Natalie Kropf has been around cheerleading her entire life.
That is taken literally because her mother and Centralia head coach Rebekah Kropf was pregnant with her while she was coaching.
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Natalie Kropf has been around cheerleading her entire life.
That is taken literally because her mother and Centralia head coach Rebekah Kropf was pregnant with her while she was coaching.
“My first year coaching was the year I had her,” Kropf said. “I had her two weeks after my first year coaching at state competition. She has always been around.”
It has come full circle for Natalie Kropf, who has signed to cheer for Lindenwood University and made that clear during a ceremony on April 22 in the Centralia High School gym. Kropf has cheered since grade school, including the past two years as part of the Lady Panthers’ state runner-up squads.
“I revolve around cheer,” Natalie Kropf said. “I am always headed to cheer practice and just working on my tumbling and my stunts.”
Kropf said some of her favorite stunts are a hand-to-hand and rewind. Stunts can cause some fear, but Kropf said encountering them head-on and continuing to work on them helps.
“Whenever you’re learning a new skill, that can be scary at first,” Natalie Kropf said. “You just have to get over your fear and go for it. It just becomes really easy and like a habit.”
Rebekah Kropf remembers when Natalie would ask her to count her jumps in second grade. She said her daughter has always had a passion for the sport.
“People are going to think I’m crazy because they’re going to think I’m making my little child do these things,” Rebekah Kropf said. “She always wanted to. It was just so neat.”
Rebekah Kropf said she is glad to see her daughter go to such a strong cheer program at Lindenwood. She said it has 16 national championships and girls who are in the Pro Cheer League.
Natalie Kropf said Lindenwood opens many doors like joining the Pro Cheer League or team USA. She said also feels comfortable there.
“They have really good coaches,” Natalie Kropf said. “Their coaches are really nice and amazing people. All of their athletes on their teams are all really nice, too. When I would go to the clinics, they were all very helpful and just very nice.”
Rebekah Kropf said it helped to have passionate girls like Natalie on the state cheerleading teams.
“Her passion for it is very much contagious,” Rebekah Kropf said. “As she wants to work on things, go to extra tumbling classes, and try new skills and stunting, the other girls want to, too. That excitement and passion has spread like a wildfire.”
Before the business administration major goes on to her future at Lindenwood, Natalie Kropf said the past at Centralia was fun. Centralia is “part of my home,” according to her, as she has grown up in the cheerleading program but is excited for new experiences at Lindenwood.
“Even though we didn’t win first, the work is worth it,” Natalie Kropf said. “At the end of the day, I’m out there with my teammates doing something we all enjoy and just loving doing, especially together.”
