Meet the Writers: Not Your Average Teen--Courtney Dickinson, Cheerleader

Courtney Dickinson is NOT your average teenager. This reporter was fortunate enough to have the chance to sit down with her to discuss one of her favorite things: cheerleading.

Courtney is 16 years old and lives with her family in Galena, Ohio. However, she was born in Virginia. She attends Grace Brethren Church. She told me that she would “love to go to Europe on senior trip.” The reasoning behind this: “I have family in England and I have always wanted to backpack in Europe.” Courtney’s a family consists of herself; her brother Ryan; her sister Rachael; her dog Pepper; and her mom and dad.

After I learned about her family, she told me about what her likes and dislikes are. She loves “any pasta” She also loves to hang out with her friends; Courtney then mentioned that her friends are her favorite aspect of school. After we covered the basics, we dove into the real story: cheerleading.

Courtney first took interest in cheerleading in her “fourth grade cheer squad.” She has been cheering ever since. I also learned that she cheered at three other schools prior to coming to join the Warriors. Courtney is on the JV cheerleading squad this year.

She also told me that it can be competitive but overall is about the fun. She also described the nerves that inevitably come with the start of the season, “being in front of people when the season starts is nerve-wracking.”

We next discussed what she thought of cheerleading in general. Her favorite aspect of it is “hanging out with friends” she went on to tell me that cheerleading is, overall, about having a good time with people to who, you are close. I asked her whether she might want to cheer later in life, and sight chuckle accompanied her answer: “No. I’m done after High School.”

Courtney and I also discussed her cheerleading beyond the walls of WCHS. She told me that she used to do “competitive cheering” with Ameri-Cheer, but that is a thing of the past. Towards the end of the interview, we went back to talking about general aspects of her life. She told me about how she drives to school now and she really enjoys it.

I hope that you can see that Courtney Dickinson is NOT your average teenager. She is not even your average cheerleader: she is a very interesting and fun person to know.