Cover girl

Darian Barnett spread more good cheer in Jay County than she realized. And it helped her earn a spot on a magazine cover.
Barnett, a 2013 Jay County High School graduate and Indiana University cheerleader, won an online vote to be on the cover of the August issue of American Cheerleader magazine.
“It was really unexpected,” said Barnett, a junior. “It’s something I know probably will never be an opportunity again, so it’s really cool to get a chance to do something like that.”
American Cheerleader uses voting to determine who will be on the cover for two of its four issues each year, with the focus often on the collegiate ranks. Candidates can either apply or be nominated online, and the magazine often talks to coaches of large, successful programs in order to find strong candidates.
Barnett was selected from a group of three Indiana University cheerleaders for the cover vote.
“Her coaches think she’s a really good representative of the program,” said Kim Conley, managing editor of American Cheerleader. “She’s just an all-around good cheerleader and student and ambassador of the school.”
Barnett won a close four-way competition, earning 36 percent of the vote to beat LSU’s Caroline Joseph by one percentage point in balloting that brought in more than 105,000 votes. Also involved in the competition were Madie Montero of Clemson and Patty Walpole of Kentucky.
During voting last month she saw an outpouring of support on social media, even getting well wishes from friends from elementary school.
“I felt like that was the coolest part of all of it, because going into it … I definitely didn’t plan on winning or that many people actually taking time to vote,” said Barnett. “And then when I would get on Facebook and have like a million notifications from so many people who I haven’t talked to in forever or seen … It’s nice to know you have all the support back home still.”
Barnett started her cheerleading career in Jay County and was twice a member of Indiana State Fair champion squads.
She earned her first title as a member of the JCHS junior varsity squad with an all-freshman group in 2008 and was a member of the championship varsity squad in 2010.

The Patriots also finished second during her senior year in 2011.
“I remember just loving our team so much and being so close to everyone,” said Barnett, mentioning then-coach Mindy Weaver and then-assistant coach Abby Champ as well as her squad mates. “I feel like I remember just enjoying everything being with that group.”
Barnett will appear in the “Back to School” issue of American Cheerleader in August and will also be featured as the cheerleader of the month. The magazine will use photos from Indiana University with the possibility of also scheduling a photo shoot at the school. And Barnett will be interviewed for a feature story.
Barnett said she’s thankful for the opportunity both to be on the magazine and to cheer for the Hoosiers.
“It is a great honor to have Darian on the cover,” said IU cheer coach Julie Horine. “This is not something that happens very often for programs, so we are thrilled.
“Darian has improved tremendously in her three years with us in many aspects of our program. Her skill set improves each year, she has really come along as a leader and mentor to other team members, and she continues to work hard in the classroom as well.
“I think my favorite thing about Darian being in our program at Indiana University is that she truly loves cheering for the Hoosiers. She is a great game day cheerleader and really understands our main purpose of supporting our teams.”
Barnett is in her third year at IU, where she cheers at football, men’s basketball, volleyball and women’s basketball games. The squad holds three-hour practices three times a week in addition to a couple of optional open gym sessions.
This week she was cheering on the Hoosier women’s basketball team at the Big Ten Tournament at Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.
The junior counts last season’s upset of Wisconsin in which IU snapped a 12-game losing streak to the Badgers — the fans rushed the court — as one of her favorites among many memorable moments.
“It’s definitely an unforgettable experience,” said Barnett.