Drexel student balancing ROTC, NFL cheerleading
Brett Fischer
Issue date: 2/8/08 Section: Sports
Amy Mecca, a recent Drexel graduate in nursing, is also an Eagles cheerleader. Together, Mecca and Washburn did an event at the Drexel 7-Eleven signing autographs and taking pictures with fans and friends.
Washburn has made such a positive impression in the Eagles organization that that her picture was used on the main page of the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleading web site for three months.
"It's amazing [to be an Eagles cheerleader]. It's the best job you can possibly have in college. You get to do so much with the community and you get to be a celebrity. Cheering at the games is by far the best part, in front of 67,000 crazy Eagles fans."
While proud of her accomplishments with the Eagles thus far, Washburn wants spectators to understand that there is more to being a cheerleader than just looking pretty.
"We are eye candy, but every woman on that team has a full-time career or [is a] full-time student and we're all amazing well-rounded women," Washburn said. "We put in long hours with our dancing and long hours for the community and we're a lot more than just a pretty face."
Despite stereotypes that have been made about cheerleaders, Washburn's true passion is with ROTC.
She is in her second year and is an MS2; her department is aligned with the army and she is on a Ranger Challenge team, the elite of the group, with 10 other men.
Washburn said people have to try out for the team by doing physical things such as grenade throwing and rifle marksmanship.
There are about seven girls out of 100 in ROTC.
"The officers that train us try to impress upon us that it doesn't matter whether you're male or female; it just matters the type of leader you're going to be," Washburn said.
But she was the only girl and the youngest member on the Ranger Challenge team.
"When I came out for the Ranger Challenge team the first year, people looked at me thinking, 'What is this girl doing?'" Washburn said. "Like any job, as soon as I started to prove myself, they started accepting me for the quality job I was doing."
Washburn has made such a positive impression in the Eagles organization that that her picture was used on the main page of the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleading web site for three months.
"It's amazing [to be an Eagles cheerleader]. It's the best job you can possibly have in college. You get to do so much with the community and you get to be a celebrity. Cheering at the games is by far the best part, in front of 67,000 crazy Eagles fans."
While proud of her accomplishments with the Eagles thus far, Washburn wants spectators to understand that there is more to being a cheerleader than just looking pretty.
"We are eye candy, but every woman on that team has a full-time career or [is a] full-time student and we're all amazing well-rounded women," Washburn said. "We put in long hours with our dancing and long hours for the community and we're a lot more than just a pretty face."
Despite stereotypes that have been made about cheerleaders, Washburn's true passion is with ROTC.
She is in her second year and is an MS2; her department is aligned with the army and she is on a Ranger Challenge team, the elite of the group, with 10 other men.
Washburn said people have to try out for the team by doing physical things such as grenade throwing and rifle marksmanship.
There are about seven girls out of 100 in ROTC.
"The officers that train us try to impress upon us that it doesn't matter whether you're male or female; it just matters the type of leader you're going to be," Washburn said.
But she was the only girl and the youngest member on the Ranger Challenge team.
"When I came out for the Ranger Challenge team the first year, people looked at me thinking, 'What is this girl doing?'" Washburn said. "Like any job, as soon as I started to prove myself, they started accepting me for the quality job I was doing."
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
dhg
posted 3/09/09 @ 2:46 PM EST
Land navigation is not a "one-roped bridge." Those are two separate events.
Post a Comment