ITG-CV / September 2016
She has been involved with cheering since the age of four, but when Jordan Vocational High School junior Ty’tiana Morris made the transition to cheering on a varsity spirit team for football season, there was a bit of a learning curve.
“My first game was so exciting, and I was kind of nervous,” Morris said with a smile. “I got a little confused in the beginning because our backs are turned away from the game. You can’t tell which way the ball is going sometimes, and I also got confused the first time the fight song was played, but I got the hang of it pretty quick.”
The 5’3” cheerleader confesses she has always loved dance and being active, which led her mother to sign Morris up at a local cheer gym at such a young age. She thrived in the program. Later she cheered at Double Churches Middle School. She enjoyed that experience so much that she decided to try out for the spirit cheer squad when she enrolled as a freshman at Jordan.
The try-outs consisted of five days of practicing cheers and chants, showing off tumbling skills, and picking up dance sequences while also learning the Jordan Red Jackets fight song. At the end of the week, judges selected Morris as one of the athletes to make the varsity team.
Jordan’s spirit cheer squad is sponsored by Rebekah Atkinson, a social studies teacher at the school. Atkinson was the assistant coach for a few years before she took over the helm of the program a year ago. Now in her second year as head coach, Atkinson values Morris’ abilities as a cheer athlete and has seen the junior make strides in the program.
“Ty has many strengths that make her an amazing spirit cheerleader,” Atkinson said. “She has passion and drive that inspires her fellow cheerleaders and gets the crowd pumped. Her tumbling and stunt work continue to improve every year.”
Morris cheers for Jordan during both football and basketball seasons. She is also a member of the Red Jackets’ volleyball team. Although she had never played the sport until she came to Jordan, Morris has fallen in love with the game and hopes to find a college where she can continue to play after high school. Admittedly, she isn’t as tall as most of her teammates and the opponents she faces, but Morris focuses more on her strengths than what could be perceived as a weakness.
“I am a really deep server,” Morris said. “I may look small, but I have a lot of strength, have a lot of power, when I serve.”
Confidence in her abilities comes through when Morris talks about the sports she loves. While talented in athletics, Morris is a good fit for team sports. She strives to improve for her teams’ sakes and promotes excellence as a goal for her teammates.
Being a part of the football cheer squad and a member of the Lady Red Jackets volleyball team makes for a hectic schedule in the fall. Sometimes her two passions collide, and a decision has to be made.
“I take my schedule and put all the practices, games, and matches on it,” Morris said. “Occasionally, there will be a volleyball game when I have cheer practice, or sometimes football games and volleyball games are scheduled on the same day but at different times. I choose which I feel like is the most important at the time and talk it over with my coaches. They work with me, and so far, it has worked out.”
Add to that busy schedule working to maintain a 3.5 GPA, which she knows she needs to be in the running for college scholarships. As if that was not enough to keep the 16-year-old constantly on the go, she also has a part-time job working at a local fast food restaurant. It’s an active life, but Morris said she prefers it that way.
This fall Morris is beyond excited about football season. She and the 15 other cheerleaders on the Jordan team are cheering for the Red Jackets at all the home games and hopefully a few of the away games. The experience of cheering on the sidelines in a big stadium under the lights is special to Morris.
“It’s hard to describe it,” Morris said, smiling. “There is just a feeling when you get out there and you are in charge of keeping the team fired up. The people in the stands and the band, too. It’s just different, and you can’t get that anywhere else. I am really proud to be a Jordan cheerleader.”
ITG Web Content
Cheering For The Home Team
By Beth Welch
Photos by Jerry Christenson
