National champion
Bethel Park teen excels on big stage
Though only a freshman at Long Island University, Chela Miller already has earned the title of national champion.
The 2025 graduate of Bethel Park High School and her teammates captured first place in the Division I Spirit Gameday National Championship Jan. 16-18 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla.
The win was special for the teen who admittedly suffers from anxiety, depression and a learning disability.
“The UCA College National Championship was the time of my life,” Miller said recently. “I chose to try out at Long Island University’s cheer program knowing their history of winning at (Universal Cheerleading Association) College Nationals in the Spirit Program Gameday Division. You can imagine my excitement when I made the team.”
Winning the national championship is nothing new for Long Island. This marked the fourth straight year that the Shark Nation Spirit Squad won the title.
Miller, 19, started taking part in competitive cheer as a freshman in high school, but has been competing in baton twirling and poms since elementary school. She also has a background in gymnastics and dance.
“I enjoy the excitement that cheer competing alongside the dance team brings to the floor,” she said. “The energy on the mat is intense. You are surrounded by teammates who all have the same goal – to come home with the national title.”
While a student at Bethel Park High School, Miller made history as the first athlete to simultaneously participate as both a cheerleader and a majorette.
It was important for her to be involved in both for several reasons, chief among them her mental health.
“Staying active through physical activity is the best medicine for my anxiety and depression,” Miller said. “These activities allowed me to focus on achievable goals, since academics weren’t always a strong point for me and I found the school day very stressful. Being a multi-sport athlete is beneficial for skill sets and coordination, puts you at less risk for injury, and produces a well-rounded athletic personality.”
Being a cheerleader and majorette paved the way for six other Bethel Park students to do the same, including Chela’s younger sister Lyla.
“I was often asked which activity I would be giving up, and it was reiterated to me that doing both would be impossible,” Miller said. “To know me is to know I love a challenge, so I accepted it. I was met with some negativity, but the outweighing positivity took over. Truthfully, it came easy.”
In addition to her latest victory as a collegiate champion, Miller holds multiple state and regional titles in individual baton twirling as well as several national team championships.
“This is the most difficult thing I’ve had to explain, that someone who suffers from anxiety can perform in front of a large crowd,” Miller said. “For me, performing just comes naturally. The best way to describe how I feel when I’m performing in front of people would be in ‘flow.’ I’m confident. I’m where I’m meant to be, my mind and body are in the zone.”
The dean’s list student is also excelling in the classroom.
“Making the dean’s list with my learning disability was a big accomplishment for me,” Miller said, adding that the school provides a success coach, which has helped her considerably. “This has been a tremendous support, being a learning-disabled student and athlete. My professors have a really great understanding of learning disabilities and have been very helpful. I still have the same amount of work, just a little more guidance to process what they are asking for. It really helped build my confidence in academics.”
The sports management major was cheer captain for each of her four years in high school and hopes to someday get into coaching.
“I love building up my fellow athletes,” Miller said. “For me, especially with my learning disabilities, details matter. That’s where the management aspect will come into play. I see my sister and I doing something in cheer and twirling in our adult lives. It’s who we are.”