By JIM WALKER

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

CHESAPEAKE — Go Panthers! Go Herd! Go Realize Your Dream!

All three cheers belong to Lauren Pater after earning a scholarship to cheer for the Marshall Thundering Herd.

A cheerleader since she was 5-years-old, Pater has spent most of her life cheering and hoping to extend her career beyond high school.

“I had to try out and make the team before I had my signing,” said the Chesapeake High School senior.

A total of 71 candidates registered for the tryouts but only 35 made it and Pater was one of the 35.

“I was so excited. They usually take 40 to 50 girls and this year they only took 35. I’m still not sure what’s going to happen,” said Pater. “My signing was my party.”

Marshall has a competition team and a regular sideline team that cheers at the games for the athletic teams.

“They haven’t said yet who’s going to what. If they take everyone or if they take groups I’m not sure,” she said.

Pater started at Tumble World in Chesapeake when she was just 5 years old and she has been there for 11 years.

“It’s an all-star gym,” said Pater.

So when did the actual cheerleading begin for Pater.

“Kindergarten,” Pater said with a grin.

Cheerleading has consumed a majority of her time. She is on the high school team and an all-star team.

“Cheerleading is basically my whole life,” said Pater. “I’m usually in the gym twice a week and then whenever the competition season begins we’re in (the gym) four times a week.”

Practices usually last between two and three hours for each session.

Pater went to the nationals at Disney World with her high school team. Later in the year, she went to Summitt which is the big national competition for all-star teams and she participated with her local team.

Both competitions were held at Disney World.

Pater who said the cheerleaders didn’t get any perks such as free rides.

“There’s so many people down there. There were just long lines,” she said.

Pater wants to major in communication disorders and eventually get her masters degree and become a speech pathologist.

“I just want to help people,” said Pater, regarding her education. But she added “I hope I’m on the Marshall competition team so I can go and compete in Daytona because that’s like their big competition.”

But she admitted that she wouldn’t mind being a regular cheerleader, too.

“I want to cheer in the gym. That would be so cool,” Pater said.

Although her short term future has been decided, Pater isn’t sure what life after cheerleading will hold.

“I don’t know. I’m not going to have a busy schedule or nothing,” she said with a chuckle.