A Bridgeport High School state champion student-athlete will be continuing her athletic career at the next level. On Friday inside the BHS library, Gianna Felosa signed a letter of intent to attend Glenville State University.

 

Felosa, a member of the Indians’ 2021 Class AAA state championship cheerleading squad, will be a member of the Pioneers’ acrobatic and tumbling squad. And it happened in a very unique way.

 

“I wasn’t really looking to do this, but Glenville’s assistant coach reached out and called me. She explained what they do, and it should kind of cool because I’ve watched Fairmont State’s program before,” said Felosa, who plans on studying nursing. “I ended up touring the school with one of the assistant coaches and got to do some practice with the team.”

 

Despite being excited about the opportunity, the BHS cheerleading squad base did not commit immediately. Instead, she knew she needed to have a discussion with her family.

 

“The commitment came a little bit later. I talked with my parents (Patsy and Kim Felosa), and they wanted to make sure this was what I wanted because I had not toured any other schools. After talking and thinking about it, I committed,” said Felosa.

 

The future Pioneer should be a good fit with the program if she brings with her what she brought to BHS. Bridgeport cheer Coach Natalie Hathaway said she had one intangible thing that every team needs.

 

“Gianna brings a wealth of positivity to our program and is an amazing teammate,” said Hathaway. “She is always supportive of everyone around her and always had an uplifting attitude.”

 

That will serve her well in the highly competitive collegiate acrobatic and tumbling world. And she will be taking her knowledge learned at BHS with here.

 

“They helped me out in just how they talked and dealt with you. You can tell they respect everyone by how they explain things and then tell you how to fix things you’re doing wrong,” Felosa said. “The coaches’ goal was always about making us better student-athletes.”

 

Now, Hathaway is looking forward to watching Felosa compete at the Mountain East Conference School.

 

“Acrobatics and tumbling is an emerging sport for the NCAA that combines multiple disciplines such as competitive cheerleading and gymnastics. While many of the elements are similar to cheer, much of it is new, and I know Gianna will be eager to learn and grow,” Hathaway said. “I am excited to watch her in this new athletic venture during her academic collegiate career.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Gianna Felosa with her parents, grandparents, and BHS coaches. Photo below is Felosa with her BHS cheer squad teammats. Photo above, courtesy of Natalie Hathaway, shows Felosa, third from left, celebrating the Tribe's 2021 state title.