Incredibly Smart from the Start, GFC Britney Knew to Give Dance a Third Chance

Often, pro dancers either began performing at such a young age that they cannot even remember not dancing, or were stricken with a lifelong love of dance like a lightning bolt during a memorable opportunity when they were a bit older. But Britney of the Georgia Force Cheerleaders started dancing when she was young, only to quit. Twice! But that period of her dance journey illustrates three aspects of Britney’s personality: a keen desire to excel at everything she puts her mind to, always keeping an open mind, and being true self-starter. These traits led Britney to being valedictorian of her high school class, graduating Magna Cum Laude from college, earning a Master’s degree at Georgia Tech, and now being part of the ‘thinking outside the box’ world of software. And read on, because Britney’s advice may help save your computer from utter peril and destruction.

The first bump in her road to professional dance occurred when Britney was about three years old. “The preschool I attended had a ballet program,” recalls Britney, who was born and raised in suburban Atlanta. “I did not enjoy dancing at that time and stopped taking ballet when I turned five; to this day I wish I had stuck with it. At the age of eight, I began taking jazz dance classes and that’s when I fell in love with dance. Like any child, I had always danced around the house whenever music was playing, but when I first saw my jazz teacher dance, that’s when I fell in love with it as an art form.”

So this must be the key moment, Britney loves dance, so she dances for the rest of her life, eventually making it to the AFL sidelines, right? Nope, as Britney explains, “Though I loved it, I don’t think it loved me back because I was not very good. My sister told me that I was too stiff and needed to loosen up. I was not accustomed to not excelling and I did something that I dedicate myself to not doing now, I quit. I stopped dancing around the age of ten and didn’t dance again, outside of the regular dancing everyone does, until my junior year in high school.”

But luckily for Georgia Force fans, Britney relaxed and allowed dance to love her back during her third encounter with it. “My best friend had made our high school dance team our sophomore year, and I would watch them perform and want to be out there so badly. When auditions came up our junior year she begged me to audition and so I went, and I was actually good,” Britney remembers. “Up until that point I had pretty much been known as a ‘brain.’ I was, ‘Britney, the smart girl.’ People were surprised when I auditioned, and even more surprised when I actually performed well. I had of course grown both physically and mentally since the age of ten, and I stopped caring so much about not looking good and just performed. I truly enjoyed performing and I have not stopped dancing since, and I plan to keep dancing until I just can’t anymore.”

‘Britney, the smart girl’ persisted, just morphing into ‘Britney, the smart girl who can dance.’ Britney’s desire to make herself the best she can be at any task can be traced to her childhood. “My first ‘job’ ever was folding boxes in the bakery my grandfather owned when I was around ten years old,” Britney recalls. “Though I believe he was just trying to keep me and my sister busy, this was the first time that I was paid for doing work. He probably would have given me the $10 whether I folded the boxes or not, but it felt good to believe that I had earned it. Even back then I tried hard to excel at what I did even when it something as simple as folding more boxes in a shorter time than my older sister.”

School was the central venue that provided a chance for Britney to excel, as she says, “Excellence in academics was always important to me growing up as well. Although my parents assured me they simply wanted me to do the best that I could, ‘the best I could’ for me became being number one. Starting in elementary school, once I knew what a Valedictorian was, I set my sights on becoming Valedictorian. It was never my parents who pushed me to be at the top of my class, though once I got there it was an expectation of theirs and mine that I would stay there.”

Britney’s academic excellence resulted in her graduating high school as Valedictorian, but that also brought a little angst. “The thing I remember most about graduation day is being petrified to go on stage and give my speech,” Britney says, “This was the first speech I had ever given in front of such a large crowd. I begged my best friend to give the speech for me, but she just laughed and said I’d be great. I’ve always had people around me who support me and believe in me even when I doubt myself. As I walked up to the podium, I looked around at all the faces staring at me thinking, ‘What if they hate it, or what if they don’t think my jokes are funny?’ Then I caught my sister’s eye and she smiled. I looked at my sister the entire time I gave the speech; luckily she was in the balcony so I didn’t have to look down to see her. Everyone loved my speech, and from that day, I have steadily put myself in situations where I have to speak publicly hoping one day I will be completely comfortable. I’m still working on that, though. It’s amazing how I can go out on a stage or field and dance in front of crowds of thousands of people, but the thought of public speaking still makes my stomach jump at times.”

Britney went on to attend Florida A&M University on a full academic scholarship, with double majors of Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering, while still pursuing her love of dance as a member of the illustrious Mahogany Dance Theatre. During this time Britney began stretching her boundaries, literally, by living in other parts of the US, as she says, “I had numerous summer internships while in college where I have had to live in Ocala, Florida, Peoria, Illinois, Washington D.C., and Colorado Springs, Colorado, for about three months each. Most of those aren’t what I would call the most exciting places, but it was definitely a good experience going to places that were totally outside my comfort zone.”

Britney’s continued academic excellence was exemplified by graduating Magna Cum Laude. Subsequently, Britney worked as a Software Engineer with a prestigious Government contractor, and lived in Denver for three years. After spending the vast majority of her life in the Southeast, Britney explains, “It was definitely a big change moving from the Southeast to Colorado. I had never lived so far from my family, who pretty much all live in the South. Driving home from college took four hours, driving home from Colorado took 22 hours. I definitely couldn’t run home to mom at the drop of a hat.”

But just as the support of her sister helped Britney thrive during her Valedictorian address, the support of a friend aided her ascent to Denver. Britney says, “Luckily a close friend of mine also got the same job offer as me and moved out there with me. Also being from Atlanta, we helped each other through the culture shock. Growing up in Atlanta, I was not very outdoorsy and neither were my friends and family. I had never been rafting, skiing, hiking, or anything else that is synonymous with being in a state like Colorado. For all the people I met when I got to Colorado, going camping, hiking, or biking in the mountains was a normal weekend thing to do. Though I know there are of course people in the South that do all these things, I was definitely not one of them. I was able to embrace some of this outdoor adventure that Colorado had to offer. I went rafting, camping, and did a little rock climbing. It was truly a great experience.”

In Colorado, another great experience was awaiting; Britney’s first taste of pro cheerleading. “Since high school, I had been on some type of dance team or in some type of dance theater, and so when I moved to Colorado, the first thing I did was research the local teams both professional and semi-pro,” explains Britney. “I sent e-mails out to all the coaches of the teams that I found, and asked for information. The (indoor football) Colorado Ice had actually already started their season at this time, but then three girls had to quit for different reasons and the coach decided to have a mid-season audition to find replacements. Since I had contacted her about being interested, she asked me to come out and audition. I loved being a Colorado Icicle. Interacting with the fans and the adrenaline rush of being on the field was like nothing else. There is nothing like an Indoor Football or Arena Football game. Because the fans are so close, excitement is contagious and the atmosphere is all encompassing. With the fast pace of the game and the great events that happen at breaks it was an adrenaline rush and some of the best times I’ve ever had.”

After Britney’s three years in Colorado, she decided to pursue a Master’s degree, and began her studies, on a full academic fellowship, back home in Georgia, at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Britney was back home, but found that a bit of Colorado remained in her soul. “I miss a lot of things about Colorado,” Britney reflects. “I miss the fabulous life-long friends I made and my Godson, who all keep me going back to visit at least twice a year. I also miss the East Indian dance group that I was a part of, Mudra. Mudra not only introduced me to one of the most beautiful dance styles ever invented, but the group embraced me into their culture. They welcomed me with open arms and let me experience the beauty of the Indian people. I truly love and miss them and try and always get back to see at least one of their shows each year.”

Britney pursued an M.S. in Information Security at Georgia Tech, and upon graduation, began working as a Software Quality Assurance Analyst for a prominent Atlanta-based company. With a graduate degree in Information Security, what does Britney think most home PC owners should do to provide a secure computing environment? “Though there are a few things that a lot of home PC owners should do to better protect themselves against attacks, one of the main ones, which is rarely talked about, deals with choosing anti-viral software,” offers Britney. “Most people will go with the big names, the ones that are suggested to them when they go into the store and buy their computer. Though these are good products and it is better to have something rather than nothing, they are not always the best option. The way anti-viral software works is that they look for the ‘signature’ of viruses. All viruses have a pattern or signature that can be detected and recognized as belonging to that specific virus. The problem is that anti-viral software only knows about the signatures that it is programmed to know about. Therefore, knowing that most people go for the big named software, hackers are able to see what signatures these widely used products protect against and create viruses that won’t be detected by them. I personally use lesser known but highly effective anti-viral software that can be downloaded online. Though these can also be bypassed the same way as the more well-known brands, since these are less likely to be used by most home PC owners, hackers are less likely to ensure that the signature created by their virus is undetectable by it. Nothing is full-proof when it comes to computer security, but it is a common misconception that the more well-known name equals the better product.”

And what does Britney think of people who develop silly but deleterious computer viruses; couldn’t they put all their work together to create something helpful for humankind? “I think that people who develop silly but deleterious computer viruses are selfish and have entirely too much time on their hands,” replies Britney. “I do believe that if they chose, they could definitely use their powers for good. Just like in one of my favorite TV shows, ‘Criminal Minds,” it is shown how you can take a hacker who was bent on gratifying some need for power by infiltrating government systems can be turned around to use those abilities to help the government instead.”

Balancing her technology focused career, Britney’s time as an Icicle in Colorado convinced her to continue pro dance in Georgia. But this time, it was the teams that quit on her. Twice. Britney explains, “When I moved back to Georgia, I auditioned for the first team I found that was having auditions the soonest, which was for an ABA team. I had fallen in love with being a cheerleader and I wanted to continue. Unfortunately the team folded, but through that team I met a woman who was a professional dancer and cheerleader and she convinced me to audition for the Georgia Force. I was very nervous because I had never auditioned for a professional team before, but she let me know that she truly believed I could make it and so I went into auditions and just performed. I tried not to show how nervous I was and exude the confidence that I have always had when facing new challenges and I was chosen for the 2009 Georgia Force Cheerleaders.” So this is the happy dance story ending and Britney can continue her love of pro cheer now, right? Nope, Britney tells, “That was the year that the AFL folded, which left me very disappointed and without a team for which to cheer.”

Ah, but perseverance is Britney’s middle name, and the Force returned to the AFL in 2011, and Britney says, “So when the Georgia Force came back, I was on a mission to make the Georgia Force Cheerleaders again. I had met quite a few of the wonderful women who had previously been on the team, and listening to their experiences made me truly want to finally experience a season as a GFC. Being a 2011 Georgia Force Cheerleader has been one of the best things ever to happen to me.”

But based on Britney’s past, if the Force had not returned, I just think she would have focused her energy on a simple plan; start her own software company, build it to a mega-corporation, when she had a few extra million, buy an AFL franchise for Georgia, try-out for the Georgia Force Cheerleaders (under an assumed name, I am certain Britney would not put up with any favoritism), and make the squad. Plus, she would have made it look easy peasy.

But luckily, the Force is back and Force fans didn’t have to wait any longer to see Britney and her teammates return to the Gwinnett Arena turf. For Force fans, they finally get to enjoy Britney on the field as a performer, off the field as a role model, and as a warm-hearted and lovely person all of the time.

Thanks so much to Britney for participating in this interview with UltimateCheerleaders, and to GFC Director Joie Ashworth for her coordination! Here are some more photos of Britney at the July 9th Force-Chicago Rush game (click on them to see a small version of the entire photo, and then click on that for the full size).