Flying high in the air: Cheerleader Taylor Susie takes on her senior year
Casey Burton, Sports Editor
From teaching children by day, to cheering sideline at night, get a glimpse of superhero Taylor Susie’s senior year.
Taylor Susie, senior here at North Greenville University is a full-time cheerleader and student teacher. Susie’s full schedule keeps her busy for sure, but the passion for what she does is what keeps her going. She has been cheering since she was three; that is a total of 19 years cheering.
She started her love for cheer at a church cheer camp as a toddler and continued until she was old enough to try out in middle school. At this middle school try out, she made the Varsity high school cheer team for Blue Ridge High. She cheered there until she graduated.
After graduating high school, she wanted to keep cheering, so she attended a cheer clinic for the USC cheer team. There, she learned how toxic the cheer world can be, considering they would turn girls away if they weighed over a certain number. This experience led her to cheer at North Greenville because she knew that it would be a much more positive experience.
She has been cheering at NGU ever since and has loved it because of the positive environment. During her summers, she works for FCC (Fellowship of Christian Cheerleaders).
FCC is an organization that travels all across the United States to teach and coach other teams in cheer clinics while teaching young girls about Jesus.
At North Greenville, she has cheered during all her four years here, and although she graduates soon, she doesn’t plan on stopping the sport.
Her plans after graduation have been up in the air all year. She has been stuck between deciding if she wanted a teaching position close to her home in TR, or in Charleston near her long-distance boyfriend, Collin. “Every week has been a different decision”, she said.
But as of recently, she has decided a plan (for now). Her plan consists of her staying in TR to teach elementary school and be a cheer coach at her alma mater, Blue Ridge High School.
Susie said, “I thought I knew my plan, but I knew it was God calling me to stay home when I was offered the coaching job for my old high school. That was a dream come true and I took it as a sign to not move all the way to Charleston.”
She is super excited about her future. “Plus, while student teaching, I have built relationships with the kids and teachers at the school I’m currently at”, Susie said.
As for Collin, her long-distance boyfriend, they’re not planning on breaking up, they plan to keep doing long distance. She said that her parents did it for their first few years of being together, so she’s not scared of it not working out.
When asked about where God is leading her, she said, “I am trusting God with every detail about my future. In terms of Collin, the team I’m about to coach, and school I’m going to. It applies to everything; we are called to trust Him because I know His plan is way better than my own even when I don’t understand. Plus, I have moved schools to be closer to a boyfriend before. I did that for my ex…and lesson learned.”
“If God is calling you to do something don’t ignore it because you think you know better… because He knows best”, Taylor said to urge those who struggle with finding their path in life.
