ROCKINGHAM — Caroline Freeman, a senior on the Richmond Senior High School cheerleading team, has been named the Week 3 Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week presented by Moss Brothers Tire and Service.
Each week, one male and one female student-athlete from Richmond Senior High School will be selected by his or her coach as ROSports’ Official Richmond County Athlete of the Week based on his or her performance in helping their respective team.
Having been a varsity cheerleader the past three seasons, Freeman’s school spirit, cheering and stunting on the sideline on Friday nights don’t go unnoticed. She’s one of nine seniors on the team, and her smile and leadership role helped her earn her first career recognition.
Athletic Profile
Age:17
Birthday: May 22, 2002
Year:Senior
Fall Sport: Cheerleading
Position: Main Base
Years on Varsity: 3 Years
Height & Weight: 5-7, 135 pounds
Experience: 5 Years
“CHEERING ON THE RAIDERS” WITH CAROLINE FREEMAN
RSHS Academics: With her senior year underway, Freeman is taking several classes at Richmond Senior High and Richmond Community College to prepare for the next chapter of her educational career. This semester, Freeman is enrolled in Calculus, Chemistry, History and Psychology at RichmondCC, with the latter two being online.
At Richmond, she’s taking AP Art with Ms. Andrea McIver and senior Senate with Ret. Lt. Col. Jon Ring, which she said are two of her favorite classes this fall. Freeman is a member of the Advanced Placement and RichmondCC clusters, and is currently ranked 17th in the graduating class of 2020 with a 4.35 GPA.
An A/B honor roll student, Freeman served as a junior marshal and is an active member of the National Beta Club and the National Honor Society.
“Senate is a lot of fun because I like hearing Col. Ring’s stories,” Freeman explained. “And I get to help the school out with a lot of different things throughout the year. We helped get the teachers ready the week before school.
“Later this year, we have to get spirit week and homecoming ready and plan prom in the spring,” she added. “We just try to do new things to help make the school better and more fun. During the first couple of days, we stood out front and played music as students walked in.”
Future Plans: Freeman said she’s excited to start applying to colleges this fall and noted her No. 1 choice is North Carolina State University. She’s hoping to combine her love for art and math and earn a degree in architecture, adding “designing buildings seems like a really cool career.”
She’s also applying to Appalachian State University, East Carolina University and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, where her sisters Cailey and Cate Freeman attended school.
“My major goal for my senior year is to get the college credit for AP Art,” Freeman explained. “I obviously want to get into colleges, maintain my class rank and make good grades.
“Senior year is going pretty good, just a little stressful,” she added. “AP Art is tough and a lot of work. We have to create 15 pieces with one meaning, and I’m doing mine with architecture, so that should help me.”
Cheerleading Questions
1) What about being a Richmond cheerleader is the most rewarding thing for you?
“It’s definitely being able to cheer on the football team and be a part of the community on Friday nights,” Freeman shared. “It’s always a lot of fun being with my friends and we enjoy spending time together on the sideline during games and getting everyone excited.
“It’s also rewarding going to competitions and getting a chance to compete with other schools,” she added.
2) Describe the atmosphere on Friday nights. What’s it like being a part of the crowd but also getting the crowd hyped up.
“It’s nerve-racking because everyone is looking down at you and it’s your job to hype them up,” Freeman said. “But I got used to it. Most people are there to watch the football game, so we just do our job to get them excited.”
3) You’re one of several leaders on the team. How do you think that makes you a better cheerleader and makes the team better?
“I feel like I have to do better and help my teammates when I can because of my leadership role,” Freeman said. “I have to show them the proper way to act all the time. We’re pretty close knit and we all enjoy cheering together, which makes us a stronger team.
Raider Video Chats: Caroline Freeman, Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week
New this season is our “Raider Video Chats” segment that allows student-athletes to connect with fans and readers through video interviews. In her video, Freeman shares some personal tidbits about her life in our “Rapid Raider Response” segment.
Click photo for video.
