For Karns City’s Abigail Galan, all sports led to competitive cheer and a chance at Fairmont State
KARNS CITY — Abigail Galan tried her hand at a number of different sports growing up.
She tried basketball, softball and baseball in elementary school. Track and volleyball in high school. Ultimately, she chose one to focus on: cheerleading.
A 2026 Karns City High School graduate, Galan is headed to Fairmont State University to continue her career in acrobatics and tumbling.
“I played pretty much every sport at one time or another,” Galan said.
“Competitive cheer was the sport of choice for me. I love the environment, getting to perform and show off different skills. And the difficulty of the sport is challenging.”
Galan graduated with a 4.13 GPA. Her Karns City competitive cheer teams won District 9 twice during her time there and placed as high as fifth in the large all-girl category at the PIAA Competitive Spirit Championships.
Her skills also developed through cheering with Top Gun Pittsburgh. Galan’s coach there, Courtney Stack, is a Fairmont State graduate who competed on the acrobatic and tumbling team there.
Stack urged her to look into the Fairmont State program, and her mother also encouraged her.
“I know how talented she is. She is at the top level of competitive cheer,” Joy Galan, Abigail’s mother, said. “She’s been a flyer. She’s been a base. Her all-around athleticism will benefit her.
“Abigail is a dedicated worker. She was a multi-sport athlete at Karns CIty who kept her academics up. ... I knew she could handle it.“
Fairmont State is an all-female squad with a roster size of more than 40.
“I want to become the best athlete I can be for myself,” she said. “Push and challenge myself to attain new skills, do whatever I can do to help the team continue to perform at a high level.”
More than 50 colleges and universities nationwide offer acrobatics and tumbling as a sport. While Fairmont State is a Division II school in the Mountain East Conference, the Falcons compete in the National Collegiate Acrobatics Tumbling Association and placed fourth in the nation this year, losing to defending national champion Baylor in the semifinals.
Only Baylor, Oregon and Quinnipiac finished ahead of the Falcons this year.
“There are three positions on the team — flyer, base and tumbler — and Abigail can do them all,” Stack said. “I’m so happy she’s pursuing this. Her potential and versatility are attractive to the coaches there.
“Abigail’s not very big (5-foot-2), so she won’t be a base right away. But I can see her at that position down the road.”
Krista Ritzert, Karns City’s competitive cheer coach, described Galan as “a strong tumbler and a tremendous leader.
“She’s been doing this for a long time. She works well with the other girls, and they look up to her. They respect her experience, and she doesn’t hesitate to help them.”
Galan has been involved in cheerleading since she was 3. She started out with Element All Stars in Butler, then competed for First Class Athletics in Sarver from third though fifth grade. She’s been with Top Gun for the past few years.
She plans to major in elementary education, become a teacher and coach.
“I already do some coaching at a cheer champ in Boyers, and I love it,” Galan said. “I want to stay involved in this sport for a long time.
“I know I need to push myself to compete favorably at the college level. Not everyone on the team gets on mats for competitions. One of my goals is definitely to get on mats as a freshman.”
Karns City has sent cheerleaders to Gannon, Thiel, Slippery Rock and Grove City in recent years. Some of those have been sideline cheerleaders.
