Sudan senior, Journey Baker, signed her letter of intent to continue her Cheer and Academic career at Missouri Valley College last Tuesday, during a small signing ceremony in the Sudan High School Library, where she was surrounded by family and friends.
Baker has been a part of the Sudan cheer team throughout her high school career, as well as two years in junior high.
“Journey has competed exceptionally well in her academics and all of her extra curicular activities while being a student here at Sudan High School,” Principal Gordon Martin said.
Baker talked about having this opportunity to continue her cheer career, saying, “I’m super excited to be able to continue my cheer career at the college level. I’ve always loved cheer and have always been doing it, so it’s really cool that I get to continue doing cheer into college, because I never thought I would get that opportunity.”
Baker said that she has cheered every since she was little, doing camps and different things.
“I cheered two years in junior high and then I got to my high school career, every year something happened and I never really got to have a good full season, so I decided to take it upon myself to cheer in college, because I didn’t get the experience in high school,” she explained.
The senior talked about what stuck out to her about Missouri Valley, saying, “The coach at Missouri Valley is such an amazing cheer leader and he has been a champion for so many things. Not only that, but they have really reached out to me and have wanted me to join their team. They’ve been very welcoming and I’m very excited to be in that environment.”
Journey’s parents Dexter and Crystal Baker talked about what it means to them to see their daughter be able to continue her cheer career at the next level, saying, “We’re so proud of her. She has put in tons and tons of work. People don’t realise how many hours you put in. We bought a mat for inside of the house and there are certain criteria you have to meet in order to cheer in college, with one of those being you have to be able to stand flat footed and do a back flip. That was something she hadn’t done yet, so prior to this year, she knew she had to have it down and she worked hours and hours and hours until she got it. She is one of those that if she puts her mind to it, she is going to do it.”
She added, “When these scholarships started coming in, she started researching the schools to see which would be the best fit for her. Missouri Valley is a husband and wife team and she really, really liked that. It’s also a smaller university and that’s where she wanted to go.”
Baker talked about what it’s meant to her to be able to cheer on the Hornets and Nettes over the last four years, saying, “It’s meant a lot to be able to cheer on the black and gold the last four years. Sudan has done so much for me and not just with my cheer career. They’ve also done a lot for me academically and in my other sports that I’ve competed in. I just want to thank them for that and just the opportunity to be here.”
Baker also thanked her family for their support, saying, “My family support has been amazing, they’ve been very, very suportive and are very proud of me. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them.”
She talked about her favorite memory from Sudan, saying, “Just cheering itself. The practices and competitions, it was all so much fun.”
Baker’s parents talked about what it means to them to see Missori Valley show so much interest in their daughter, saying, “It makes you feel good, because you get the sense that they are going to take care of her and that they really are interested in her as a participant in their program and she’s not just a number.”
Crystal added, “They’ve told her in this school we will know you by name, your professor’s will know you by name and you will have accountability here. So, we’re very excited for Journey and this new chapter in her lift.”
Baker intends to major in prelaw.