Miss-Delectable
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The Wetumpka Herald Sports
Zach Kerger’s life has been about adaptation. Deaf since age three, Kerger had to learn not only how to communicate with others but how to adapt to a hearing world.
“My first day at Prattville High, I was very nervous,” Kerger said through his interpreter Shay Hicks. “I was embarrassed because I was deaf. But that was before I became involved with cheerleading. I’ve always been social.”
Kerger said he wanted to be involved in something competitive.
“I wanted to prove that a deaf person could be an athlete,” said Kerger.
Doctors ruled out football and he tried out for the Prattville High’s baseball team but was not chosen.
He turned to cheerleading and as a junior was named to the Lions’ varsity squad. As a senior, Kerger added a tumbling element to his routine and was guided by his speech therapist Kim Holland ��” the reason he became interested in cheerleading ��” to Millbrook’s Elite Tumbling and Cheer studio.
“It was interesting when he first got here,” said Chris Montgomery, Elite’s director. “I’d never done sign language before but I learned. He’s taught me and I’ve taught him.”
One of the biggest challenges facing Kerger and Montgomery was terminology.
“In sign language, there is a sign for everyday words,” said Montgomery. “But not in the world of cheerleading and that’s something we had to overcome. He is naturally gifted and talented and learned how to do backflips and back handsprings in a matter of days.”
There was a transition period for Kerger.
“When I first started it was a little weird,” he said. “But I started studying it and practicing now it’s my love. When I tried out as a junior I was nervous. But when I found out I made the team, I was so excited.”
When cheering or performing stunts, Kerger relies on either visual or physical cues. For instance, when he is lifting, Kerger said, she’ll tap him it’s time to go up or come down.
“When we practice a routine, it’s easy to remember,” said Kerger. “And a lot of the girls on the team have learned signs. Because when I first started, I couldn’t communicate with them and they couldn’t communicate with me.”
Kerger’s goal is to become a collegiate cheerleader.
“I want to attend Troy University,” said Kerger, who plans to major in athletic training. “I want to be the first deaf cheerleader in school history.”
Zach Kerger’s life has been about adaptation. Deaf since age three, Kerger had to learn not only how to communicate with others but how to adapt to a hearing world.
“My first day at Prattville High, I was very nervous,” Kerger said through his interpreter Shay Hicks. “I was embarrassed because I was deaf. But that was before I became involved with cheerleading. I’ve always been social.”
Kerger said he wanted to be involved in something competitive.
“I wanted to prove that a deaf person could be an athlete,” said Kerger.
Doctors ruled out football and he tried out for the Prattville High’s baseball team but was not chosen.
He turned to cheerleading and as a junior was named to the Lions’ varsity squad. As a senior, Kerger added a tumbling element to his routine and was guided by his speech therapist Kim Holland ��” the reason he became interested in cheerleading ��” to Millbrook’s Elite Tumbling and Cheer studio.
“It was interesting when he first got here,” said Chris Montgomery, Elite’s director. “I’d never done sign language before but I learned. He’s taught me and I’ve taught him.”
One of the biggest challenges facing Kerger and Montgomery was terminology.
“In sign language, there is a sign for everyday words,” said Montgomery. “But not in the world of cheerleading and that’s something we had to overcome. He is naturally gifted and talented and learned how to do backflips and back handsprings in a matter of days.”
There was a transition period for Kerger.
“When I first started it was a little weird,” he said. “But I started studying it and practicing now it’s my love. When I tried out as a junior I was nervous. But when I found out I made the team, I was so excited.”
When cheering or performing stunts, Kerger relies on either visual or physical cues. For instance, when he is lifting, Kerger said, she’ll tap him it’s time to go up or come down.
“When we practice a routine, it’s easy to remember,” said Kerger. “And a lot of the girls on the team have learned signs. Because when I first started, I couldn’t communicate with them and they couldn’t communicate with me.”
Kerger’s goal is to become a collegiate cheerleader.
“I want to attend Troy University,” said Kerger, who plans to major in athletic training. “I want to be the first deaf cheerleader in school history.”