If anyone had told Eli Woodward four years ago that he would be a cheerleader and heading to a school in the Southeastern Conference to do that, he would not have believed them.
Woodward was a football player and a foster child.
Woodward has cheered and been enrolled at Southwest Community College for the past two years after graduating from Columbia High School.
He has now signed to cheer with Mississippi State University for his last two years of college. This is a surprise not only because of cheer and the difficulties of his early years, but also because if you know him and his former foster family, life is all about some Alabama Crimson Tide.
When it was suggested that he try cheer, he thought it was a crazy idea, but he always liked to do flips. He tried it, and he said he was amazed at how he could improve his skills and learn new ones so quickly.
"Oh, wow. This was new," Woodward said, "unlike football, which is stagnant and routine. I realized I was good at it, and it could take me places. I was amazed when I realized I could hold a whole person in the palm of my hand, toss them and catch them. That takes a lot of skill and uses muscles you never use otherwise."
He chose MSU for several reasons. Signing with them and receiving a scholarship helped. Having been a part of the Mississippi foster care system and going through independent and transitional living programs, Woodward said it was clear that staying in the state had advantages.
It helps that his girlfriend of a year and a half, Kassie Beasley, is at MSU studying architecture, and his close friend, McCain Carnegie, also made the cheer team at MSU. Woodward says he and McCain push each other to do better and have a friendly, brotherly competition.
"MSU is also an SEC school," Woodward said. "But Alabama is still my dream school. I will have to get some more State stuff."
Woodward said he is doing much better in college than he did in high school, although he still has slumps where he doesn't want to do anything.
In those times, he has plenty of people in his corner encouraging him.
Jeff and Leigh Berry served as Woodward's foster parents and are still like parents to him now.
"The Berrys pushed me and made me the person I am today because of the love in that house," Woodward said. "I don't know where I'd be without them."
Woodward reached another milestone when he was part of the winning team at the All-Star World's competitive championship in Orlando April 21-22. His team is a level-three division team. Levels are based on difficulty. He had originally gone to the team just to do stunts and improve his skills and was asked to be on the team to help out. He ended up staying and going to the competition with them. He came away with a championship ring and a gold medal from the event.
After finishing his degree in kinesiology, Woodward plans to go into physical therapy or chiropractic studies.
"I am extremely proud of the young man that Eli has become," Leigh said. "The odds were against him, but he overcame those odds with his determination to succeed. This young man will go places in life."
