 April 25, 2010 -
By Lisa Gayle Grayson
Bryan Ezzard was
meant to be a cheerleader. He just was in denial about it at first.
He watched his
younger brother Sean get involved with the sport seven years ago and was not shy
about picking on him for trying it. Their mother, Wandalon, was in charge of a
small program called Kingdom All-Stars and had lured the younger sibling to
participate.
“She bribed me with
money,” Sean Ezzard, now 17, said. “Ten dollars every two weeks. I’ve never seen
the money, but I just fell in love with cheerleading.”
In time, the elder
Ezzard brother did, too. Or, at least he fell for the atmosphere.
“After a while, I saw
all of the females involved and then I was like, ‘I can try that,’” Bryan Ezzard
said.
Convincing his mother
to allow him to sign up took a little longer. Bryan Ezzard said she knew
initially not to approach him to try cheerleading, in part because of his lack
of seriousness toward the sport, but eventually he had to persuade her that he
sincerely was interested in the cheering.
Four years later the
19-year-old and his brother were teammates competing together on ACE of Atlanta
at the 2010 Cheerleading Worlds for the Large Senior Limited Coed title. The
Thunderbirds finished fifth after moving up from their sixth-place standing
following Day 1.
“I couldn’t even do a
handspring,” Bryan Ezzard said. “I used to watch him flip and I couldn’t do any
of that … so I begged my mom to let me do it and she let me.”
His climb through the
sport has been notable. In less than two years he is throwing double fulls, all
while he continued to be involved with his brother in other sports like football
and basketball. He also tried his hand in high school track.
“In order for me to
learn my full, I went into the gym every day when it was open, Monday through
Thursday, and busted doing my full … the whole seven hours I was there,” said
Bryan Ezzard, who currently attends college and hopes to pursue law in his
future. “I finally got it. For my double full, I worked on it every day and
busted it until I got it.”
For someone who once
brushed cheerleading aside, Bryan Ezzard evolved into a cheerleader who is about
as serious as they come. He is inspired and pushed by his brother, even if at
times they still are quick to rib one another.
“He’s amazing. He’s
my motivation. He honestly is,” Bryan Ezzard said. “He’s motivational and I hate
it.”
His team’s finish at
Worlds this year may have come up short of his goals, but it also is driving him
to want to continue and make his way back to the global stage.
“I really just want a
Worlds ring,” he said. “I plan on getting one next year.” | 
