Crystal Johnson and Georgia Foster may not have known each other well throughout high school, but much has changed since their graduation several months ago.
Now members of the University of South Florida’s cheerleading team, Johnson and Foster bonded through their Plant City roots and are ready for the next set of challenges that await them: namely, tougher classes and UCA College Nationals in January.
IN HIGH SCHOOL
Both Johnson and Foster enjoyed successful careers at their respective high schools and look back on those days fondly.
Johnson, who attended Plant City High, was a flyer in each of her four years with the team. She was named one of the team’s captains going into her senior season. The Lady Raiders saw greater success in Johnson’s final two years of high school than before, most notably making the second round of the Western Conference tournament in her junior season. Last year, the team made it to the first round.
The team never went to states while she was there, but that didn’t stop Johnson from enjoying herself and making the most out of every experience with her teammates.
“Friday nights, whenever we had games, we would play leapfrog on the way back to the other side of the track or do other fun things,” Johnson says. “We were like a big family — we loved to joke around and have fun together.”
The Sparkle Effect program was one of her favorite things about being part of the Plant City squad. The program brought some of the school’s special needs students into the cheerleading program, and had them on the sidelines with Johnson and her teammates.
Foster, a Strawberry Crest graduate, was a four-year member of the Lady Chargers squad and no stranger to postseason competition. The Crest team, regarded as one of the best in the Tampa Bay area, won regionals in 2012 and, after consecutive runner-up finishes, became the first team in Hillsborough County history to sweep districts, regionals and states before competing at UCA Nationals.
And Foster was there every step of the way, having made the varsity cheerleading team as a freshman.
“I can honestly say those were the best years of my life so far,” Foster says. “I can’t wait to continue my cheerleading journey as I transition from a Charger to a Bull, although I’ll always be a Charger at heart.”
The two got to know each other after graduation and quickly formed a friendship.
“We talked with each other at tryouts and bonded because we were from Plant City,” Johnson says. “When we go to anything involved with cheer, it won’t be awkward. All the girls are super friendly.”
NEW PERSPECTIVE
Both girls are looking forward to the upcoming cheer season for many of the same reasons. The college atmosphere is a plus, as are the new friendships to be formed among teammates and the UCA College Nationals tournament in January. At the moment, they’re having no trouble fitting in with the rest of the team.
“I instantly felt like I was part of a family,” Foster says. “I get along with the other rookies perfectly, and the veteran cheerleaders make us feel welcomed in any way possible.”
The girls know that cheering at USF will be different from doing it in high school, and it’s a welcome change as far as they’re concerned.
“We kind of had a routine to do (in high school), so we knew exactly what we were supposed to do and when to do it,” Johnson says. “It wasn’t as natural, so college will be different … It’s not so much about doing cheers and having to hit a certain motion; it’s more about getting the crowd involved and pumping up the players. It’s something new that I haven’t done before.”
It’s cheerleading with a more organic approach, as Johnson would describe it, but the team will be all business at nationals. That’s when the routines will be tighter and more pronounced, and things will look a little more like they did in high school.
But, for a pair of cheerleaders as accomplished as these two, that’s nothing to stress about too much.
“I feel like it’s gonna be a really good year,” Johnson says.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
WHAT’S YOUR MAJOR?
Crystal Johnson already knows that she wants to be a physical therapist when she graduates from college. So, beyond cheerleading, USF won her over with its abundance of resources.
“They have a really great medical program, and I want to be a physical therapist,” Johnson says. “USF had the most opportunities for me and a really great research program.”
Georgia Foster originally chose to major in business at USF-St. Petersburg, but recently had a change of heart.
“As of right now, I am majoring in business, but after shadowing an anesthesiologist for the past week I have decided to change my major to nursing,” Foster says. “I hope to become an anesthesiologist nurse.”