Where does the journey begin? I guess, the moment you get a goal. My moment was in the Fall of 2014, I was a senior in high school cheering for my school and at ACE all stars of Birmingham, while working at the Nike Factory in Leeds, AL. At this point in my life, I knew I wanted to cheer in college but I had to decide on which school was best for me academically, financially, and athletically. The moment I found my goal is definitely one I will remember for a long time. I was working the register at Nike when a couple of girls from the University of West Georgia women’s basketball team came in. The conversation went something like this:
“So I see you guys go to West Georgia. What are you doing in Leeds, AL?”
“We play basketball and we have a game in Birmingham. Where do you go to college?”
“Oh, I’m still in high school. I haven’t decided on where I want to go to school yet, I’m a cheerleader. So I want to find a good school that fits me.”
“That’s cool, have you looked into West Georgia?”
“No, I haven’t heard anything about it. Is the cheer team good?”
“Oh yes! They win all the time!”
“Is there an all-girl team?”
“Yes, there are two teams!”
“Oh ok, well I will have to look into it. Have a good night!”
After this conversation, I went home that night and got on YouTube and found the UWG all girl UCA Nationals performance. Needless, to say I was impressed. I looked up what I needed to get into the school and I met those qualifications. Then, I looked up the tuition and costs and there were many affordable options for me so that was out of the way.
The next week when I went to ACE for cheer practice, I mentioned to one of the coaches Brandon Prince, (who is also the University of Alabama all-girl coach) that I was interested in West Georgia and his response was to let him know when I got accepted into the school because he knew the Head Coach Nicole Nichols and would put in a word for me. So, I did just that and the next thing I knew I was receiving emails from Nicole about coming to open gyms, open practices, and other things.
So, from there I had a school and a goal so I kept preparing myself by continuing ACE all-star cheerleading and was given the opportunity to try out for UCA’s Alabama staff in March. As the spring rolled around competition season kicked off, ACE began traveling to Atlanta, GA, Dallas, TX, and Orlando, FL competing at all-star national competitions preparing for the biggest and end result, Worlds.
I was in the gym practicing for two teams about 5 times a week while also taking some trips to UWG to participate in open gyms and practices. During this time, I had also tried out for a job with Alabama’s UCA staff. I was the first to join this staff from my school cheer team and ACE cheer teams and I had always looked up to UCA staff members and was completely overjoyed to be a part of something so awesome. Worlds were approaching and so was training for UCA staff. At this point, we are a week away from Worlds and I am in Tuscaloosa, AL doing my first training session.
I remember feeling like it was my first adult weekend. I was away from my parents, training for a job, doing what I loved, with only a week left until World’s. I remember saying to myself several times “My life is too perfect right now, don’t forget to thank God. You wouldn’t be here without him.” So constantly I thanked him just in disbelief with how happy I was with life and how perfect it all seemed to me.
We finished day one of training, and the next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital and hearing, “She’s awake! Marti, you are in the hospital. Do you know why you are here? Do you know what happened?” and then passing out again. For about two weeks my days went on like this, very confused. Different people would be in my hospital room, some were family and friends and some were strangers. Every time I woke up it felt like I had been out for days. Sometimes I would wake up to doctors and nurses treating me for my many injuries. Sometimes I woke up to people crying. Sometimes I woke up to people praying. Sometimes I woke up to no one. The most consistent thing I remember is my doctor saying “I don’t know how you lived through this, but since you did I’m going to do my best for you.” When I finally came to enough to realize this was real and I wasn’t dreaming, I had to see myself. So I got out of the hospital bed with my mom, went in the bathroom, and looked in the mirror and said, “I’m ugly as ****.” My face was definitely not my face anymore, I had lost so many pounds, I had a thick dark scar going down the middle of my stomach with stitches coming out, and I hurt all over.
On April 17, 2015, I really was hit by a semi-trailer truck, carrying steel, going over 60mph. My jaw was broken on both sides, my spleen had lacerated, my left lung had collapsed, and I had damage to my frontal lobes. I honestly felt like I should’ve never looked and I should’ve just stayed in my bed because that is when the depression kicked in.
While in the hospital I received more love than ever before, even from UWG where I had only been maybe 3 times at this point. From Tuscaloosa, I went to Atlanta, GA and began rehabilitation at The Shephard Center, my depression got worse.
I started realizing just how broken I was and what all I couldn’t do the same anymore. I didn’t walk very well, stares were an obstacle, I had to be in a wheelchair for far walks, I had to be monitored by strangers while I showered, I couldn’t remember the name of simple objects, and I couldn’t leave this place. I missed the rest of my senior year of high school, all the senior things and most importantly at that time, prom. One day right before prom a teacher called me and told me I had won prom queen and if I wanted to I could Skype the prom and accept my crown, so I did. However, there was still nothing going my way, I wanted to be back at normal life but all I kept hearing was no.
I thought my life was over, I thought cheer was over for sure, and I was even being discouraged about starting college in the fall. I still kept in touch with Nicole and other cheerleaders on the team because I knew what I wanted and it wasn’t this life. I finally was released from the hospital and UWG tryouts started the next day and I begged my mom to stop at UWG since we were already in Georgia and we pass it on the way home so of course, she did.
I talked to Nicole, thinking that the cheer team was not an option for me because of my physical state and I wasn’t promised a full recovery and she honestly barely knew me. Ironically for some insane reason that I’ll never know, she said to me, “Well since you can't participate in tryouts just come to the team meeting Sunday.” At that moment, I felt like I had my personality back, I felt like someone saw something else in me besides the broken façade in front of me. As that summer went on, I continued physical therapy and participated in all summer activities with friends, family, and cheer.
As the fall rolled around, I gained so many new friendships and relationships with my coaches and teammates. I did have a hard time adjusting because it was still hard sitting out of most things and taking on a full load at school but I got through it and learned so much about myself and my new home at UWG.
As UCA College Nationals 2016 came up, I realized this was what I wanted, and at the competition, UWG’s all girl hit two great routines but still fell short to their biggest competitor Morehead State University. At that point, my drive went through the roof I had to get back on the mat.
For the entire spring, I worked on getting my tumbling back, and my strength, and the technique for these stunts that I mostly haven’t done before. Tryouts came for the 2016-2017 and I actually got to participate and earn my spot along with the rest of the team. The season began and just the attitude of the team was much different to the year prior. It was such a new team because so many of the leaders had graduated that year, so getting through many things was much slower. About 30 girls made the cheer team but only 20 make mat to compete at nationals so during this time, you perform your best every day at practice because you want to be one of those 20.
I felt like there were times when no one believed I would get where I needed to be, to be an asset on mat but there was never a time I doubted myself. The doubt from others upset me, but I knew I could do these skills so I worked hard and would save all my fears and tears and anger for home. It took a while for our coach to call mat because things were forever changing. Some people quit, some people got hurt, and some people’s skills began to fall while others rose.
Nicole finally called mat and I had made it! I texted my entire family immediately and told them to get to Orlando, FL on January 14, 2017. Everyone was more excited for me than I was for myself because they knew how much this meant to me and how much time, energy, and emotions I had invested at this point. As nationals practices began, it felt like we were getting nowhere in the beginning. We practiced and practiced but still were barely running pieces.
As the semester ended and the break came practices began to pick up and full outs began. Our very first full out was not that bad but several after were almost tragic. Days went by, Christmas passed, 2017 came, and UCA College Nationals was two weeks away.
On January 2nd we ran the second half of our routine several times in a row and it ultimately ended with a torn Achilles. Kayla Basak, the girl I based with and relied on mentally through so much, was done. That day, I went home and cried all day because I was still so uncomfortable with all of my new positions and the idea of competing again and the last thing I needed was for my person to be hurt. Kayla was replaced, people stepped up, and practices went on with a lot on everyone’s heart and mind. We had a team meeting the next night and I finally voiced how I had been feeling and some of my stresses and so did others and our team finally grew and came together as one.
However, two days later my flyer hurt her already injured back worse, so there went another person. I was completely discouraged at this point, I didn’t say much but I thought there was no way we are pulling it together now. Performances began and they were not so satisfying in the beginning, but on Tuesday, January 10 we finally hit! I cried after that first hit because I hadn’t felt that feeling in so long and it made all of this seem real and possible again.
The rest of our performances were just as good and the day came to go to UCA College Nationals 2017. We practiced when we got there, so my friends from my old teams who also cheer in college now were too excited to see me not only cheering, but on mat. All day, every time I passed them, I got comments like, “Can’t wait to see what you put out there” and “I can’t believe you’re doing this!” and “We’re all gonna be there watching you.” These comments were not what I needed.
The night before competition day we have a team meeting and our coaches speak to us, and give many people quotes that applied to them, and our team leaders read a speech of encouragement to the team. As the team meeting went on several people were already crying but I wasn’t and Nicole handed me my quote to read. It read “You didn’t come this far, to only come this far.” Everything that I had tried to forget about and not bring with me was right there in my face. I held back my tears, we left the meeting, and I cried outside harder than any other time. People spoke to me and reassured me but all that did was get me to sleep.
The morning of January 14, 2017 was a nightmare for me. I was a zombie and completely shook and everyone on the team knew it. We went into prelims and I don’t think I cracked I smile the entire performance. I remember standing on the floor staring at who I could see in the crowd and just thinking about how dry my mouth was. I was a deer in headlights. We came out of that routine with 3 stunt falls and a pyramid fall and in 4th place going into finals. Morehead State University had put on an almost flawless routine and was in 1st place beating us by several points.
After that performance, a former coach of ours, Cody Sellers, came to me and told me, “Marti, no one goes through what you went through and performs like that. Be that bad girl from Alabama and go out there and do what you know how to do.” I felt a weight lift off my shoulders and I was ready to go into our next performance. I didn’t know what to expect from the team but a win finally wasn’t what I was after personally, it was a hit.
We went out there for our finals performance and hit like never before, everyone soared through the routine with so much pride and we fed off of the crowd’s energy. I don’t think I have had a more proud moment. We all cried and cheered and every fan cried some more at what we had done. We all felt pretty good not only about our routine but about a win too. Then, of course, our coach Nicole had a humbling talk with us before awards and got everyone right back on our toes.
As our division came the countdown began and in 3rd place was the University of Delaware, in 2nd place was Morehead State University, and in 1st place was the University of West Georgia.
Everyone broke out in tears of joy but not me. I tried and thought I would for sure but I was done crying and I was a National Champion. The girl who was hit by a semi. The girl who could barely walk. The girl who was broken inside and outside was a national champion. So, I was done crying. I will forever remember this story and live on to tell it and thank God for it every day. This is my perfection and my journey and it doesn’t end here.
