Rome, Ga. - Rachel Harrell Magness has been selected to head the first-ever
Shorter College competitive cheerleading squad, which will begin competition
in the fall of 2008. With the announcement of this new program, Shorter
becomes the first private college in the state of Georgia and one of only a
few private schools in the entire Southeast to offer full scholarships to
competitive cheerleading athletes.
The new program, which will consist of a 20 member co-ed
football/competition squad and a 16 member basketball squad, will be funded
with 10 full scholarships, totaling more than $250,000 in scholarship
allocations to competitive cheerleading athletes per year. They will compete
in the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA), which holds its college
championship every April in Daytona Beach, Fla., and includes such teams as
the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State University.

Magness, a native of Kissimmee, Fla., came to Rome in 1994 to attend Berry
College, where she was MVP of the co-ed-cheerleading squad during her
freshman year. Upon graduation in 1998, she began work on what was to become
the first All-Star Cheerleading Center in Northwest Georgia, Hot Shots
Cheerleading, which she opened in February 1999. Magness went on to coach
the first National Cheerleading Championship All-Star teams in the history
of Floyd County, and in eight years of All-Star coaching experience, she has
coached her teams to more than 85 regional, state and national championship
cheerleading titles.

"I could not be more excited about this opportunity,” said Magness. “For the
first time, Georgia cheerleading athletes can pay for their education at a
nationally ranked, faith-based institution through their talents as
competitive cheerleading athletes."

As a high school choreographer, Magness has placed teams in the GHSA State
Cheerleading Finals for five consecutive seasons, produced two GHSA State
Cheerleading Champions in the past three seasons, three consecutive GHSA
Region Champions, and in 2007, placed all three of the high schools in her
program in the "Top Two" at the GHSA State Cheerleading Finals, including
two GHSA 1st Runner-Ups and a GHSA State Champion.  Magness has also
developed and placed local cheerleading athletes on some of the most
successful collegiate cheerleading programs in the country, including
University of Colorado, B.Y.U., University of West Georgia, Wallace State
College, University of Central Florida, Valdosta State University,
Jacksonville State University, Stephen F. Austin University, Kennesaw State
University, and the University of Georgia.

"With such a proven record of program development and competitive
accomplishment, Rachel's qualifications for leading our new competitive
collegiate cheerleading program are undeniable,” said athletic director Bill
Peterson. “We feel she is the perfect choice for the position. We were able
to find national-caliber coaching talent in an established, local
professional who will no doubt be an added benefit to the competitive
cheerleading community of Northwest Georgia."

Nationally, the Southeast has long been considered the dominant region in
the country for competitive cheerleading, and Georgia ranks at the top of
the list of the nation's strongest cheerleading states.

“The Rome/Floyd community is already home to some of the most successful
middle, high school, and All-Star Cheerleading programs in the state.
Thanks to the lead Shorter has taken in fully funding its new competitive
program, the Rome/Floyd community will soon be home to one of the finest
collegiate cheerleading programs in the country. I am looking forward to
this new opportunity with confidence and enthusiasm,” added Magness.

Tryouts for the 2008-09 Shorter College Cheerleaders will be held in early
May.  For more information on the new competitive cheerleading opportunities
at Shorter, please contact Rachel Magness at (706) 409-7469 or
rmagness@shorter.edu, or visit the Shorter College Athletics Web site,
goshorterhawks.com.