James is moved by the spirit in more ways than one
Pocahontas junior Abbey James helps lead cheers and praise for Jesus
Published: April 23, 2019
You’d think for a cheerleader as experienced as Abbey James, there wouldn’t be anything about the sport that fazes her anymore. A junior at Pocahontas High School, she’s been whipping up crowds on sidelines and wowing them at competitions since she was a fourth-grade tot.
But some things, she said, you just never get used to. Tryouts, for example, which are an annual fact of life even for a stalwart veteran such as herself.
“I swear it gets more nerve-wracking every year,” she said. “It’s just the fear of what if I’m not good enough to be on it this year.”
“I just love being on the team with such a close group of girls. I love cheering on the football boys and the basketball boys. I get to watch the game up-close and also it makes you feel a part of it when they win.”
Cheerleading is a sport that doesn’t get a lot of respect and few people outside of the athletes themselves or their families appreciate the amount of time and work that goes into it. For James, 16, the yearly routine of practice, competition, camps and games has been a labor of love. Even the injuries — and there are
Article source: https://www.arkansas-catholic.org/news/article/6015/James-is-moved-by-the-spirit-in-more-ways-than-one