Apollo cheerleading’s very own has recently taken the next step in his athletic and academic career, as Menza Velotta will be joining his dream school, Purdue University, in the fall.
“Seeing my number posted as a Purdue cheerleader is the moment I knew everything had fallen into place, and the relief that came from this was beyond anything you could imagine,” Velotta said. “Since the beginning of my career I knew I wanted to continue through my higher education and a weight was lifted when this was made possible at my dream school.”
Velotta has been a leader for Apollo cheerleading for years, serving as the lone male on the squad for three of the last four. Menza said that the team has always been supportive of him, allowing him to grow and reach such a major personal goal.
“I will always remember the support my school gave me being the only male for three of my four years,” Velotta said. “It is empowering when in an environment that allows it to be, and I cannot be more thankful. I’m 100% going to miss the relationships built over my countless hours in the practice area.”
Velotta went on, noting that some of his favorite memories with Apollo was placing first in the UCA Nationals in Orlando, Florida.
“Being on the first team to place at nationals was big as is, but having only one male on our team placing sixth in co-ed spoke volumes for our determination,” Velotta said. “The other is from this past season watching my gameday routines and choreography come to life on the replay after the semi-finals.”
Velotta said that he will always cherish his time at Apollo, thankful for the many friendships and memories he’s made along the way.
“I will forever be grateful to my first set of coaches Robin Ebelhar and Sarah Lanham for taking a chance on 13-year-old me,” Velotta said. “I don’t know where I would be if they didn’t imprint the love of cheerleading onto me as they did. In addition to this, Wes Nall, Apollo’s coach, mentored me in ways outside of the sport that I will carry with me throughout life. He gained an alumni from his program, but with it a friend. One more big shoutout to Macey Woodruff, my first coed partner. None of this would’ve been made possible without her letting me throw her around these last few years.”
But Menza is thoroughly excited to be surrounded by the like-minded individuals that in different settings share the same interests, values, and drive I possess in not just athletics- but academics at Purdue. Rather than a sense of home Velotta said his visit helped him gain a sense of what he envisions for his future self, as he’s looking forward to competing at a high level while chasing his academic goals while studying pharmaceutical sciences.
“Boiler spirit is the embodiment of clean cheerleading,” Velotta said. “I have never wanted to be an athlete with a high skill, low performing, low execution, and this program combines difficulty with performance value. The coaches radiated positivity with enough edge that makes you not want to disappoint and I cannot emphasize how the unity of the coaches provides stability to the program as a whole.”
