The Weber State male cheerleading flyer challenging expectations

SALT LAKE CITY — For Kobe Cottingham, flying through the air isn't something to be afraid of. It's where he feels most at home. The Weber State cheerleader is redefining perceptions of the sport as one of the few male flyers in college cheerleading.

Cottingham said his love for cheerleading began almost as soon as he could walk.

"When I was, like, 3 years old, flipping was just something I would do," he said.

What started as a childhood hobby evolved into a collegiate athletic career.

"I think I saw cheerleading just as something that was fun. I did not think it would take me this far, but I never thought that I would be where I am today," Cottingham explained. "Not many people come out of where I'm from and do big things in sports."

He came across Weber State University on Instagram knew it was the school he wanted to go.

"People look up to Weber State so much. We set the standard," he said. "Once you make it to Daytona and you're around all those teams, they wanna watch everything that you're doing."

Cottingham emphasized that cheerleading is so much more than pompoms and yelling through a megaphone.

"It's physical, hard, demanding work," he said.

He explained that even though he faced criticism growing up, he still continued forward in the sport.

"I just knew it was my calling from God," Cottingham said. "When God tells you to do something, you take it, and I think that's is definitely the reason I am where I am today."

He said that for him, cheerleading is a free feeling.

"Getting to just go through and, like, throw your body through the air," he said. "I think that's just my peace, and I just love it."

This story originally aired on KSL TV and has been reformatted for a digital audience using artificial intelligence.