Kollin Cockrell, known as "The Rhino," set a Pro Cheer League record with 68 pop-overs in 45 seconds, earning him MVP honors. Now competing with Miami Metal and on the Utah Jazz Stunt Team, the Idaho native's path to professional cheerleading was anything but traditional.
Cockrell specializes in partner stunting, where one athlete lifts and throws the "flyer." During his record-breaking run, he said the moment took on a life of its own.
WATCH: How 'The Rhino' is breaking records and stereotypes
"I started going, and then, honestly, my mind just went blank. I went to a zen, and I just kept on going, and I couldn't hear the music, I couldn't hear the crowd," Cockrell said. "I was just gonna go until the buzzer ran out and broke my own record with 68, and nobody has come close since then.”
Before cheerleading, Cockrell was a high school weightlifting champion from Salmon, Idaho. He won the Junior Olympics and trained at LSU Shreveport with his sights set on the 2016 Olympics until an injury redirected his path.
"When it came to the main goal of the 2016 Olympics, I got injured in 2015, and honestly, that's kind of like what kick-started my career [in] cheerleading," recounted Cockrell.
He later transferred to Boise State University to continue weightlifting, where an invitation from a cheerleader led him to attend an open gym.
"I just thought, like, what am I doing giving up being an Olympian to become a cheerleader?" added Cockrell.
He continued his college career by transferring again, this time to Weber State University, where his cheer career began to take shape. He joined the team and later competed with Team USA Cheer.
Beyond breaking records, Cockrell said he wants to break stereotypes about men in the sport.
“They need to get out of the persona that cheerleading is like girly, feminine, and just kind of pom poms dancing— it is not,” Cockrell said. “Cheerleaders are the most mentally tough people I've ever met."
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Through the highs and lows of his career, Cockrell said his family, especially his mother, Melinda, kept him grounded.
"She's always been the one that has like pushed me and also just never gave up on me during the highs and lows," Cockrell said.
Cockrell will next take his talents on the road, training and coaching internationally, with his first stop in Chile.
