If you’ve ever been to a Maryland sporting event you’ve definitely seen the Maryland cheerleaders. These ladies are amazing athletes who practice hard to entertain the crowd. They make their high-risk stunts look easy.
There is no off-season for these ladies, as they represent our school all year. But with all the exposure, they’re not nearly as recognizable as other athletes on campus. So I caught up with cheerleader McKenzie Figur, a sophomore Bioengineering major from Morris Plains, News Jersey, to get to know the girl behind the bow.
On why she chose Maryland
One reason was that it was far enough from home, but not too far.
“They also have a strong engineering program here. I also wanted to go to a big school, so Maryland was perfect. I really loved how it had the college feel with the gorgeous campus, Big 10 sports and so many activities to choose from.
Our mascot also played a role.
“I used to love turtles so having a Terrapin as a mascot was pretty cool.”
What she loves about cheerleading
Naturally, the former level 8, state title holding, gymnast loves tumbling. In cheerleading, she’s a flyer, the girl that you see flying in the air.
“My favorite part of being a flyer is when we get to do flips in stunts and into stunts, because it reminds me so much of gymnastics and what I used to do. The best part of flipping is feeling like I’m flying. I also love being top girl on pyramids because I feel so tall, which is awesome for me because I am so short.”
And spending time with her teammates isn’t half bad either.
“I love cheer because my teammates are my best friends.”
Her Favorite Part of Game day
“My favorite part of game day has to be when the crowd is really excited. Nothing beats sharing my excitement with the team and the fans. I love kickoff because everyone is so hyped that it makes cheering a ton of fun.”
And a Fun Fact
“I spent the last cheer season cheering with half the ligaments of a normal ankle and I had surgery in January to fix it. Now I have a plastic ligament. “
3 things she can’t live without.
“I cant live without my friends and family, cookies and bread.”