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After sitting out her senior season at PHS, Newsome was named to the Brescia cheer squad in the spring of 2024.

Having to miss cheering in her senior year made Newsome appreciative of getting an opportunity to cheer at the next level.

“That was one of the toughest things to do,” Newsome remarked recently about not cheering in her senior season. “But that has pushed me to be the athlete I am today. I have learned to love this sport more than I thought I could. Being back on the mat and sideline is so much fun. I realized how much I missed it, and I gave it more than I ever thought I could.”

Newsome will be on the sideline this year cheering on the Bearcats and doing her studies online.

“Due to life circumstances, I had to transfer to online school,” Newsome explained. I wasn’t going to let that stop me from cheering. I love cheering so much that I was determined to stay on the team. Through talking to multiple people, I am able to be a full-time online student and a full-time cheerleader for Brescia University.”

Newsome is a member of both the sideline cheer team and the competition cheer squad at Brescia University.

How did Newsome manage her time?

“The best way for me to make sure I had time was using a planner,” Newsome said. “I made sure that all of my assignments were completed before the due date so I didn’t have to stress about time to hang out with my new friends or making it to practice on time.”

Cheering at the next level is a change for anyone, according to Newsome.

“In my experience, the biggest difference between college and high school cheer would be the drive,” Newsome noted. “In college cheerleading, I have been pushed to the best of my ability and even explored stunts and tumbling that I didn’t think I was capable of.”

Practice time at the college level was also different.

“Practices are most definitely more intense in college,” Newsome acknowledged. “You are putting in a lot of time out of practice to prepare for practice, so it’s a big difference.”

Newsome has many highlights from her freshman season at Brescia University.

“If I had to pinpoint one thing, it would be bonding with the other girls on the team,” Newsome noted. “As a team, we did things like volunteer work, going out to eat, and even finding out our cheer coach was having a baby girl.”

Newsome didn’t know what to expect when cheering in college. But Newsome has grown and learned and considers it a blessing to have an opportunity to cheer again.

Newsome has some words of wisdom for up-and-coming scholar-athletes.

“One piece of advice I would give someone is not to apply and try out for one place. Newsome summed up. “Your dream school may not be your dream school after you live there. So, make sure to take any and all opportunities that are thrown your way.”