As votes poured in for our 2011 Cheerleader of the Year, the race was close, but Maryland Twisters cheerleader and recent high school graduate Adrianna David rose to the top.

Life has changed for Adrianna since she nabbed the title of Cheerleader of the Month in April 2011. “Since I was named Cheerleader of the Month, my life seems more public!” she says. “I still can’t believe it when a little girl comes up to me at a competition or finds me on Facebook and tells me she read my article. It is so awesome to think that people have seen me in the pages of AC all over the country!”

Since her feature in AC, Adrianna has had an exciting year. At the Academy of the Holy Cross, this natural-born performer captained her high school dive team. She also performed with an advanced jazz/hip-hop group and improv team. Adrianna has enrolled at the University of Alabama, where she hopes to continue her cheer career in the fall. But the highlight of her year was helping her F5 team take home the 2011 World Championship title, an experience she calls “a dream come true.”

Adrianna has found a home with the Maryland Twisters, based in Glen Burnie, just outside Baltimore. “Even though it is much bigger than any other gym I have been a part of, Twisters really is one big family,” Adrianna shares. “The support of all the teams is indescribable and unbelievable! They have the best reputation and it is well-deserved. I am so blessed to have been able to spend my last two years with them.” She credits her coaches with inspiring her to reach new heights on and off the mat. “My cheerleading career has definitely been most inspired by my coaches. They have pushed me to be the athlete that I am today and I couldn’t give anyone else the credit,” she says. “I could not thank them enough for believing in me and helping me achieve my goals.”

Adrianna acheived one of her goals when she helped her team, Maryland Twisters F5, capture top honors at the 2011 World Championship of All-Star Cheerleading.

But regardless of the number of titles she has under her belt, Adrianna stays grounded by remembering that trophies are just one small aspect of our sport. “One piece of advice I would give other cheerleaders would be just to have fun!” Adrianna says. “At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter what place you came in at competition, or how well you did. What matters is the effort you put forth and enjoying every moment of it. Do what you love, and love what you do!”

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