From an early age, twins Paris and Brooke Shanabrough knew they were meant to compete in collegiate cheerleading. 

The Shanabrough twins began their cheerleading careers at the age of 5. From there, they competed competitively throughout their teenage years and attended the world championship competition from 2016 to 2020. Concurrently, the Shanabrough twins were also members of the Cumberland Valley Cheer team, a high school in Harrisburg, PA, known for its cheerleading program. 

“During our junior and senior years, we decided we wanted to go the collegiate cheer route (instead of the all-star route). So we wanted that Saturday games style, and that’s kind of why we decided on Penn State.”

Paris and Brooke auditioned for the Penn State Cheerleading squad in 2021 after attending several clinics throughout their senior year of high school. 

“It was very competitive because, when we first tried out, we were in the same position, so coming from high school, we were actually competing against each other, as well as other girls. But another thing was that we had to do interviews, and the head coach of the team asked me if I would put only you on the team and not your sister. ‘Do you want to continue with the program?’ And I said, ‘No, it’s both of us or none,’” said Paris.

Fortunately, out of the 300 girls in the room that auditioned that year, both Paris and Brooke made the team as bases. 

“The prior captain (from the Penn State Cheer Team in 2021) actually went to our high school back in the day, so she kind of knew of us. Throughout their tryout process, she was really helpful even though she wasn’t on the team anymore. Then we also still had girls that we had cheered with in the past from all-stars that were going to still be on the team. So, we kind of automatically kind of clicked with the team off the bat,” said Paris. 

Since joining the team, Paris and Brooke have traveled to UDA ESPN Nationals three times. During their junior year, they placed third in both Game Day and Traditional, highlighting a big accomplishment for the Penn State Cheerleading program. 

“This was a huge accomplishment during our junior year, and we’re hoping to do equal or better this coming January,” said Brooke.

During the 2025-2026 season, Paris and Brooke will each hold executive positions for their senior season. Paris is one of the All-Girl Senior Captains, and Brooke manages the Penn State Cheer Team Instagram. 

Paris is co-captain with two other teammates and is in charge of sending information to the team, as well as boosting morale during practice and on gameday. 

“I’ve always been a very vocal person. So like, the girls know that I’m a little bit more like the hard, strict one. But I definitely try to keep morale up. Sometimes when you get a compliment from me, you can be like, ‘Dang, I did good.’ So I am, like, most of the time I’m pretty strict, but overall, you really want your team to look as good as it possibly can before they hit the stage,” Paris said. 

When asked about what it’s like to have your sister as your captain, Brooke reiterated that she enjoys being the bridge between the captains and the team.

“It’s nice to have your sister as the captain, just because she comes to me as well, and like, I can talk to her from an athlete standpoint. (Also) It’s nice, because a lot of athletes feel more comfortable, maybe coming to me, and then I can come to her about it, just so they don’t have to go straight to their captain. I think our coach did that on purpose, just because he wanted that little mediator,” said Brooke. 

When asked about balancing their commitment as student athletes, between cheer and school, the Shanabrough twins both stated they love the busyness of the fall semester.

“We’re so used to coming from high school, like you went to class, you went to practice, and then you went home and did your homework. For us, it’s the same idea. It motivates me to do well in school as well, because you get scholarships if you maintain a certain GPA and stuff like that on the team,” said Brooke. 

Both Brooke and Paris hope to pursue careers in the medical field one day, so their academics are something they take great pride in doing well. 

Additionally, the Shanabrough twins always promised themselves that cheer would be fun. One way they accomplish that is by making TikToks on gameday. 

“TikTok, it’s one of our little outlets of extra little fun. And we encourage other athletes to do it too, because not everything has to be so cut and dry. We can actually have fun with it, especially on game days, because we have, like, the privilege of being there before everybody else. You can make it more fun,” said Paris. 

Paris and Brooke’s biggest piece of advice for any cheerleader who wants to join the Penn State Cheer Team is to work hard, have a positive attitude, and attend the cheer clinics.

“Coming to clinics is the easiest way to get a bid. The only way they’re going to give you a bid is if they see you. So coming to those is really helpful (since) a lot of girls try out. (All the girls) are amazing cheerleaders, but at the end of the day, besides skills, we need a smile and we need a good personality because that’s Penn State,” said Paris. 

To follow Paris and Brooke’s TikTok page, click below:

@brookieboo_psu