Chance Short
chance.short@irontontribune.com

PROCTORVILLE — Emma Ward takes advantage of a “good opportunity” to continue cheering as she signed with the University of Rio Grande on Monday at Sanctuary of Grace church in Rome Township.
The Fairland Dragons’ senior began cheering in the seventh grade and said she fell in love with the sport right away.
“I’ve always loved it, and it was really a great opportunity when it was presented to me,” said Ward. “Rio is close to home and I knew I wanted to stay around here so it was an easy choice.”
She is a four-year varsity cheerleader for the Dragons and was selected as a team captain this season.
Ward has already been accepted into the nursing program at Rio Grande and will be graduating with a 4.3 grade point average (GPA).
The senior also enjoys singing and drawing in her spare time as a hobby.
“Rio has a theatre group there and I’m excited to do that when I’m off from cheerleading,” added Ward, who is also a member of the choir at Fairland.
She trained at Jill’s Tumble World and after successfully passing her exam to enter the nursing program right away, she will be a step ahead of the game in her next journey as a member of the RedStorm.