There are those who would debate the notion that competitive cheer is a “sport” on par with the likes of football, wrestling, tennis, etc. Regardless of the answer, Brooke Signorella knows without a doubt where she gets her athleticism.

From 13 years in competitive cheer.

“I was flipping my body. I was working out every single day,” said the Highlands grad who is a freshman at DeSales in Center Valley, Pa. “I 100% get all my athleticism from competitive cheer. … I used to jump with weights on my body.”

And when felt she had reached her ceiling in competitive cheer, she looked for something else to fill her time. So in high school, she turned to volleyball and track and field, sports where her jumping ability — and 5-foot-10 frame — would come in handy.

Despite her late start in both sports, she was able to get college attention and chose DeSales, which was willing to allow her to do double duty.

Signorella, though, admitted she was hesitant at first. She had other friends who tried to do two sports in college but found it too difficult.

“But now that I’m doing both, I’m glad I’m doing both,” she said. “I love having practice because it gives me a sense of freedom from school work.”

While the seasons don’t overlap, there are times she does work for both sports in the same day: She might have a positional workout for volleyball then lift for volleyball then go to track practice. Or, as is the case in the winter, she might do sport-specific lifting for each and have track practice in between.

Track and field is wrapping up its indoor season. The Middle Atlantic Conference indoor championships occurred over the weekend, and Signorella went in with the MAC’s fourth-best mark in the triple jump, seventh in the 60-meter dash, ninth in the high jump and 15th in the long jump.

Once outdoor season begins March 22, she likely will compete in the 100, 400 relay and all three jumps.

“She has huge capability if she continues to put the hard work in, to put the mindset in,” said DeSales jumps coach Fallon Heddings. “There’s a lot of raw talent.

“I think triple jump, she has the most room to improve in that event, and she’s got the build to be a national-caliber athlete when we put a little bit more muscle mass on her and she puts the work into the event as well.”

While track and field remains in progress, Signorella was able to look back on her first season of college volleyball with satisfaction. She played in 29 of the Bulldogs’ 31 matches (starting 27) and ranked second in the team in total kills (221) and kills per set (2.19) while also contributing 37 total blocks and 12 aces.

“We had the intent of her contributing right away,” said coach Michele Zabinski, who has been at the helm of the women’s volleyball team since 2005. “We graduated a very large class, and post-covid recruiting wasn’t the easiest thing on the planet, especially at a small, D-III school.

“My couple classes I had underneath the senior class weren’t very heavy in numbers, so we were looking for a freshman class this year that was going to be impactful and be able to play right away.”

Besides Signorella’s athleticism and ability to deliver booming spikes, Zabinski valued her competitive fire. That, she said, was another trait the freshmen were going to have to display quickly in the absence of a large group of upperclassmen.

“We wanted to bring that energy to the court,” Zabinski said. “We had only three seniors this year … so they (underclassmen) had to garner the energy amongst themselves as younger players.”

Added Signorella: “I’m a very calm person in the school environment, but on the court, I try to be everyone’s hype man. … I try to keep everyone encouraged.”

Zabinski is encouraged by Signorella’s potential. She didn’t take up volleyball until her sophomore year of high school, and she didn’t play club volleyball until her junior year.

With more experience and coaching, Zabinski said, Signorella has a high ceiling. The biggest adjustment has been teaching her to vary her kill attempts.

“This season, she was either going to put a dent in the floor, or she was going to hit the ball 30 feet out of bounds,” Zabinski said.

Though she ranked high on the team in kills and kills per set, Signorella hit only .078. As she develops a wider array of shots, her hitting percentage will improve.

“Opening up the mental side of the game for her, opening up her court vision, putting more tricks in her bag, you’re going to see her hitting percentage skyrocket,” Zabinski said.

Added Signorella: “I’ve always been known for hitting the ball super hard because that’s what my dad helped me with. So I learned how to do roll shots, I learned how to tip, I learned how to ‘throw’ the ball to the deep corner and getting points off that instead of slamming the ball down.”

All in all, Signorella said, she was encouraged by her freshman volleyball season. What gives her the biggest reason for optimism — in both sports — is she knows she is still relatively raw.

But while she said she cuts herself some slack if a practice or match isn’t going the way she wants, there are moments of frustration. She wants to earn MAC weekly awards. She wants to earn all-conference recognition.

Like her athletic ability, the “competitive” side of her competitive cheer background sticks with her.

“These sports test your physical capability,” she said. “But in cheer, I hit my max. I couldn’t do it anymore. I feel like in volleyball and track, I know if I’m tired, I know I can still compete.”

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