GET FIRED UP!

This week we would like to introduce you to a young lady who came to Mississippi State and is finding a place where all her dreams have come true. WE want you to meet another member of the All-Girl Cheerleader squad, Laney Shemwell. She is a senior from Arlington, Tennessee and graduated from Briarcrest Christian High School. Laney is majoring in Kinesiology with a concentration in Health Fitness studies.

She began to cheer as soon as they let her be part of the Shelby Youth Sports program. Laney was 6 when she started practicing with all the other little girls and had her mom and dad load up on all those Saturday mornings and transport her to the stadium so she could practice her craft, cheering on the youth team her sister cheerleaders helped will to victory. Laney cheered as part of a competitive cheer team until she reached 7th grade. Then she became part of the Briarcrest Christian High School Cheerleaders and continued until graduating in 2013. Laney tried out and began her journey with the All-Girl Cheerleaders late that spring as an incoming freshman at Miss. State. Laney sees it as her responsibility to instill spirit in her audience by always keeping a smile on face no matter how the game behind her is going or what the weather may be and she has seen it all (pouring rain, scorching heat, freezing cold and snowflakes falling). That takes commitment from a girl and her parents!

Laney considers her mom, Nina Harrison as the strongest influence in her life. “She has been the best "cheer mom" as you could say that a girl could ask for. When I was little she would be at every competition, football game, basketball game, etc. She has never missed a beat of my cheer career. To this day, she has not missed at Mississippi State function of mine! I tell everyone she is my best friend and my biggest cheerleader in life”.

When Laney shared her favorite memory while attending Mississippi State I knew I had to share this because it takes us all back to that special “divine appointment” time in our life. Laney agreed to share this special story with you so I will let her tell it all in her own words which help to put us right there as it happened.

“In the fall of 2014 on a Tuesday afternoon the week of the MSU vs. Auburn game, I had just finished taking a math test in the math domain in Allen Hall. I took a shuttle from Allen to my car where I was parked. Once I got on the shuttle, I sat in one of the front seats of the shuttle, so we are driving to the next stop and I hear some of what I assumed was a football player hooting and hollering about how they were going to beat Auburn that Saturday and they don't even know whats coming. So of course I turn around and one of the guys catches my eye right away :) In my mind I was thinking "OMG he is so cute, turn around Laney, you have no make up on, your hair is in a messy bun, what are you thinking this can't be his first impression of you! So they kept carrying on about killing Auburn in Davis Wade on Saturday. When we got to my stop, I got off the bus and immediately ran to my car, got in and looked up the Mississippi State Roster because I just had to find out who the cutie in the back of the shuttle was. (I promise I am not a stalker, but hey when you know you know right?) Then I saw "Logan Cooke, #43" Guess where I went next? The latest social media site to hit the follow button on Logan Cookes’ profile. Again, in my mind I was like... so I just followed him. Once he sees a cheerleader followed him, he will follow me back... A couple days pass.... No follow back. (UGGGGHHHH). One of my friends on the cheer team was dating the punter at the time, Devon Bell, so I texted her and said "Logan Cooke needs to be bae" (Yep, I said that....) So of course she screenshots it like everyone does these days and sends it to Devon, who by the way was like a big brother to Logan at football, so they were very close. Logan tells Devon in a text that got sent to me, "No way, she does not want me" (YESSSS I DO) Sooo.... here comes Saturday, at the Dawg Walk which is a pregame tradition, here comes Logan Cooke (we both know we think each other is cute)... My hands start sweating, I get nervous, we make awkward eye contact during the Dawg Walk.... "He's perfect" I thought to myself....... Fast forward to the Sunday right after Auburn.... LOGAN COOKE GOT MY NUMBER AND I RECEIVED A TEXT FROM HIM!!!!!! I lived with two of my best friends at the time and I got a text that said "Hey, this is Logan. What's up?" IMMEDIATELY starting running circles around my living room, doing a happy dance, my roommates screaming with me, SO HAPPY. That is where it all began.... Fast forward almost 2 years now, we are about to begin our 3rd football season as the "Little cheerleader, dating the cute football player". Logan is playing his Junior year as the Punter and kickoff specialist here at Mississippi State. We are both very confident in our future plans together here at State for our remaining time!”

Folks, you can’t help but share what Laney felt then and remember how it was for all of us at the place we grew up at and all love so much, Mississippi State University. As for Laney, not only has she experienced that special magical ride of a lifetime on a Tuesday afternoon but she has taken a second special ride. “ It is such an honor to be a Mississippi State cheerleader, I look at all the little girls on game day running around in their cheer uniforms and think to myself, that used to be me. Now, I am living my dream as a SEC college cheerleader, and I hope that I can be someone they look up to or look down at on the field and say I want to be her one day. (They already do Laney)

Laney thank you for what you give to us every day and for the LOVE you share with us because we can tell Maroon will always coarse through your veins as it does ours. We Love you “Dear Old State”. You will forever live in our hearts and lives.

Tell Laney hello and follow her and the other Ladies as they lead us to “GET FIRED UP!”

Follow me on instagram: laneyshemwell