Painter heading to South Carolina to cheer
JEFFERSON TWP — Cheerleading has done plenty for Jenny Painter.
It's given the Knoch senior a feeling of team, introduced her to a number of new friends and enabled her to see different parts of the country.
Now it's provided her a college to further pursue her education and goals in the sport.
Painter recently accepted an offer to compete on the coed cheerleading squad at the University of South Carolina.
“There were 110 girls and boys at tryouts in April and they cut that number to 70,” Painter said. “That was a long three days, super stressful, but definitely rewarding.”
She has received an Academic Scholar Merit Award, an Athletic Department scholarship and a Jamey Elizabeth Collins Fund Spirit Scholarship from the university.
The latter goes to each of the top 13 girls in tryouts.
“I worked very hard on my academics in high school and it's nice to be rewarded for that,” Painter said.
Painter carried a 4.0 grade point average throughout her senior year and plans to major in mechanical engineering. She is joining a South Carolina coed squad that finished fourth at the National Cheerleading Association's Collegiate National Championships this year. The Gamecocks' all-girl squad placed second.
Erika Goodwin has been South Carolina's coed and all-girl cheerleading coach for 12 years. She has guided both squads to top-10 finishes at nationals in each of the past 11 seasons.
“This year is the best the program has ever done,” Painter said. “We (freshmen) report for practice at the end of July and the entire team has been practicing hard every day.
“I feel like I can be part of something big there, a potential championship team.”
Painter also tried out for and made the competitive cheering team at the University of Maryland this spring. She opted for South Carolina “because I loved the atmosphere there.”
She has been involved in cheerleading for only four years. While a member of the Knoch cheerleading unit during that time, the Knights do not offer competitive cheerleading.
Painter joined the FCA Gems program, based in Sarver, her freshman year and competed at the Cheerleading Worlds three times.
“Jenny has a very strong work ethic,” FCA Gems owner Flo Iman said. “She comes in here with a good attitude every day and that's half the battle.
“Our world team practiices three days per week, two hours a day, pretty much all year around. We take May off and the girls generally come around for tumbling practice during that time.”
Painter has been ahead of the game in that regard.
Gymnastics had been her sport of choice for 10 years. Competing out of the Trinity facility in Gibsonia, Painter got as high as Level 7.
“I grew out of it a little at that point,” she said of gymnastics. “Most of my friends had already left the sport. At Level 7, there were only two of us left.
“A few of those friends went into cheerleading and talked me into trying it. When I did, I fell in love with it. There were 30 girls there and we practiced together all the time. We became close friends.”But Painter's time in gymnastics wasn't wasted.“She came in here with a solid tumbling base and she picked up things much quicker,” Iman said. “She advanced in this sport very fast.”The FCA Gems have sent cheerleaders to Penn State, Louisville and Pitt, among other schools. Painter has taken part in national and world competitions in Dallas, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Orlando and other cities.“I was part of seven national championships in four years there,” Painter said. “At Worlds this year, we finished seventh among all of the U.S. schools. I'm pretty proud of that.”Now she's ready to expand her cheerleading career even further.“There are 13 guys and 13 girls on the coed team at South Carolina,” Painter said. “The stunts I watched them do in practice when I was down there were unbelievable.“It's definitely a whole new level.”Also a member of the Spanish Club and Photography Club at Knoch, Painter hopes to one day coach cheerleading to youths.“Through Knoch's program, I did a little of that this year with younger girls in the (school) district,” she said. “It was fun introducing them to a sport that has meant so much and done so much for me.“I would love to do that again.”
