After years of cheering in Lakeland Alexa Harmon is taking the next step in a journey that began when she was just a second grader.
Harmon, a Lakeland student since kindergarten, recently accepted an opportunity to continue both her academic and cheerleading careers at the University of North Alabama (UNA) in Florence, Alabama. The opportunity fulfills a longtime dream of becoming a college Division I cheerleader.
Harmon, a senior, first began cheering as a member of the Lakeland Lions Recreation Team in second grade. While she has spent years developing her skills, her path to collegiate cheerleading has been different from what some might expect. Harmon has never participated in an All-Star cheer program. Instead, her experience has come through Lakeland’s school-sponsored competitive cheer program, along with tumbling training at Memphis Pride Gym in Cordova.
At Lakeland Prep, head cheer coach Bradley Witherspoon has played an important role in helping Harmon develop the skills necessary to compete at the collegiate level.
“Coach Witherspoon has been instrumental in helping Alexa develop the skills she needs for the UNA Cheerleading Program,” her Mom, Sarah Harmon, told The Lakeland Banner.
Harmon’s interest in UNA began after a friend who attends the university’s nursing program introduced her to the school. Alexa and her family decided to schedule a campus tour, and she took the initiative to contact UNA’s cheerleading coach by email to learn more about the program.
Before the campus tour, Harmon met with UNA Cheer Coach Paige Creasy to learn more about the program and what would be expected of collegiate cheerleaders. That initial meeting led to a strong connection with the UNA cheer program. Harmon has since attended UNA stunt clinics and continued building relationships with members of the cheer team.
Her Lakeland Prep school counselor, Courtney Bittick, also helped Harmon explore the university from an academic perspective by arranging a meeting with UNA admissions representatives during the school day to discuss the university’s programs and opportunities.
While cheerleading helped open the door, Harmon’s academic preparation at Lakeland Prep has also played a significant role in making the opportunity possible.
Her coursework has included AP and dual-enrollment classes, providing her with the academic foundation to pursue scholarship opportunities at UNA. Harmon plans to study business and will take advantage of both academic and cheerleading scholarships as she begins her college career.
For Harmon, the opportunity represents more than a new school and a new cheer uniform. It is the continuation of a passion that began on a local recreation team nearly a decade ago.
From cheering for the Lakeland Lions as a second grader to competing for Lakeland Prep and now preparing to cheer for the UNA Lions at the collegiate level, Harmon’s journey has remained proudly rooted in Lakeland.
Now, she will take that journey to Florence, where she will have the opportunity to pursue her business degree while continuing to do what she has loved since childhood: cheer.
