For Sydney Johnson ’27, the journey to becoming a 2026 Cheerleading Worlds champion was built on resilience, repetition and learning through adversity.

After nearly a decade in competitive cheer, Johnson and her team, Cheer Extreme Raleigh’s Small Senior X (SSX) Sharks, captured a World Championship title in Orlando, Fla., capping off an undefeated season in the Small Senior X division. Competing at Level 6, which is the highest level in all-star cheer. The team finished first after delivering two nearly flawless performances on the ESPN Wide World of Sports stage.

But before the competition officially began, the experience already felt unlike anything Johnson had experienced before.

Worlds week opened April 24, with a three-hour practice held in a hotel lobby, where teams also met and greeted fans from around the world before the competition began. The Sharks then took the mat at ESPN Wide World of Sports for Day 1 competition on April 25 and returned April 26, the day they officially became World Champions.

“We knew that at that point, it was our win,” Johnson said, reflecting on the final moments of the team’s Day 2 routine. “It wasn’t like we were unsure. We were like, ‘We got it.’”

The SSX Sharks, made up of 24 athletes ages 13–19, spent the season competing against some of the nation’s top programs before earning their opportunity to compete at Worlds in Orlando. By April, practices had intensified from three days a week to nearly every day in preparation for the sport’s biggest stage.

“So much preparation went into it,” Johnson said. “We would do 100 reps of things at practice, and we did like 150 during Worlds week to prepare. That was the most prepared I’ve ever felt.”

That preparation showed on the mat. After finishing Day 1 in first place by nearly two points, the Sharks expanded their lead on Day 2 with what Johnson called “the best routine we’ve ever done.” The team finished both performances with zero deductions.

But Johnson’s path to the top was far from easy.

“It definitely took a lot of bad World experiences,” she said. “One year, I fell. Another year, I was in the hospital in Florida and couldn’t compete. There was a lot of trial and error.”

Johnson began cheering competitively at age 7 and quickly progressed through the sport’s levels. By age 13, she earned a spot on her first Worlds team, competing alongside athletes much older than her.

“I definitely competed more scared when I was younger,” she said. “Now I’ve learned to trust my training and trust the repetition.”

That mindset has shaped her growth not only as an athlete but also as a leader.

At Ravenscroft, Johnson hopes to bring the lessons she has learned from the world’s biggest cheer stages back to the school’s cheer program.

“When things are hard, I know how to guide a team through it,” she said. “We’re not always the most put-together team, but I feel like we’re getting better and better. I’m excited to be a part of that.”

One of the most unique parts of Johnson’s experience has been competing alongside teammates from across the country and, in some cases, around the world. Some athletes temporarily relocate to train with Cheer Extreme Raleigh, balancing online school, college classes and constant travel in pursuit of elite competition.

“It’s definitely very different,” Johnson said. “A lot of them are older and cheer in college, which is one of my goals too. I can learn from them and take after what they do.”

As Johnson prepares for her senior year at Ravenscroft, she is also looking ahead to college recruitment and combines, which will mark the next chapter in her cheer career. While next season will be her final year in competitive all-star cheer, her passion for the sport and the lessons it has taught her will continue long after the final routine.

And after years of setbacks, hard practices and near misses, Johnson now knows exactly what it feels like to stand at the top of the sport.

“When the music ended and everyone started cheering,” she said, “that was the best part.”