Now This is an Example of a Great Cheerleading Couple!

At Central Michigan , one couple keeps their relationship going strong with cheerleading. This is the story of Ashley Churchill and Nick Terpstra, a romance that seems straight out of a movie. As a young child, Ashley immediately fell in love with cheerleading. When she was a senior at Caledonia High School, she attended CMU cheerleading clinics, hoping to make the CMU team when she became a freshman there the following year. The clinics took place two hours away and, to keep her company, her boyfriend, Nick, came along with her. Nick, also a senior at Caledonia High School, was a football and track star. While Ashley attended the clinics, Nick would sit in the bleachers until, one day, the coach asked him to participate. Reported by Central Michigan Life, Nick explained, “I came down and tried it and thought it wasn’t so bad. I was used to football, but each time I came down, I would throw the girls. I ended up really liking it so I tried out.” Due to a lack of men on the squad, Nick was guaranteed a spot on the college team. As to be expected, Ashley had a lot of mixed emotions. She said, “I would just be so frustrated because I knew he made the team. He was about to be on the team and I had wanted to be on the team my whole life. It was so frustrating that he made it and I was scared that I (wouldn’t).” Though Ashley wasn’t the strongest cheerleader yet, she made the team, thanks to her effort and perseverance. Fast-forward three years and Ashley and Nick are juniors at CMU, still dating, and both are leaders on the college cheer squad. Ashley admits, “I was so bad when I first joined and now I’m a two-time national finalist.” Adds senior captain, Laura Huth, “I remember when she first got there she didn’t have the strongest stunting skills. Her tumbling skills have always been excellent, but her stunting skills improved tremendously. It’s been a joy to watch her improve her skills.” While Nick still gets surprising looks when he tells people he’s a cheerleader, he loves what he does. He said, “People are pretty caught off guard by it, but a lot of it is because they don’t know what goes into it. They just think it’s a girl sport. Once I show them what I do, they think it’s pretty cool.” Nick loves being a cheerleader particularly because it allows him the chance to constantly challenge himself. “There is always something else you can work toward. You can get this new skill but there is always something a little harder after that. I’ve been a big sports fan all my life and it’s really cool to be right behind the end-zone for football or baseline for basketball.” Read the rest of this great story at Central Michigan Life.