Gianna Tullo is someone who has always housed the spirit of cheerleading in her heart from dancing as a toddler. Through the years, she has strengthened that passion by performing alongside her closest friends–leading to her becoming a standout athlete for East Haven.

Gianna grew up as a dancer at a very young age. But then, she got the itch to be a tumbler, and so she tried her hand at gymnastics to scratch it. It next led to her moving from gymnastics to the cheerleading mat in middle school, and she has held a passion for it ever since. Yet it was not until this year as a senior that she joined the Yellowjackets–being a critical flier and tumbler as a crucial member of the Yellowjackets cheerleading team this year.

“With cheerleading, I just love the energy that you can feel from the other girls on the team and the other teams. I also like how there is something new to learn,” says Gianna. “Some things that have helped me over the years have been just competing and getting over nervousness through it. I also think seeing other girls on the team improve in their skills made me want to do the same.”

Gianna does some honest reflection and notes rough times would get to her. Yet through being around the mat more with her close colleagues, she realized that hardships were not unique to her, but rather natural. She then garnered the right mindset and temerity to push right past it all.

“For the longest time, I would just go home and cry after a rough day or practice,” Gianna says. “It is just that I would let the bad day bother me so much. But since I have gained skills and been a part of the competitive cheer community more, I realized that everyone has bad days. Once I realized that, I told myself that when you have a bad day, you just have to move forward and have the attitude that you will fix things the next day at practice.”

Gianna really came into her own as a person and cheerleader through the years. The surge in her self-swagger has led her to become more ambitious with her craft and try her abilities in new departments for the Yellowjackets.

“I have improved a lot on having confidence in myself, which has helped me learn new skills,” says Gianna. “With that gained confidence, I actually want to try new things like basing. With all of my skills, I want to try and be tighter and faster, as well.”

As she has fine-tuned her abilities on the ground, Gianna also loves to take to the air. While she knows she is part of a physically demanding sport, she explains there are certain theatrics to it–leading to her having the sentiment at times that she is putting on a performance on the big stage.

“With tumbling, I love being able to put my power into everything. I have mastered how to rotate and have made it clean and tight,” says Gianna. “With flying, I love that it looks like I am giving a performance and putting on a show. I feel like when I am out there in front of the judges, I am giving them a show.”

The camaraderie among the athletes is something that leaves an indelible impact in Gianna’s heart when it comes to the sport. She explains that it extends well beyond their own club, as they feel and hear the encouragement from adversaries during competitive action.

“The girls are always supporting one another with cheerleading,” says Gianna. “Even at competitions against other teams, they are cheering us on when we are performing. We are supporting them as well when they perform, even if they are our rivals.”

East Haven cheerleading Head Coach Tianna Speringo explains that Gianna felt right at home once she stepped inside the family that is the East Haven cheerleading program. She praises Gianna as an individual who is always ready and willing to put the work in while being mindful and courteous of her colleagues.

“I’m sure joining a new team as a senior was very nerve-racking for Gianna, but she fits in with our team very well. She has made friends very quickly. It’s like she’s been a part of our team all four years,” says Speringo. “At practice, she always gives it her all. She comes in determined and confident. Gianna is always kind and respectful to not only her coaches, but her teammates, as well. She is very dedicated to the sport, which is always a nice thing to see. She really is such a wholesome and down-to-earth young lady, and I can’t wait to see what she accomplishes with us within the next few months.”

As she begins to embark on her final competitive campaign with the Yellowjackets, Gianna looks to repeat her solo accolades from past seasons. As she would additionally like to see East Haven be in the state title conversation and go out on top, she denotes that familiarity breeds success when it comes to the club and everyone having their special attributes that make the machine move.

“This year, I would love to make All-SCC and the All-State teams again, and then as a team, I would love for us to place in the top 3 at states,” says Gianna. “One thing I think that helps this team is that we have all grown up together cheerleading. Everyone already knew each other when we got to high school. It helped bring us closer together. Everyone on this team has a strong background and something different to bring to the table.”