This past February, Madison Griffin ’18 officially accepted a partial scholarship to cheer for Adrian College next fall, making her South’s first cheerleader to sign with a college.

Griffin said that with her gymnastics background and her mother’s encouragement, she started cheering at the age of eight.

Over the years, Griffin has cheered for Elite Cheer Michigan, a program called Extreme in South Carolina, and South. In her tenure here, she has earned the respect of her teammates, including Maya Ciechanowski ’18.

“I’m extremely proud of her for committing for cheer,” Ciechanowski said.

Griffin claims that South’s cheer program, especially her coach, Ashley Girbi, has positively impacted her.

“She (Girbi) worked really hard to build the program, and she inspired me to be better,” Griffin said.

Girbi seems to have a similarly positive attitude towards Griffin. According to Girbi, Griffin is the type of athlete who truly appreciates all the support and help she receives from her coaches.

“She is hardworking and never wants to let anybody down,” Girbi said. “When she sets her mind to something she is quick to push herself to achieve that goal.”

Griffin said she first realized she wanted to cheer at the collegiate level during her sophomore year of high school.

“I just knew that this was something I wanted to do,” Griffin said.

Griffin claims the process of committing and obtaining a scholarship was both exciting and unexpected.

“I was a little surprised I got recruited,” Griffin said. “She (Adrian’s cheer coach) came to one of my competitions, saw me and recruited me; I thought it was really cool.”

Griffin claims she looks forward to studying psychology and improving her cheering skills at Adrian College.

Girbi said she’s excited that Griffin accomplished her goal of cheering in college and looks forward to attending Griffin’s games and competitions to watch her and her new team cheer.

“I think being at the next level will really help her achieve the next step of her athletic ambitions.” Girbi said.