By By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
It’s not every day that a “regular” person ends up on the cover of a magazine.
But, then again, maybe Gabby Newman isn’t so “regular.”
Newman graced the cover of the October 2007 edition of American Cheerleader magazine after being named the “Cheerleader of the Month.”
The N.C. State Wolfpack cheerleader said she felt like a celebrity when she first spotted the magazine in a store.
Newman’s touch with fame came thanks to a cheerleading event in Daytona, Fla. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty was spotted by an editor of American Cheerleader magazine during one of the Wolfpack’s routines at the NCA Nationals.
Newman obviously had what the staff was looking for as the month’s top cheerleader. The N.C. State criminology major earned a scholarship and a three-page spread in the magazine.
Landing on a magazine cover was the last thing Newman would have thought about when she took up cheerleading in the fourth grade. Newman dabbled in gymnastics and softball, but she said cheerleading was her first love.
While cheerleading in college takes more time and commitment than in high school, Newman said it’s well worth it.
Along with training, Newman said it’s important to focus on the real reason one is in college — to get an education.
After all the hard work, Newman said nailing a routine in front of a large crowd is priceless.
Well, maybe landing on the cover of a magazine and being named as a “Cheerleader of the Month” tops that.
And the only thing that may top that is if Newman is voted as “Cheerleader of the Year.”
Readers of American Cheerleader magazine will vote for their favorite cheerleader at www.americancheerleader.com/coy. Winning would mean more recognition and another scholarship for Newman.
That would give Newman just one more reason to cheer.