Hard work pays off for future KSU Owl Allie Durham
The Kennesaw State University cheerleading roster will continue to have an extreme northwest Georgia presence this fall as LaFayette High School alum Allie Durham recently signed on to join the Owls’ roster.
“This day means a lot,” Durham said. “I’ve worked very hard to go to Kennesaw. At first, I didn’t think I was going to be able to go, but on Honors Day, I found out I got in, so now I’m going to be able to go to school and cheer for them and I’m very, very excited. It’s a big step.”
After beginning her cheerleading career in the fifth grade, Durham has been a mainstay for the Orange-andBlack, while also showing off her athletic abilities outside of the cheerleading realm.
This past spring, Durham was a member of the Lady Ramblers’ track team and proved her worth in the triple jump. She won the event in a three-team home meet in late March with a mark of 29-feet, 5.5-inches. She also placed third in a meet at Heritage and took fourth place in the Region 6-AAAA championships at Southeast Whitfield in April.
“Allie is a tremendous athlete,” LaFayette cheer coach Nicole Harris explained. “She trained very hard and she worked very hard. She put in a lot of extra time outside of our regular practice time. She’s a very determined young lady with a drive and a will like no other.
“I think she’s going to do great. I never doubted, even from the time when she was
cheering in middle school, that she would not take it to the next level and cheer in college. I’m very proud of her.”
Durham said the atmosphere at KSU appealed to her.
“It’s like a big family and it just feels like home away from home,” she continued. “I’m going to bring my athletic ability, a hardworking work ethic and my passion for cheering to represent them.”
Durham said she is considering a major in Engineering.
Former LaFayette High cheerleader Bailey Jones was a senior on this year’s KSU squad.