SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – Georgia Southern cheerleader Konner Owens found a second family in Statesboro after he decided not to pursue his love of soccer.
“It’s amazing dude,” Owens said. “That atmosphere is like, it’s one thing to watch it on TV, it’s one thing to watch it from the stands, but to actually down there on the field it’s a feeling like no other.”
Konner Owens started his first year at Georgia Southern in August. He just completed his associate’s degree from Shorter University in Alabama in May.
“When you’re coming from a small, Christian private school,” Owens said, “it’s 1,500 to 2,000 kids. Then the student-teacher ratio is extremely small. It’s like 20 to one. Here it could be 300 to one. That’s the biggest adjustment.”
Class sizes may be the biggest adjustment, but not the only adjustment. Konner was on soccer scholarship at Shorter and cheered at Shorter, but at Southern he gave up soccer to focus on cheerleading.
“I don’t regret the decision because it’s a new opportunity and I’m embracing the change,” Owens said, “but I think about it often.”
Konner said being closer to family was the reason he decided to return closer to home. Part of the reason he ended up at Georgia Southern is because of the cheer team reached out to him on social media.
“The cheerleaders were reaching out and telling me to let them know if I had any questions,” Owens said. “If I had any questions, I would reach out to them. They would answer anything. If they didn’t know it, they would with the coach and the coach would actually reach out to me personally with any answers.”
And he found the true meaning of Eagle nation, Eagle Family.
“We would go eat together,” Owens said. “If we need to study or a study partner. They’re always looking to help out anyway that they can. Whether it’s cheerleading or outside of cheerleading. It was definitely something I appreciated.”
Konner has this week off because the football team has an open date. He’ll be back on the sidelines Oct. 12 when Eagles host Marshall at Paulson Stadium.
