COLUMBUS, Ohio — Northwest Ohio is generally split between the Buckeyes and Wolverines. But for one Toledo native and gymnast, the scarlet and gray was instilled in her from a young age.
St. Ursula Academy alum Cali Mitchey grew up watching college game day every Saturday, rooting for the Ohio State with her family.
Little did she know at the time, she would continue to do so at the next level.
“I saw that the cheerleaders were involved in this amazing game day atmosphere and I fell in love with it," Mitchey said. "And because of my gymnastics background it was an easy transition.”
Mitchey has been a gymnast since she was 2 years old. When starting her freshman year at St. Ursula Academy she joined the cheer team.
“Instantly when I joined the coaching staff here, Cali’s positive attitude, I was just drawn to," said Mitchey's former cheer coach, Devon Roeder. "She was always willing to help out with anything and always brought an extra bit of enthusiasm to the team."
Roeder added that there was no question she though Mitchey should pursue cheer in college, but from the beginning Mitchey was only open to cheering for one school.
"I saw Ohio State cheer on Instagram and I started stunting with some of the guys around here at the cheer combine," Mitchey said. "And then I signed myself up for some clinics and started showing up and just tagging them in all my videos and fell in love with it and felt at home immediately."
Ohio State cheer coach Ben Schreiber said when recruiting last season, he noticed not only Mitchey's strong tumbling skills, but how quickly she progressed with their routines and partner-stunting skills.
"I treat our team like any other varsity sport here at Ohio State, when we are recruiting athletes we are looking for people that not only have the skills that we need but are also going to buy into our culture," Schreiber said. "So Cali stood out with just her work ethic, how she was able to progress so quickly."
Mitchey's work ethic was mentioned in every conversation about her, as she put in all the work behind the scenes in order to make her dream a reality.
“I can speak for all coaches that when you are coaching you want your athletes to pursue the next level if that’s something that they’re interested in," said Roeder. "And with her she put in all the work and was able to get there, so seeing her at that next level is just so amazing to see her achieve her goals as an OSU cheerleader and we’re just really proud of her.”
Mitchey said she feels the same family bond in Columbus as in Toledo and looks forward to each next step that is to come-especially heading to Ann Arbor this weekend.
"I'm looking forward to Ohio State beating Michigan and I'm looking forward to the crowd being the crowd that it always is with high energy," she said. "I just hope to keep learning and growing as an athlete and working hard with the people I love, doing what I love."