CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — When she found out she made the University of North Carolina cheerleading team last spring, current freshman and Richmond County native Peyton Babson burst into tears.
Babson, who graduated from Richmond Senior High School in 2018, is in her first semester at UNC. She’s in the midst of an “experimental” freshman year, as she’s taking several general education classes to determine which career path she’d like to pursue.
While she’s weighing the possibility of studying linguistics or anthropology, one thing Babson is certain of is finding her place alongside her fellow Tar Heels cheerleaders.
A flyer on the team of about 60 combined female and male cheerleaders, Babson has spent her Saturday afternoons this fall smiling in between plays on the sidelines at Kenan Memorial Stadium. While the Tar Heels football program may not have had a spectacular season going 2-9 overall, and is undergoing a head coaching change, Babson is calling her first season a success.
“Cheerleading at Carolina has been really fun, but really hard,” Babson smiled. “It’s been a lot of work, but I can definitely feel myself growing in the program. I’m really excited to be in the program long term, and it’ll be fun to watch myself grow over the next couple of years.
“I just really wanted to prove something to myself,” she added. “I wanted to show that I could do this. There are girls on the team who have won championships, and I don’t have that. I’ve taken gymnastics (growing up), but now I’ve proven to myself that I have the talent and drive to be a college cheerleader.”
Getting a chance to cheer for a major Atlantic Coast Conference program like UNC almost didn’t happen for Babson. But thanks to urging of her mother, Chandra Leviner, she applied to the school on the last day ahead of the deadline. Babson had her mind made up that she was going to Appalachian State University until got accepted to UNC in May.
A Richmond cheerleader during her freshman and sophomore years, Babson stopped cheering her final two years of high school to “work on things” herself. She put in the extra work and was ultimately rewarded during tryouts.
Peyton Babson says being a UNC cheerleader has allowed her to prove she can be successful.
“I always knew I wanted to be a college cheerleader -- it seemed like so much fun,” Babson explained. “I tried out while I was still in high school in May. I didn’t know much about it and I Googled Carolina cheer tryouts and showed up with a physical.
“I wasn’t sure where I stood after tryouts,” she continued. “They were a long process, and we got to show off what we knew and learned some new material. I found out a couple days later that I made the team -- I got an email in my AP Literature class. I knew it was supposed to be coming and I was so anxious. When I read that I made the team, I burst into tears.”
A typical game day for Babson and her fellow cheerleaders, coached by Brown Walters, starts long before kickoff. As a member of the junior varsity squad, Babson cheers only at home games, while the upperclassmen varsity cheerleaders make the road trips.
Prior to game time, the UNC cheerleaders spend time in Tar Heel Town, where Babson meets with fans and takes pictures and signs autographs with younger fans. Next is the “victory walk,” where the cheerleaders help welcome the football players to Kenan Memorial Stadium for warm ups. Lastly, Babson and the cheer squad have their own pre-game routine to prepare for the game.
“I’ve learned that I have to conscious of a lot of things during a game,” Babson explained of what a live performance is like. “During the first game, I was trying to figure out what I was doing because there is so much happening all at once. I have to listen out for the band, and then turn back (to the crowd) after watching each play.
“It’s a really exciting experience,” she shared. “I’m happy to be on the team and be on the sidelines. Part of our job is to smile all the time -- but all of my smiling is genuine. I’m glad to be taking advantage of all of these opportunities.”
While she’s had a whirlwind of a first semester, Babson said one of her favorite moments was during UNC’s Military Appreciation Day on Nov. 17, a 49-26 win over Western Carolina University. Babson said she was proud to a part of a “really patriotic vibe” and enjoyed hearing the whole stadium sing the National Anthem ahead of the game.
With her first full football cheerleading season in the books, Babson is looking forward to focusing on school. Another part of her job as an ambassador of UNC athletics is to participate in community events, which she will do more of in the offseason. Earlier this fall, she attended a charity walk at PNC Arena in Raleigh.
“I’ve met a lot of really great people this year,” Babson concluded. “Being a part of the Carolina cheerleading team is more like a family than anything else.”
