Last Sunday North Carolina beat St. Peter’s 69-49 in the Elite 8 to advance to the Final 4 this Saturday in New Orleans. The Tar Heels lost to the Blue Devils in February, beat them in March, and will get to play them in April for the 1st time ever this weekend. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with North Carolina cheerleader Sam Rennard about the Tobacco Road rivalry and heading to Louisiana.
You grew up in Asheville, NC: what made you choose UNC? My older brother went to school here. I was looking at UNC and Clemson but the in-state school had the right price/quality of education. It has been an awesome experience.
You have been on the cheer team for the past few years: how did you 1st get into cheerleading, and what is the best part? Most of the guys on the team did not have prior cheer experience: we were high school football players or track athletes who thought that our careers were over. Some cheerleaders told me to try out after I got to college and I made the team. I love sports and this has given me a front row seat for some great games.
This year you are captain of the team: what is the key to being a good leader? My coach told me during my freshman year that anyone can lead a team but a true leader leads an entire program. I look toward the future by developing the younger individuals and investing in our future leaders by giving them the same advice that I got from the people who came before me. We have about 50 people in the program between JV and varsity.
How frustrating has it been to be a cheerleader for a great basketball team during a pandemic? Very frustrating…but that is why this year has been so exciting. I got to cheer at the ACC tourney 2 years ago right before everything was shut down, and last year we could not cheer due to COVID protocols. This year has been very special because it gave me 1 last chance to cheer before I graduate: it has been a relief.
You are majoring in Neuroscience, minoring in Chemistry/History, and planning to apply to medical school: why did you pick those subjects, and what kind of doctor do you want to be? I thought that I would be a math major but later decided that I wanted to do something more relationally-based. I got to shadow some doctors and saw team medicine as an opportunity to develop relationships with individuals and walk through life with them. Neuroscience allowed me to use my math courses to merge with pre-med courses so I did not have to play catch-up. The brain is extremely fascinating. Chemistry comes with neuroscience and History allowed me to work on my writing.
Last Sunday the Tar Heels had a 20-PT win over St. Peter’s in the Elite 8: what was the reaction like when you got back to campus? It has been really awesome to see the community come together not just this week but throughout the entire NCAA tourney. The excitement/emotion has kept heightening and everyone has a little pep in their step now that we are in the Final 4.
How do you explain the UNC-Duke rivalry to people who have only watched it on TV? It is everything that it is hyped up to be and is the greatest rivalry in basketball. They are 2 of the best programs ever with great coaches like Coach K/Roy Williams (and now Hubert Davis). I was able to cheer at 2 home games vs. Duke and the excitement in the stands was unlike any other game that I have been at.
How does your school decide who gets to go to the Final 4, and does your squad have anything extra-special planned for this weekend? It is primarily based on seniority/skill level/partnerships. We were allotted 12 spots, which gives us room for 5 couples/2 tumblers. All 5 of the guys are seniors, as are 3 of the girls. We have a number of media commitments and fan visits to do this weekend.
You are getting married in June: are you excited or freaking out or other? I am very excited! There is a healthy level of being nervous in terms of getting stuff together (like looking at apartments with my fiancee) but I am very much looking forward to it.
Any predictions for this weekend? The Tar Heels are going to win!