This was previously published in our September 2025 issue.
The squeaking of cheer shoes on the gym floor, future teammates wishing her good luck, and the thumping in her heart created a sensory overload for Abigail Lozowsky. After a four-year break, the junior was back in open gym, focused on one goal: earning her place on the Emmaus High School Cheer Team.
The first time Lozowsky attended try-outs was seventh grade, when she unfortunately didn’t make the team despite having an athletic background. She played multiple sports growing up, including softball, basketball, soccer, and dance, but it was the influence of friends that inspired her to try cheer again.
“Kailey Keiser is one of the people that actually helped me make my decision if I wanted to try out again or not,” Lozowsky said. “I didn’t really tell anyone last year that I was going to until we talked it through in Biology.”
Before her epic return, the right stretches and physical preparation were key to success at open gyms. Using her prior cheer knowledge, she used the tips and tricks coaches gave her the first time to be more successful the second time.
“I would go down in my basement and practice jumps in the mirrors,” Lozowsky said. “I would record myself, see how I looked, and just kept going for hours.”
However, along with the physical side, mental preparation was just as important. It was a harsh reality for Lozowsky to face when she had to be prepared for history to repeat itself, but that was not the case this time around.
“I was so excited when I found out I made the team. I was going upstairs to check the app when I saw the JV roster and I saw my number. I stood there for a good 20 seconds in utter shock,” Lozowsky said.
In tough situations, Lozowsky has a role model she can turn to for support. That person is most commonly a guardian, teacher, mentor, or family member. For Lozowsky, it was her siblings, especially her sister Emma.
“My siblings are really great role models and Emma is actually a senior here. She kicks butt with everything including school and work. I don’t know how she does it but I want to be like that,” Lozowsky said.
Along with her siblings, her 10th-grade English teacher, Ara Hoderewski, is an adult she trusts in school.
“Abby applies the things she learns into her life and I find that to be a very admirable quality,” Hoderewski said. “She’ll take a lesson or an idea and apply it into the things she actually does, which is kind of refreshing as a teacher.”
Lozowsky could be an example to all athletes that, despite the ups and downs in sports, there is always a learning curve. In her case, it was knowing the word “no” doesn’t always mean “never.”
