For Ava Skye Perrella, cheerleading wasn’t just a sport, it was a way for her to express herself and make an impact on the people around her. The Pop Warner program was lucky to have a bubbly person like Ava, who always put smiles on people’s faces around her, until her untimely death at age 10
Ava was born May 30, 2012 into a beautiful, kind family with loving parents, James and Gail Perrella. She was born with Down syndrome and had to have open heart surgery at 15 months old, but she still lived an extraordinary life in a short period of time. She achieved great things during her lifetime, including being crowned Connecticut’s Little Miss Rising Star in the Miss CT organization and appearing on a billboard in Times Square for NYC Buddy Walk Day.
Unfortunately, her life was cut short at only ten years old on June 6, 2022 after a brief illness.
In a relatively short amount of time, Ava managed to touch everyone she came across. Her legacy continues to live through them.
James Perrella, Ava’s dad, described Ava as “a smart, sweet, sassy, vibrant and compassionate girl, who had the most kind heart.”
Ava made an impact on her community and the world..Her former Challenger coach and babysitter, Abby Woodward, states, “My role was to be there to guide and teach her, but I think she taught me more than she would ever know.”
Ava taught those around her to love harder, care less about silly things and embrace the positive in any situation.
“Ava as a person could be described as vibrant, loving, hardworking and fierce. She never met a challenge that she couldn’t face.” Woodward states.
She loved the simple things in life like dance parties, fashion shows, pretend camping trips and making YouTube vlogs on her Chromebook.
Cheerleading became one of her favorite activities early on. Her family learned about a division of Pop Warner created for special athletes, and signed her when she was six years old. “The mission of the Pop Warner Challenger division is to bring the Pop Warner experience to those special needs individuals,” states the Pop Warner Little Scholars website.
The Challenger division is a great way to expand the lively cheering experience to more youngsters. It has always been viewed as a great program with the ability to include everyone in the excitement of cheerleading, but Ava was the missing piece of the puzzle that made the program that much better.
“Individuals with Down syndrome often are challenged with processing time. It doesn’t mean they can’t learn, complete a task or remember a routine, but it just happens at their pace,” Perrella states.
But Ava was extremely driven in and out of practices to make sure she could do her routines to the beat they were supposed to be. She worked extremely hard to complete the routine the way it was given to her instead of doing it at her own pace.
The routines Ava did forced her to overcome the challenge of transitions and sudden change, which were two of her biggest struggles during this time.
Perrella states, “Cheerleading helped her confidence and gave her a sense of swag. Most importantly, I think cheerleading gave Ava a sense of just being a typical girl.”
Being on the Challenger team helped Ava positively overcome her sensory issues and provided her a constant flow of routine practice and consistency.
“I would say Ava had a huge impact on the Challenger team. She had a special way of bringing the group of girls together and always making everyone smile,” Woodward states
Ava showed the other girls, coaches and community that finding joy in a passion is important. She always loved cheerleading. In her free time, she would practice her cheers. She also loved stunting with her teammates and coaches.
The team gave Ava an outlet for her passion for cheerleading, and as a result, she changed lives.
Ava thrived in a loud, cheer-filled gymnasium, especially when she had the opportunity to cheer in front of thousands at local cheer exhibitions and competitions.
According to the CDC, Down syndrome occurs in one in 640 babies, but Down syndrome did not define Ava: her love for others, compassion and kindness were how people will remember her.
Perrella states, “Like all people, individuals with Down syndrome face the same emotions of happiness, sadness and all the rest. So Ava had good and bad days like anyone else; she was more alike than different.”
Ava, just like anyone else, had ups and downs, but cheer helped her overcome some of those bad days, learning to trust those around her, learning the concepts of a team, communicating with her peers, and letting go of some of her stubbornness, which helped her on and off the mat.
“It was always super fun to be silly with her and cheer with her,” states Charlotte Mackell, one of Ava’s coaches.
Ava, although facing many battles, never failed to energize the space. She gave the Milford Challenger team a deeper meaning and proved its vital role in the community. She left behind a warmth that could be felt long after she was gone. Her fierce smile was never forgotten.
