By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

They took the chance.

Tricia Turner, Callaway’s cheerleading coach, has always encouraged the members of the team to aim high, and to not be afraid to put themselves out there and risk failure.

That’s why she was so proud of two of her cheerleaders who took the initiative when they were looking to land a spot on a college team.

Zahdai Mosley and Kayla Campbell both went to Valdosta State to try out for the cheerleading team, and they made it.

“I am so proud that they were willing to go take that risk,” Turner said. “They went online, they researched it, they found out where they needed to be. They took the trip down there.”

With Mosley and Campbell having a successful tryout, that means there will be three former Callaway cheerleaders on college teams this fall.

Aliyah Gates is heading to Point University, and she’ll join that school’s cheerleading team.

Gates held a signing ceremony in March, and last week, it was Mosley’s and Campbell’s opportunity to celebrate their accomplishment.

Among those there for the ceremony were family members, friends, teammates as well as a proud coach.

“It’s always a risk, because they’re not guaranteed a spot,” Turner said. “They don’t know what kind of talent is going to be going down there for that tryout. A lot of cheerleaders don’t go to the next level, just because they’re scared. They’re afraid of failure. And these girls, they were not scared.”

Turner said she got the good news during the football team’s banquet earlier this month.

“It was the day of the football banquet, because they were down in Valdosta trying out,” Turner said. “They had to go through a full two-day tryout.

“They had to really work for it. And they both got the results and called us up in the middle of the football banquet.”

Turner saw her two cheerleaders at school the following day and she was able to congratulate them in person.

“They were excited,” Turner said. “When I saw them the next day at school, they showed me their tryout dance.”