By Natalie Rentzel

Staff Writer

It’s a brisk early Saturday morning, Megan Lowe stands beside the large purple mat as she and the Red Lion Coed Cheer prepares to perform at their first showcase of the season.

The Fitzkee Center is filled with rowdy supporters and the energy captivates the team.

They all huddle up and people inflict positive and motivational thoughts onto their teammates.

Red Lion Coed is announced and the team runs to take their place on the mat.

As nerves begin to settle in, senior Megan Lowe is not nervous because she has been doing this since she was 5 years old. To her it’s a routine that she’s become very familiar with.

As the music begins and the routine endures, Lowe charms the audience with her bubbly personality and proud smile. This spirit, while she performs, has created a drive for cheerleading that has lasted for the past 13 years of her life.

Lowe credits cheerleading for shaping her into the person she is today.

“Teamwork, pushing through the hard times and using them to get better, [while] never giving up” is the mindset Lowe follows.

The teammates and coaches Lowe has worked with, throughout her cheerleading career has helped her in her life outside of her sport.

One coach, named Shea Meyers, she had during her sophomore and junior year season at Cheer Tyme, has impacted not just her cheer career but her personal life as well.

“He saw the good in everybody and taught me to as well,” Lowe said.“His saying ‘Just be nice bro’ has stuck with me.”

Her teammates take note of the enthusiasm Lowe brings to the team.

“Megan contributes so much confidence and difficult skills to the cheer team, she always likes doing more than [the coaches] ask,” teammate Chloe Warner said. “[She] brings a lot of laughter and fun to the team.”

She is not done with cheerleading anytime soon, as she plans to cheer at the collegiate level.

Lowe plans to try out for the cheer team at Pennsylvania State University in the upcoming year.

After her acceptance into the University, she decided to work as hard as she can to hopefully secure a spot on the Penn State Cheer Team. In hopes of following through with her childhood dream of cheering in college.