"Tiger pride"
By Scott Herpst
The 2005 Gordon Lee High
May 23, 2007
K.C. Jones has performed on the sidelines of numerous football games during her nearly 20 years as a cheerleader.
But it’s safe to say she’s never cheered in front of crowds as big or as loud as the ones she’ll cheer for this fall.
The 2005 Gordon Lee High School graduate recently was named to the cheerleading squad at Auburn University.
Jones is the third current or former Walker County cheerleader to make the squad at an Southeastern Conference school for this upcoming season.
Gordon Lee senior Allyson Quinn made the team at the University of Georgia for this upcoming fall while LaFayette senior Brett Scott will cheer for the Tennessee Volunteers next season.
Jones, who has cheered since the age of two, made the top 20 in tryouts last year as a sophomore before missing the cut.
She came back to make the squad on her second try after a series of tryouts that included technical skills, tumbling, fight songs, dance, cheers and an interview.
Auburn does not allow freshmen to tryout for the squad.
“Everyone says there’s a time and a reason for everything,” she said. “Now that I look back, I needed the time away to learn how to adapt to college and being away from home. It made it all the more sweeter this year and it made me more determined.”
Jones says Auburn reminds her of her hometown and that the traditions are what make Auburn so special. She says there are two in particular that she cannot wait to experience.
“I can’t wait for the Tiger Walk,” she beamed. “That and when the eagle flies into the stadium and we do our first run-out. I’m already getting goosebumps thinking about it, but I’m sure there will be a lot of tears as well. There’s a lot of pride that goes with it all.”
And if things continue to fall in place for Jones, her days on the football sidelines may not be over once her cheerleading days come to an end.
A communications major, Jones also works on the set of the Auburn football television show “Tiger Talk” featuring head football coach Tommy Tuberville. Jones does on-camera work as an interviewer and studio audience host on the show and some of the brass at ESPN has already taken notice.
As if all that isn’t enough to keep her busy, Jones is a member of the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority, where she holds two different offices, and she is a former member of the Student Government.
A Dean’s List student with a 3.3 GPA, Jones also is a volunteer coach with the Special Olympics cheerleading squad in the Auburn area.
The squad, made up of 14 members ages 5-36, are the current National Champions.
“It’s wild, but it’s a lot of fun,” she said. “I love hanging out with them and you can really be yourself around them.”
With so much going on, Jones says she tries to practice her first love whenever and wherever she can.
“I’ll just stand in front of a mirror in my room and practice or make my roommates watch me do it,” she said. “I just walk around (cheering) all the time, so I try to make time for it almost every day.”
While Jones looks forward to fall Saturday afternoons on the Plains, it will only be a small part of fulfilling her duties as an Auburn cheerleader.
“It’s not just cheering at football games,” she explained. “The Auburn cheerleaders are very involved with the community. I’ve done three appearances already, including going to Enterprise (Ala.) to help with recovery efforts from the tornado and that was rewarding.
“We also cheer at most all the sporting events, so it will be time-consuming, but a lot of fun too.”
But while Jones is anticipating performing in front of 90,000 crazed Tiger fans on game day, she is still thankful to have friends and supporters back in her small hometown.
“I know I couldn’t have done it without everyone around (Chickamauga),” she added. “The ones that didn’t make it to Auburn for the end of tryouts were calling and praying for me. They were really excited."
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