GLENVILLE, W.Va. – Glenville State Acrobatics & Tumbling star Gillian Cooper will be competing with her teammates this Sunday at the NCATA Nationals in the Six-Element Acro event. Less than a week afterward, she will be walking across the Waco Center stage receiving her degree.
It has been a long and winding road for the talented young student-athlete to these career-closing milestone events…a road that has included several unforeseen obstacles along the way. It is fitting that her GSU career is closing with this degree of success.
"It is a real honor to be competing in a National Event with my teammates," Cooper stated. "We have worked through a lot together and we are proud to be representing our program."
Cooper is joined on the Six-Element unit with Emilia Underwood, Madisyn Hahn, Erin Finney, Megan Bankes, Delaney Rosales, Caitlyn Looney, Savannah Duckworth and Madelyn Countryman. Glenville will also be competing in the 450-Salto Toss. That unit consists of Underwood, Duckworth, Payten Semenske, Sadie Eddins, Taylor Oldaker, and Morgan Thomas.
Cooper started her career athletically back in her native Lincoln County. She grew up in the town of Yawkey, and began cheering at three years old in the Duval Raiders program. She worked her way up through that program and at age five, also added gymnastics to her routine, working out at Missy's Hilltop Tumbling in Griffithsville. She continued her career at Duval Middle School in Griffithsville followed by an outstanding career at Lincoln County High School in Hamlin.
Throughout her youth cheer career, Cooper was strongly supported by her parents Tommy and Kerri, proud Lincoln natives themselves and graduates of Duval High School. Gillian also has a twin brother Gavin and an older brother Jordan, both of whom now work in Huntington.
During Cooper's sophomore year, her family moved from Yawkey to Alum Creek, getting them closer to her parents' jobs. It was during this time that the Lincoln County Cheer squad began to thrive and perform at a high level. In Cooper's junior season, the squad rolled to a regional title and a strong showing at States. This feat was repeated during her senior season, as the program had become one of the premier programs in the state.
As the Lincoln County success mounted, Cooper became a highly sought-after recruit. In her senior year, the Spring of 2019, she had narrowed her choices down to five schools; Adrian, Alderson-Broaddus, Gannon, Glenville, and Urbana. In the end, she chose Coach Courtney Stack and Urbana.
"I remember that one of the Assistant Coaches called the high school and asked our cheer coach if she could speak with me specifically…that really made an impression on me," Cooper said.
Urbana's Acro squad in 2020 turned out to be highly successful. Through their first five matches it was apparent that Stack had built a solid team; the Knights opened 4-1 and had already sealed an MEC playoff bid, posting wins over Alderson-Broaddus, Davis & Elkins, and West Virginia Wesleyan in the league, and an impressive non-conference win over Adrian as well. Their only loss was to a nationally-ranked Fairmont squad.
Unfortunately, the team's season was cut short when all of college and pro sports was shut down due to COVID-19. This infamous day in the annals of America came on March 12, 2020.
"I can still remember the group text the team got that day…it was 8:00 AM in the morning," Cooper said. "It was such a confusing time for all of us. There was sadness, anger, and we were all still hoping at that point that maybe we would still get back to the season at some point. I was really happy at Urbana, and I was dealing with the fear of never seeing some of my friends again."
Sadly, the season was not to be. Students across the U.S. were sent back to their homes to close their semesters online.
Little did Cooper and her teammates know at the time, it would get worse. Just a month later, Urbana announced that the institution was closing its doors altogether. This left all of the UU student-athletes in a predicament…a short time frame to find their "next chapter." Ulitmately, a coaching change at Glenville would lead to Cooper becoming a Pioneer. Coach Courtney Stack was hired in June of 2020.
Cooper's Urbana teammate Abigail Swinderman also made the move to Glenville as well. This "next chapter" would now unfold just two hours north of Gillian's Alum Creek home.
"There was a lot going on from being in the transfer portal and because of Urbana's closure. There were so many new chapters and decision's to be made," Cooper said. Ultimately, I chose to go Glenville after hearing of Coach Stack's hiring, and our previous year together."
2021 would be a tremendous comeback year for Glenville Acrobatics & Tumbling. After going a winless 0-3 prior to the COVID-19 stoppage in 2020, the Pioneers powered their way back to the MEC Playoffs and lost a heartbreaker to West Liberty in the semifinals 249-247. For her efforts, Cooper was named Second Team All-Conference.
While it looked like the Glenville program was back on solid footing, as well as Cooper's collegiate career, another unexpected punch came in the Summer of '21. Coach Stack left Glenville that Summer, leaving much of the roster with decisions to make on their future.
Cooper decided to remain at Glenville, as did many others in her sophomore class. Unfortunately, 2022 was not a banner year for the program. The team ended up 1-5, and did not make the MEC playoff field. By late Spring, the team was again on the search for a head coach. For Cooper and her team mates it was a time of uncertainty.
"It was a tough year for all of us on many fronts, but looking back at it, it really brought us together in many ways," Cooper said. "We did not know what to expect looking ahead to our next season, but we only had a few teammates leave the program. For the most part we had a veteran team for whoever our next coach was going to be.
That next coach became a star from the Pioneer past. Taylor Broadwater, a standout on some iconic GSU Acro teams from 2016-19, was named the new coach in the Summer of '22.
Results were immediate.
Glenville materialized a strong 5-3 regular season, and made it back to the MEC playoffs. There, they lost to eventual champion Frostburg in the semifinals.
"We had been through a lot, but we were committed to sticking together," Cooper said. "We could tell early on that year that things were going to be different…a lot better. Once we got into our season, we were competing with so much more confidence."
With a veteran team in 2024, Glenville again posted a strong playoff season. They enjoyed a 6-3 regular season, and moved from fourth up to third in the MEC standings. This included another trip to MEC Semifinals and the aforementioned two teams that made Nationals in individual events…including the Six-Element Acro that includes Cooper.
"Our Senior Night was very special this year," Cooper noted. "Our group has been through a lot, but we made it through everything together."
And with the end drawing near, there is much positive to reflect on. Three MEC Playoff appearances, and two trips to Nationals. This group includes Cooper, McKenzie Bathe, Sadie Eddins, Erin Finney, Madisyn Hahn, Abby McDermott, Taylor Oldaker, and Morgan Thomas.
A group that will live on in Pioneer History…the unit that restored the proud tradition under Coach Broadwater.
For Coach Broadwater, Cooper's leadership has been vital.
"Gillian is a veteran of the team whose dedication knows no bounds. With a tenure longer than anyone else, she sets the standard for excellence through her relentless pursuit of improvement," Broadwater said. "She holds herself to the highest standard, always striving to be better both on and off the mat. She is a steadfast support system for the team. Her compassion and loyalty shines through – even outside of her training. I am very proud of her dedication and leadership for this team and excited for her to finish her career on the National stage."
For Gillian Cooper, who is graduating on May 4th with a degree Exercise Science, she is excited to move on to her next life…the life beyond being a college student-athlete.
"I have really enjoyed the sport of Acrobatics & Tumbling, and I would love to get into the coaching aspect," Cooper said. "Over the next few months, I am going to be looking for some possible job opportunities in the sport. No matter where it all takes me, long term, I hope to land in West Virginia and end up near my family."
All in all, it has been an impressive journey for Gillian Cooper. The young lady from the small Lincoln County town of Yawkey that went on to become a collegiate star in the sport of Acrobatics & Tumbling.
