Rather than being one voice in a crowd over 100,00 at University of Michigan football games, recent Clarkston graduate Sarah will help lead the chants this fall as a member of the cheerleading team.
‘I’m excited for the first football game. I just want to run out into the big house,? said Jennett.
To make the team, Jennett attended two tryout camps on April 17 and 23 and was invited back for a final screening on April 24 in front of a panel of judges.
‘I was pretty confident I could make the team,? said Jennett. ‘I’ve always wanted to cheer in college.?
When Jennett returned home, she felt that checking the U of M cheer team’s Web site every five minutes was not the way to go; however, her mother, Jodi, could not keep away from the computer.
‘My mom came downstairs and said ‘You need to go look at the Web site,?? said Jennett. ‘It took awhile to realize I was actually a college cheerleader.?
For Jennett, being named to the U of M cheer team is the culmination of years of hard work and training. She started in gymnastics in Kentucky when she was seven and branched into cheerleading around that time as well. When Jennett was nine, she moved to Indiana and was part of a high school age cheerleading competition team.
Jennett moved to Clarkston before the start of her ninth grade year after cheering for three years on her Indiana middle school’s cheer team.
‘My biggest influence was (Clarkston cheer) coach Chandra Price. She really prepared and motivated me to try to reach the next level. She helped me find out what I needed to do to reach it,? said Jennett.
Some of Jennett’s fondest memories come from the past year on the Clarkston varsity cheer team ? which qualified for the MCCA state finals for the third year in a row in 2005.
‘This year was my favorite year by far,? said Jennett, who particularly relished her friendship with the eight other seniors on the team.
‘We didn’t have high expectations going into regionals this year. We hadn’t been doing well in practice, but at regionals we had a flawless routine,? said Jennett.
Jennett making the cheer team at U of M is icing on the cake as she was accepted at the school thanks to a 3.92 GPA. Her aspirations are to pursue a course track in pre-med while possibly majoring in Spanish as well.
According to Jennett, her father, Tom; mother; brother, Craig; and sister, Kelsey are looking forward to her debut in maize and blue.
‘Because I’m going there, they are converted U of M fans,? said Jennett.