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West Virginia University cheerleader Johnna Petitte, was recently named "Cheerleader of the Month" and featured on the cover of a national magazine.
Petitte appears on the cover of the February issue of American Cheerleader, bringing recognition to a college cheerleading program that often goes unnoticed.
"That was the best part, getting to represent West Virginia, because cheerleading here is not such a recognized name," Petitte said.
Her coaches and the WVU Spirit Program were excited when they found out one of their cheerleaders would be featured in a national magazine, she said.
Petitte was previously a cheerleader at the University of Kentucky and then transferred to Hawaii Pacific University, where she won two national championship rings.
American Cheerleader contacted her during the National Cheerleader's Association college nationals in Daytona while she was cheering for HPU.
"I was on the Large Co-ed team, and we had just won nationals, so we did a photo shoot for that," Petitte said. "After the shoot, they came up to me and asked if I was interested in being in the magazine."
But Petitte was ready to transfer back to WVU at the time.
"They told me to just keep in touch and let them know if I wanted to do it.
They contacted me last year because they saw me in Orlando with my all-star team, the Pittsburgh Superstars," she said. "It has all really been a long process."
Petitte said she's happy to be back at WVU and cheering for her hometown, family and friends after all her experiences.
"It's really cool, because I'm a role model for younger cheerleaders," she said.
"It's really nice to have a bunch of little girls who want to be like you."
Petitte's mother, Trisha, said it was strange seeing her daughter's face staring back at her from the cover of a magazine.
"We are just tickled with the meaning this has brought to WVU and the Pittsburgh Superstars," her mother said. "It's just been wonderful for competitions and to get the names out there and build the gyms."
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