Wednesday, September 14, 2005
"I Had the Best Seats in the House"
The Gallatin News Examiner is profiling the three local women who are all Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders. First up Ethan Greer tells the story of Titans Cheerleader Kerry Arrington.
You could say that cheerleading just comes naturally to Kerry Arrington.
After all, Arrington has been around the sport all of her life. Her start in cheerleading came while she was a student at Beech High School, then took her to Murfreesboro as a cheerleader for the MTSU Blue Raiders. What once was just something that she enjoyed turned into a career.
Today she works for Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA), the organization she spend competing for growing up. If you are a cheerleader you know about UCA. It is considered the top cheerleading company in the country.
Oh, and by the way, she is entering her second year as an NFL cheerleader for the Tennessee Titans.
The road to the Coliseum on Sunday afternoons was quite a journey for the Hendersonville resident. Arrington graduated from Beech in 1997. While a Lady Buccaneer, Arrington was very involved. She played tennis her freshman and sophomore year, but soon realized her passion was for cheerleading.
Her senior year, Arrington was the captain of the cheerleading squad and she helped lead the team to the National Championship at the WCA Nationals. It was the first time a cheerleading squad from Beech had ever won a National Championship. She capped off her senior year by being named the Homecoming Queen and also Mrs. BHS.
After graduating from Beech, Arrington went to MTSU. There she cheered for both the football and basketball teams. She majored in Marketing and Business Education and also cheered for present Titan wide receiver Tyrone Calico.
The next stop for Arrington was at HHS, where she taught Marketing. The next year she went to Gallatin, where she taught Marketing and also cheerleading.
After just one year in Gallatin, Arrington went back to HHS, where she stayed for three years. Yet again she taught marketing, but got involved with the freshman cheerleading squads for a year and then varsity for two years.
"It was just a natural transition," Arrington said. "Gallatin and then HHS saw that I had a lot of experience in cheerleading so it worked out. Cheerleading was of course something that I loved and to get the opportunity to teach that to others was something that I couldn't pass up."
Throughout high school and college Arrington had worked hand in hand with UCA.
She was an instructor out of high school and worked every summer for the company. For five straight summers she traveled around visiting different camps.
"Teaching cheerleading is just in my blood," Arrington said with a smile. "When I was at HHS my first year and not helping with cheerleading was very hard on me. It was hard even to go to a pep rally because I wanted to be out there helping or doing something with the choreography."
Luckily for Arrington and for the HHS cheerleaders she was able to help out. With the program already nationally ranked under the direction of Betty West, Arrington helped continue their dominance and added another national championship to their impressive resume.
After three years as the cheerleading coach, Arrington left HHS and decided to work full time with UCA as the territory manager for the State of Tennessee. Every camp and every competition that takes place in Tennessee, Arrington has a hand in it and makes sure that it runs smoothly.
She also hires the staff that help run UCA. "It is just a perfect fit," Arrington said. "I do miss teaching, but I still get to work with the girls and that is what I love."
The opportunity for Arrington to be an NFL cheerleader actually came around a second time. When the Titans came to Nashville in 1999, Arrington knew that she wanted to be a part of the cheerleading squad.
"When the Titans first came here I really wanted to cheer for them," Arrington said. "But I was really involved on campus and had a job and was just so busy with college life. I just loved being in school and knew that it wasn't the right time for me with everything going on."
The right time for Arrington came before the 2004 season. Arrington tried out for the team and was one of 400 people with dreams of being on the sidelines for the 2004 season.
"Trying out for the Titans was probably harder than any other tryout I have ever been to," Arrington said. "It was just so different and there were so many talented girls there trying out."
After six weeks of tryouts and cuts her dream was finally realized when she saw her name on the final roster.
"It was a dream come true to say the least," said Arrington. "It was like a building had been lifted off of my shoulder. I felt just as qualified as everyone else, but I just did my best and let the rest take care of itself."
Arrington made the squad and had a great first year. Even though the team won just five games last season, the Beech alum still loved every minute of it.
"I couldn't believe I was on the field," Arrington said. "It was just an awesome feeling. I had the best seats in the house. My favorite game last year was the Colts game. I also enjoyed the Monday night game as well, even though it was very cold."
Arrington is back again for her second year as a Titans cheerleader. Even though 2005 is expected to be a rebuilding year for the team, that will not stop Arrington from cheering her favorite pro football team on.
"Most people are not expecting us to be very good, but I am going to stay positive," added Arrington. "We have a lot of young and new players, and hopefully we can get closer to be back up where we were a few years ago."
So from cheering her Bucs to victories on Friday nights to rooting the Titans on Sunday, cheerleading has always been a big part of Arrington's life. Six days a week she is involved in the sport that she loves the most. No wonder she is one of the most decorated and talented cheerleaders to ever come out of Hendersonville.
Look for her on Sunday against the Ravens and at every other home game. Even if the team may be behind on the scoreboard, Arrington will be cheering with a smile, just like she has since high school.
Labels: Bucs
