

But the most memorable performances on the hardwood of Lavietes Pavilion this weekend did not belong to either of them—or to any basketball player, for that matter.

During halftime and timeouts on Friday and Saturday night, the Harvard cheerleading squad quickly scrambled into formation at center court. Pom-poms and signs at the ready, each member wore a neat crimson uniform, a clean, white ‘H’ adorning the chest. The team launched into its carefully synchronized routines, perfected through hours and hours of practice.

Among the numerous owners of bright eyes and gleaming smiles, one stood out above the rest. She soared gracefully through the air and tumbled like a veteran, and her energy was infectious.

“She’s very talented, confident, and obviously, a very skilled flier,” says Allyson McGinty, a spotter in the stunt group. “I was really impressed.”

She had never practiced with the team before. Yet, on Saturday night, the student section devoted an entire chant to her.

Her name is Amya, and she’s nine years old.

GIVING BACK TO DEE

The national cheer circuit is a rough-and-tumble establishment. High-stakes competitions take place across the country in pressure-packed environments, to which Amya [pronounced Ah-Mye-Ah] Giger is no stranger.

Every weekend over the next four weeks, she’ll be traveling to events all over the South with her teammates from Rockstar Cheer. She’s a flier on two teams—the Eagles and the Smashing Pumpkins—both of which are 18-years-and-under squads.

The life of a top-level cheerleader becomes even more difficult when a classmate’s flu or a family member’s cold could lead to an extended stay in the hospital.

Such is the life of Amya, who has been battling tracheobronchomalacia, severe asthma, and a compromised immune system ever since she was about a year old.

According to her mother, Amya immediately fell victim to a case of double pneumonia at birth in June 2000.

A year later came the diagnosis of TBM, defined as a weakness of the tracheal and bronchial walls due to softening of the supporting cartilage. In other words, Amya’s windpipe is especially susceptible to collapse.

Equally as critical has been her weakened immune system. Amya must take care to avoid any sources of disease-causing particles, as a relatively common infection can easily attack her lungs and lead to severe pneumonia.

Up until the age of five, Amya’s home was the hospital. Her mother, Chele, stayed with her at a nearby Ronald McDonald House, but her father had to stay at home, making the four-hour drive to Duke University every other weekend.

Since then, the going has been a little easier. Amya’s condition is managed today through 11 different medications, which she takes at the public school she attends.

Still, her childhood has been rife with frightening moments. Amya required early surgery to remove her adenoids and tonsils, and constant ear infections led to the placement of titanium tubes in her ears.  And just last year, surgery was performed to remove growths from her vocal cords.

The burden would have been a formidable challenge even for parents blessed with the luxury of focusing all of their attention on a single child.

But Amya is the youngest of a family of six children, one of which also has special needs.

As a result, her five brothers and sisters—Jessica, Demetrius, Makayla, Gaige, and Tai—have had to come together and rely on each other. Demetrius—who also goes by Dee—took the lead without complaint.

“He played [the role of] Dad and Mom when I was in the hospital with Amya,” Chele says. “He stepped up to the plate and didn’t complain; he maintained his grades; he still managed to play sports; all in all, he was the second parent for about nine years.”

One of Amya’s fondest memories came at the age of four, when the Make a-Wish Foundation organized a family vacation to Disney World to go see Mickey Mouse and Goofy.

It’s not as easy to make those trips now. Jessica has a family of her own, and Dee is off at college. He’s a freshman on the Crimson men’s basketball team.

That’s why Amya decided to go to visit Dee at school, as a way to show her gratitude for everything he has done over all these tough years, for “supporting me my whole life,” she says.

And she chose to thank her oldest brother by doing what she does best—cheerleading.

After one’s battled a life-threatening congenital disorder for nearly a decade, the 800 miles from Asheville, North Carolina, to Cambridge don’t seem so daunting. Neither does performing in front of a crowd of over 2000 at a Division I basketball game.

“I was kind of scared,” Amya says.

No one in attendance could tell. Arriving at halftime during Friday’s matchup against Brown, the 4’7 Amya—decked out in an official Harvard cheer uniform—showed off her tumbling ability.

The next evening, she participated in warm-ups with the cheerleading team and was able to take flight. Pausing momentarily from jeering Yale’s players, the raucous student section responded to her aerial acrobatics, coming up with a chant for Amya on the spot.

Dee, a 6’6 wing, played a total of 17 minutes against Brown and Yale last weekend and has seen action in all 26 of the Crimson’s games this season. Described by Scout.com as “one of the best shooters in North Carolina” coming out of high school, he’s still in the process of finding a consistent stroke as a part of the Crimson’s impressive freshman class.

It’s clear, though, that his talents are by no means limited to the basketball court.

“I was wanting to cheer for my brother because I think he’s awesome,” Amya says.

And doesn’t he know it.

“The first thing she did was waving at me, blowing kisses at me, giving me hugs,” Dee says. “She wanted me to know that she was there, because I was always there for her. It was special.”

—Staff writer Dennis J. Zheng can be reached at dzheng12@college.harvard.edu.