Learning on the Job

Ask any one of the cheerleaders who have been in the Bahamas this week, and they’ll likely agree that being a Ravens cheerleader requires a balancing act. These girls have lives outside the Ravens, and other responsibilities.

Amanda’s time in the Bahamas was well representative of that.

The third-year veteran has been writing a 10-page paper all week. It will ultimately be one of the final college papers the Jersey Shore native will write, as Amanda is graduating from the University of Delaware only a few weeks after she returns from the trip.

“Everybody talks about how hard the ‘real world’ is,” she said with a laugh. She believes she’s ready for that real world, though.

“Over the last four years I have grown up a lot. “Things I thought were fun when I was 18 might not be as fun now.” She affirmed.

As busy as a college senior can be, Amanda knew how great an honor it is to be in the calendar. So before she enters that ‘real world,’ she went on her second calendar shoot, even if she would be writing throughout most of it.

Amanda had three shoots last year, after the first two didn’t work due to lighting reasons. Her final shot proved to be one of the favorites of the man taking the photos, Shawn Hubbard.

Still, she knew she wouldn’t have that luxury of multiple shots this year.

“I knew it had to be one and done because I wasn’t getting another shoot,” she said. So there was a little more pressure.”

But her lone shoot proved to be pretty memorable. On the last day of shooting, Amanda and the crew went off location to a private island. It was so private she even had to take a boat and then a dingy to get there.

“We had about two minutes to get the shot because the sun was going down,” she noted, explaining how fast it all went by.

Despite the time crunch, Amanda was confident, especially remembering her experience from last year.

“I knew I could nail it on one shoot this year,” she said. “I just blocked everyone else around me and connected with Shawn.

Needless to say, Amanda did nail it. After more of a cute picture last year, Amanda said her photo this year was “definitely sexier.”

“It’s funny to me only because I know what a goofball I am,” she laughed. “It’s like I’m a different person, almost an alter-ego.”

Amanda will also be one of the five cheerleaders featured on the potential cover shot, which Amanda also considers an honor.

It’s been such a great week. All the hard work will pay off when people see the final product,” she said. “I think the fans will really love it.”

So as the week winds down and the trip comes to an end, Amanda will come back ready to enter a whole new world. Amanda is ready for that world after learning as a student and a cheerleader. But no matter what that world holds, chances are she’ll still be her same goofball self.  

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