It's a good thing Izzy Zellers doesn't get stage fright. On New Year's Day, the Donegal High School sophomore cheered in front of thousands of people in Camping World Stadium for the 2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, a matchup between the top teams from the Southeastern and Big Ten college football conferences.

Izzy participated as part of UCA All-American, a squad of cheerleaders from all over the country.

She was one of four members of her school team to try out for the squad, and while another girl also earned a spot, she decided not to participate further, so Izzy made the trip to Orlando, Fla., knowing no one on the team.

"I'm not good with talking to new people, so I really had to push myself," she said. "I had to really force myself just to meet other people."

She's proud of herself for stepping out of her comfort zone and making new friends, including a group of students from Tennessee.

On the field, she can be found "flying" with her squad - doing elaborate jumps and sailing through the air, stunts that often scare her parents, Gabe and Shannon Zellers of Marietta.

At the Citrus Bowl, however, she stayed on the ground, performing a pregame and a halftime routine among the 780 students selected for the team.

"I can be loud when I'm cheering," said Izzy, who cheers with Donegal's team for fall and winter sports. "My personality in cheer is actually way different than my actual personality."

Izzy traveled to Florida with her parents a few days before the Monday afternoon game to spend time with her grandparents, who live in Tampa. Once she joined her All-American teammates, the students had opportunities to visit Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure before getting down to business.

"The team got to practice on Friday night and Sunday morning," Izzy said, "but we used a practice field. We didn't get on the actual field until we performed."

She received a video about a week before her trip to learn the three dance routines for the pregame show, but the group learned the halftime routine, a dance performed while Gavin DeGraw sang live, once arriving in Orlando.

"I thought everything went very well for not having much time to learn the routines," Izzy said. "I was worried about the pregame, because the dances were harder than the halftime one."

Luckily, however, she was in her element. "I love performing in front of people," she shared. "I do well under pressure. That's where I perform the best."

She also enjoyed watching her first college football game in person, as the Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 35 to 0.

Izzy has been cheering for 10 years, and she hopes to continue the sport in college. She's considering a career as a veterinarian, but she's also weighing other options. When she's not cheering, she loves to read and go to the beach.

She's also hoping to try out for the All-American squad again, and she's encouraging more of her own team to try out as well.

"I just want to say how honored I was to be able to represent Donegal High School," she said. "It was a really fun experience."