Sports Spotlight - Winter Park/Maitland Observer: Donea Sykes

Edgewater High School senior Donea Sykes is going into her final year with the cheerleading squad and has worked her way up to captain after four years on the team. She is looking forward to an exciting year of cheering on the Eagles on Friday nights, and hopes to see the cheerleading team chase a state championship in competition season.

What got you into cheerleading?

My best friend got me interested to cheer. She was like, ‘We should try out!’ I was like, ‘I don’t really know. I’m not really fit for it.’ We tried out, and we made the team. We made JV at first, and then we moved up in the middle of our freshman year, and I’ve loved it ever since.

Do you plan to do cheerleading in college?

Most definitely, yes. I want to go to Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, and I want to become a Rattler, which is the name of their cheer team.

What do you want to study in college?

Social work. I love working with kids.

How do you work on cheering and getting better?

I try to stay within the school, but we have outside workshops, we go train in gyms, and professionals come to us. We have the UCA, which is like professional cheer people who come to us in the summer, and they help us work on our skills.

What do you think of being a captain and taking on that leadership role?

I feel like I was made for this spot. It’s something I’m good at. It comes like second nature to me. 

What TV show are you watching right now?

“How to Get Away with Murder.” It’s good.

What do you eat on your sub?

When I go to Publix, I put everything on it except for onions.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

To read people’s minds, I always want to know what other people are thinking. I feel like there’s two sides to every person: the side they show and the side they don’t show. I want to know more about the side that they don’t show.

If you could take a vacation or trip anywhere, where would you go?

I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii, because people talk about Hawaii and how it’s so relaxing. I just think it’s beautiful.

Do you have a favorite athlete?

Serena Williams. She’s a good role model, and she’s one of the first African American women to go as far as she has. I think she’s very inspirational.