A new face joined Kinston High School’s cheerleading squad at the start of this year’s basketball season, and he’s fitting right in. Who could miss the dazzling smile and upbeat coordination of Keiwon Mewborn?
It was never his intention to join the high school cheer team, but he was unofficially nominated by his confident peers to try out for the varsity squad when they sought a male. The sophomore spends time dancing so figured he’d be good with the hops required in cheerleading.
“Everyone wanted a boy on the team and they heard that I could do good jumps,” he said. “It’s fun. It’s not really difficult, but I’m the center of attention a lot.”
Mewborn, 15, said he was nervous upon starting the new activity, but it’s become something of a tradition to have a boy on the cheerleading team. There’s also a male student who cheers for junior varsity, and Mewborn called his predecessor an “excellent cheerleader.”
Unable to identify one cheer to call his favorite because of his admiration for each, Mewborn is looking to continue cheerleading into his senior year.
“(Cheering) helps with your attitude,” he said. “You have to stay out of trouble and set an example for others. You have to be a positive person.”
He said he and his team are close-knit, often sharing laughter and jokes when cheering on the Vikings. Mewborn said he likes being the only guy on the floor because the audience gets to experience something different.
“It took a while for people to notice I was a cheerleader,” said Mewborn, who is interested in fashion and culinary arts.
He wants to attend the Art Institute of Atlanta in Atlanta, Ga., when he finishes high school and would like to travel the world, especially to Paris, France.
“I just like clothes, different types of clothes,” he said about designs and patterns in apparel.
Mewborn’s other hobbies are musical, from being in the school’s marching band to singing; he plays the saxophone, trombone and flute. He has two younger siblings — a set of twins — attending Rochelle Middle School. He said his school and family supports his cheering.
There’s an old debate about whether or not cheerleading should be considered a sport, and his stance, only a few months into cheering, is in the affirmative.
“I really think it’s a sport,” Mewborn said. “We work as hard as others and we also go to competitions and get judged.”
He hasn’t yet traveled to competitions as a new member of the team, but hopes to have that opportunity. Besides, it’ll be a good starter for the vast travels on which he plans to embark, carrying with him the peppy memories of his high school cheerleading career.
Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252-559-1078 or at jessika.morgan@kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.
Meet Me Monday:
Name: Keiwon Mewborn
Age: 15
Hometown: Kinston
School: Kinston High School (So.)
Fun fact: The sport he’s most interested in is basketball.