When Xavier Pfaff first joined the cheer team as an eighth grader, he had no gymnastics background, no experience and no clear idea of where it might lead.
He just knew he wanted to try.
That decision — encouraged by a friend — would set him on a path from Perryville High School to the national stage in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Now a freshman at Lindenwood University, Pfaff recently helped his team earn a second-place finish at the NCA College Cheer Nationals — competing at the Division I level in his first year.
“It was one of my biggest dreams,” Pfaff said. “I just tried to soak it all in and enjoy the moment.”
That moment didn’t come easy.
According to his father, Pfaff started “with nothing” when he joined the team — no tumbling skills, no formal training — and had to build everything from the ground up through years of practice and determination.
That work paid off. By his senior year at Perryville, Pfaff had earned all-state honors in both jumps and tumbling, eventually catching the attention of Lindenwood coaches and earning a partial scholarship. But the success wasn’t limited to athletics.
Pfaff graduated with a 3.96 GPA, ranked eighth in his class, participated in varsity track and chamber choir, and served as president of the National Honor Society.
Balancing it all required discipline.
“It was really hard,” he said. “You just have to stay ahead of your work and plan things out before it gets overwhelming.”
At Lindenwood, the challenge has only grown.
The university’s cheer program includes about 120 athletes across multiple squads, with teams rotating performances at games and competitions.
“It’s definitely more intense,” Pfaff said. “But it’s also exciting because everyone around you is just as passionate, and that pushes you to be better.”
Despite the size of the program, he’s found his place.
While his high school team was small and close-knit, Pfaff said he has built strong friendships at Lindenwood and continues to value the sense of community that first drew him to cheerleading.
“I think the biggest thing is the community you build and the excitement of performing,” he said.
That combination — community and competition — helped carry him to Daytona, a destination that had been a personal goal since high school.
Now, having reached that stage and succeeded, Pfaff is already looking ahead.
He made the Dean’s List in his first semester and was selected to the National Society of Leadership and Success, continuing to excel in the classroom as well as on the mat.
For those considering following a similar path, his advice is simple.
“Go for it,” he said. “You won’t know unless you try. Just be confident and do your best.”
And perhaps most importantly:
“Be true to who you are and continue being yourself.”
For a young man who once stepped into cheerleading with no experience, that mindset has made all the difference — turning a leap of faith into a story of growth, achievement and reaching a dream on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
