Jackie Laurent

By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

Jackie Laurent is everything Lake Region cheerleading head coach Ashleigh London and assistant coach Samantha Scarf look for in a teammate.

“She is extremely hardworking, is always motivating herself to improve as much as she can, has perfect attendance for every practice and game, makes sure to always keep her grades a priority, and is willing to help in any way she can, whether it be with a fundraiser, a teammate who needs help with a routine, or anything else the coaches ask of her,” the coaches said. “Jackie’s positive attitude is something to admire. You can always catch her smiling and laughing, even when things are not running smoothly. She truly cares about her team, and about the sport, and is constantly trying to better herself.”

Even with bad knees, Jackie can be found working on her jumps any chance she can, while also improving her skills as both a flyer and a base.

“It has been exciting to watch Jackie grow as a cheerleader since her freshman year and she never ceases to amaze me,” Coach London said. “That’s why we chose her as this week’s Player of the Week.”

In recognition of her strong work ethic, determination, commitment and good sportsmanship, Jackie is this week’s Boosters and Hancock Lumber “Player of the Week.” Each week, a Lake Region athlete is recognized for his/her dedication (does more than what is asked), work ethic, coachability and academic good standing. Recipients receive a specially-designed t-shirt, sponsored by Hancock Lumber.

The Laurent File

Name: Jackie Laurent

Year in School: Junior

Town: Bridgton

Parents: Nancy and Marty Laurent

School Activities/Sports: Cheering and softball

Q. Why did you choose cheering? JL. I decided to try it out in seventh grade and loved it, so I continued doing it through high school.

Q. What do you hope to accomplish this season? JL. To improve our scores from last year so we do better at competitions this year.

Q. What do you enjoy the most? JL. The competitions because they’re a really fun experience and the team gets to bond the whole day.

Q. What do you like the least? JL. The fact that we can’t get gym time every day so we don’t get to stunt as often as we need to.

Q. What makes you successful? JL. My hard work, determination and dedication. I also work out outside of cheering.

Q. What would your dream moment be? JL. Making it to States.

Q. What has cheering taught you? JL. To work as a team, to be able to trust others and to keep a positive attitude even when we don’t do as well as we had hoped.

Q. Who has inspired you? JL. Belisa Harriman, my gymnastics coach from elementary school and cheering coach from middle school. She taught me to always believe in myself and to never say that I can’t do something.