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Where Are They Now? - Shawn Beaver Despot - Cheerleading

Shawn Beaver Despot cheered on the Lipscomb Bisons teams for four years as a student and then spent time as the coach of the team. Shawn has great memories of her time as a Lipscomb student and she talked with Lipscombsports.com this week about her experiences.
 
Name and sport played:
 
Shawn Beaver Despot. Cheerleader.
 
 
What years did you compete for Lipscomb, and who coached you?
 
I was a cheerleader from 2005 to 2009.
 
My freshman and sophomore years the coach was Renee French. My junior year the coach was Crystal Curtis. My senior year the coach was Amy Cozart Benfield.
 
 
What teammates were most memorable, and why?
 
Hillary Lowe and I cheered together all four years. We had a great time. There were good memories all of those years.
 
Lesslye Perry was a senior on team my freshman year. Her father is Kenny Perry, the pro golfer. That was pretty cool. There were only nine girls on the squad my freshman year so we were pretty close knit. Usually we had around 16 on the team. I remember being featured on the cover of "The Babbler".
 
 
What degree have you earned, from where, and when?
 
Bachelor of Arts in oral communications and a minor in fashion merchandising from Lipscomb in 2009. I am working in what I went to school for. I am in sales and communication is important. I also work designing uniforms for cheer and dance teams at Vanderbilt to schools in surrounding counties.
 
 
Why did you attend Lipscomb?
 
I am from the San Francisco Bay Area. I wanted to go to school in the South. I originally wanted to have a Southeastern Conference experience. But, I had a cousin at Lipscomb and when I came to visit her I fell in love with Nashville.
Lipscomb was a Christian environment. I figured being so far away from home it would be good to be in a Christian environment.
 
I also happened to visit when Singarama was going on. I didn't know what it was, but I went to watch my cousin.  I was like, oh, my goodness, I have to come to Lipscomb and be in Singarama. I loved that experience in college and I loved Lipscomb too.
 
 
What is your favorite athletic memory at Lipscomb?
 
It is a bittersweet memory. It was my freshman year when we were playing Belmont for the Atlantic Sun Conference championship at East Tennessee State.  If we had won we could have gone to the NCAA Tournament. That was the Brian Fisk, Eddie Ard and Shaun Durant team. We lost the championship game and that was heartbreaking.
 
Cheering for that team that year was so awesome. We had an incredible student section for the basketball games. Students really showed up for that team. It was awesome.
 
I also remember the "Battle of the Boulevard" games when Belmont was in our conference.The games always seemed to go into overtime.
 
 
Who influenced your athletic career at Lipscomb?
 
Renee French made a really strong first impression on me. She was very disciplined and I appreciated that about her.
 
Amy Cozart has had a long-lasting influence on my life that has carried on beyond college. She was the person who got me involved with the Universal Cheerleading Association as a summer job. Toward the end of college, I would go and hold cheer camps throughout the mid-south. She has always been a strong influence.
 
I also have a pretty extensive history of coaching cheerleading which she passed down me at Lipscomb. It was an honor to feel like she could trust me to take over the program at Lipscomb from 2012 to 2014. I did that for two years. I also coached at Lipscomb Academy middle school and competition teams during those two years and for two years more after I stopped coaching at the university.
 
In 2019, I helped my friend Carly Joseph Nichols coach the cheer team at Christ Presbyterian Academy (CPA). The last two years I have been the cheerleading coach there.
 
 
What do you remember about Lipscomb campus life during your time here?
 
I remember hanging out in the square. I was involved with the Phi Sigma social club and enjoyed that. I was able to cheerleading and have that commitment and also be involved in a social club.
 
I remember hanging out in the dorm. There was the big dodgeball tournament every Halloween and that was fun. But, Singarama was always the highlight for me.
 
 
What is the most valuable lesson you learned in your time at Lipscomb?
 
That God is always ahead of me and everything would turn out okay. You don't realize how you still are when you are in college. I am so grateful God guided me through the experience, both the highs and the lows.
 
 
 
Who was your favorite professor and why?
 
Paul Prill. I always appreciated him. He always encouraged me. Sometimes I would struggle and not feel like I was being taken seriously. But he would tell me not to think that way and he would remind me I have a lot to offer.
 
 
Where did you grow up?
 
Brentwood, California, which is in the East Bay area.
 
 
Where do you live, and what do you do now?
 
I live in Green Hills near the Lipscomb campus. I work for Varsity Spirit as a sales representative. I am based in Nashville. I sell and design dance and cheer uniforms. I have been working here for four years.
 
 
Tell us about your family:
 
I am married to Mitchell Despot. We will be married for 10 years next summer. We have a son, MJ, who is six. We are expecting our second boy in March.
 
 
FAST FINISH: 
  • Favorite food: Sushi
  • Favorite TV show or movie: Legally Blonde and Forrest Gump
  • Favorite Bible scripture: Philippians 4:13
  • Favorite sports team: Tennessee Titans
  • Person I most admire: My Dad, Rodney Beaver
  • Person I'd most like to meet:  Taylor Swift
  • Rather ride or drive? Drive
  • Pick one – salad or dessert:  Dessert
  • Dream vacation spot: The Bahamas
  • Early morning or late-night person? Late-night
 
If you wish to contact Shawn, you can do so at her email below:
 
  • Email address: shawnfdespot@gmail.com

 
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