Student-Athlete Profile: Candace Hankins

A graduate of Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk, Virginia, Hankins knew she wanted to be active in college but thought that she would try the band.

A friend of Hankins, however, asked her if she knew about the Woo Woos. Hankins never heard of such a thing, so she did her research and Hankins realized that she would fit right in with the Woo Woos.

According to Dr. Paulette Johnson, the Woo Woo’s head coach, “Candace Hankins is a good person, she is coachable, she has the triple A factor that all my Woo Woo’s possess. She has a great attitude, she has great athletic ability, and her academics are astounding.”

After becoming a Woo Woo, Hankins found that being a Woo Woo meant more than just being a cheerleader.

“We are more like a sisterhood, one big family,” said Hankins.

Not only do the Woo Woos take part in football, basketball, and volleyball games, they also partake in various community service projects.

“The sisterly bond is the best part," Johnson said. “Being a Woo Woo is not just about cheerleading, being a Woo Woo teaches life lessons and life skills.".

Hankins also says that the hardest part about being a Woo Woo is the working out.  Many people don't realize that the VSU cheerleaders practice as many hours per week as the football and basketball teams, and in some cases, more.

And the best part? That would be the sisterly bond.

This season, Hankins is the Floor Queen, and everyone can tell that she is well deserving of the position. As well as Floor Queen, Hankins was chosen by her peers to represent Virginia State University as one of two All-CIAA Football Cheerleaders at the CIAA Football Championship in Charlotte, N.C.

Hankins favorite quote that she lives by ever since she was in elementary school is, “It’s not what you think that hinders you, it’s what you think you’re not.” Hankins feels that when you allow yourself to be your own worst enemy, you don’t allow yourself to be the best at what you do.

But life is not all rosey for a Woo Woo.  When the VSU cheerleaders travel on the road, they are sometimes met with insults and disrespect from fans and other cheerleading squads.

People that dislike the Woo Woos do so for many reasons, mostly out of petty jealousy, but Hankins never let the rude welcomes get her or the team down.

“Haters never prosper, we are always on your mind, so that’s what makes us greater than you," she said.

It's one of the most well-known questions in the CIAA.  It's also one of the hardest to achieve.

Can you WOO WOO?