This past year has been a tremendous year for not just the Detroit Lions, but for Detroit Mercy alum, Mackenize, who is a cheerleader for the team.
While being in the nursing program at Detroit Mercy growing her passion for helping people, she was also on the dance team. Mackenzie (her full name cannot be used at request from the Lions) has been dancing since she was three years old, and her love for dancing and cheering never ended.
She knew from the moment she walked into Detroit Mercy that this was the school and community that was going to help her pursue her dreams of being a labor and delivery nurse and a Detroit Lions cheerleader.
Mackenzie went to tryouts in 2019, and even though the team was not on the path they are now, she still knew that was the only team she wanted to be a part of.
“I have always loved the Detroit Lions and being there and being a part of the organization,” Mackenzie said. Detroit has the best fans in the NFL. Since the fanbase is so incredible even when the team was not doing their best even then the environment in Ford fFeld was incredible and one of my favorite places to be.”
Even though the cheerleaders only performed strictly at home games, there is always a wish to be able to go and travel with the team. There was still a sense of community staying at home.
“I really like being at Ford Field, especially during the watch party that was hosted there during the San Fransisco game,” Mackenzie said. “It was nice to be able to have the fans in Detroit at Ford Field still cheering on the Lions from home. It was nice to be able to spend that time with each other in a place we all love and cherish.”
A big way Mackenize can balance being a nurse and being a cheerleader is time management. While at Detroit Mercy she was in a service fraternity, the dance team and many other extracurricular activities that showed her how to have a good balancing act between everything. It also helps that she enjoys being busy throughout the day.
This past season has been extra special not just for the Lions but for the whole community. While the fans cheered a little bit louder at each game and had more pride in the Lions than had been seen in a long time, the cheerleaders never gave up and were there to put on an amazing performance at every game.
The spotlight on the team is much larger now, so continuing to create a positive impact on the community and really shining light on how amazing Detroit really is becomes the most important thing to the Detroit Lions cheerleaders.
“The Draft is coming up in April, and many exciting things are coming up,” Mackenzie said. “The most important thing is remembering where our roots are and where we came from. We are so lucky to represent the city of Detroit.”
The whole Detroit Lions community has a big next season ahead of them, and everyone is excited to see what is going to happen, especially for what is in store for the Detroit Lions cheerleaders.
