High School Standouts: University High’s Hensley forms lasting bonds through cheer
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – University High senior Raegan Hensley has grown up around the sport of cheer from a young age.
“I have always loved cheerleading,” she explained. And she hasn’t been alone. In fact, she’s always had two older role models in the sport to look up to.
“I’ve always been around it,” she said. “My sisters have cheered and I just love it.”
Kellie Harper fired as Lady Vols head coach, search underway for new women’s basketball coach
Her first crack at it came on the competition side when she was just eight years old.
“It was very fast-paced – you just don’t even think in that moment of, like, three minutes being out on the stage in front of a bunch of people,” she recalled.
The pace was fun for a while, but by the time high school rolled around, she was ready for something different.
“I was just like – I’m ready for a little bit of a change,” she said.
It was a bit of an adjustment, going from competitive cheer to scholastic cheer.
“I would say just slowing down what you’re saying – or the counts, really,” she explained.
But, it took almost no time at all to settle in with her new teammates.
“You just create such bonds with the people around you,” she said. “You make such a family in cheer and I love those girls with all my heart.”
There are no Friday night lights at University High, but that doesn’t bother her one bit. She enjoys the opportunity she gets to cheer from the baseline – especially these last two seasons, as the boys won region titles.
“It’s very exciting and it switches so quickly,” she said. “You have to keep up a lot, but I love it and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Hensley puts in the work outside of cheer, as well, as a dually enrolled student at ETSU. Her favorite class this semester is sociology, which she takes through Niswonger Children’s Hospital, as she works toward a future career as a NICU nurse.
“I just love being around babies and taking care of them,” she explained. “I babysit a couple of kids that actually go here … we just create such bonds and I love it so much.”
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.
