San Angelo Central Cheerleader Signs with SMU Pom Squad

SAN ANGELO, TX — Another young lady from San Angelo put pen to paper to take the next step towards her dreams on Monday night. Central cheerleader Madelyn Haddad officially signed with Southern Methodist University's pom squad to dance during her collegiate years.

"I feel really great," Haddad said at the signing. "I'm super excited for this next chapter."

Haddad began cheering during middle school and eventually became a four-year cheerleader for Central during her high school career.

Her decision to switch from cheer to the pom squad was something that took a lot of hard work and dedication. Not being as familiar with dance as with cheer, Haddad and her mother had to make several trips to Dallas over the past semester so that she could attend dance clinics and other prep classes to be ready for tryouts.

"In San Angelo, we don't really focus on pom as much as we do cheerleading, so the style is definitely new to me," Haddad said. "It was super hard to learn. I took trips to Dallas every Tuesday with my mom, who was gracious enough to drive me the eight hours every night to make it back to school, so I could make it to every clinic I could and be prepared. And well, I made the team."

The SMU pom squad is part of the school's spirit tradition and performs at all major sporting events, including on the sidelines at football games. She will also make appearances at special events throughout the metroplex as an SMU ambassador.

Up against 75 other girls, she was one of 25 who eventually made the final cut.

"I've always been drawn to continue dance," Haddad said. "I've been dancing for a long time, and I love dancing so much. SMU is such a good school, and the environment is great. So, going into this, I knew this was something I wanted to be a part of, and I just wanted to keep working and keep my work ethic up in college. I love to be busy and was busy all throughout high school. I wasn't ready to give that up."

San Angelo is proud of every student who continues on with their dreams in college, and Haddad is no exception. We all look forward to seeing her achieve her dreams and see her perform next football season.