Pisgah cheerleader signs to dance at ETSU

May 15—For many senior athletes, their last game or competition in high school is the end of their athletic careers. That's not the case for a Pisgah cheerleader who signed to a dance scholarship last week.

Senior Emeri Wright signed with East Tennessee State to join the university's dance team.

"I am overwhelmed with excitement," Wright said. "But it's sad leaving all my people and coaches who have been with me forever. It's definitely different, but I'm super excited for the next chapter."

Pisgah cheerleading coach Morgan Smith said that the signing is one that is uniquely special for her.

"I've had cheerleaders sign before, but Emeri hits a special place," Smith said. "She has held a leadership role since her freshman year. Even though she was not a captain, she always stepped up to the plate. She always helped push me as a coach. She has made me the coach that I am today by pushing and always wanting to be the best."

Wright is a two-time state champion, an all-region selection and an all-state selection.

"It's hard to replace," Smith said. "Not only does she have the knowledge of cheer, she has that dance and performing background. She's my person that I go to for routine advice. We work on all of our routines together and bounce ideas off of each other."

Wright has been dancing since she was three years old. At six, she began competitive cheer.

"This is always what she wanted to do. She loves to dance. She loves to perform," Emeri's mother, Jalinda Wright, said. "She's a warrior, even though she's a dancer."

Emeri Wright has spent her whole dance career up to this point at Legacy Dance Center in Clyde.

"We have watched her grow from a three-year-old in dance to a graduating senior," said Hayley Justice, owner of Legacy Dance Center. "It's come full circle. She shines in everything that she does. She has become such a leader. This has been such a great honor to see her continue in dance in college. We're so proud of her."

While Wright is an accomplished cheerleader, her accolades in dance are even more impressive, with numerous competition wins and awards.

"She's definitely recognized a lot when we go to competitions," Justice said.

"She's a phenomenal cheerleader, but she's an extraordinary dancer," Smith added. "I can't wait to see how far she takes it. I know she'll be successful in whatever she chooses to do."

The hard work has paid off with more than a scholarship. It has made Wright into a leader among the dancers at Legacy.

"It's amazing. The younger generation has someone to look up to and say 'I want to be that one day.' It's great for them to see that if you stick with it for 15 years how that can affect your life," Justice said. "Dancing is more than learning dance. They learn self-confidence and discipline and how to carry themselves in public. It's great for somebody to go through that program."

While the grind to get to this point has taken a lot of hard work, Jalinda Wright said she wouldn't trade it for the world.

"All those memories, you can't ever get them back," she said. "You only get one life. If you get the opportunity, why not take it? Some of it's natural talent, but some of it has been hard work through the years. If she wanted it, she had to work hard. It's been worth it."

Emeri Wright said the decision to go to East Tennessee State was an easy one.

"The drive over there is beautiful," she said. "It has my major. And a couple of my friends that I used to dance with were on the dance team. I love the people. It felt like home."

Her mother said the college town fits her daughter perfectly.

"She's a hometown girl," Jalinda Wright said. "The dance team there is great. She liked the coach down there. It's far enough away, but not too far. It's a small enough town that she doesn't feel lost in the hustle, but she can still do what she wants to do."

Wright plans to major in dental hygiene.