'It was big, like, 'OK, we in the house right now,' ' the singer says in the latest episode.
By Mawuse Ziegbe

Ciara
Photo: MTV News

As we've seen from several episodes of "When I Was 17," some of the biggest stars spent their high school years as awkward social misfits. Not Ciara, though. The "Ride" singer reveals on the latest episode of the series, airing Saturday at 11 a.m., that she was far from a geeky wallflower. The singer known for bringing the heat with her skillful dance moves brought the same undeniable spirit to her high school's cheerleading squad.

"I loved cheerleading — dancing, the game, the excitement, the energy — just everything was fun about it to me," Ciara enthuses.

The ATL princess' powerhouse energy and limber footwork are apparently assets she's been honing for years. But Ciara wasn't just a cheerleader: She was apparently so good at the whole pom-pom waving, high-kicking, cheer-hollering thing that she ended up running the team.

"I was really excited when I was elected captain my senior year," Cici said, giddily reliving the memory. "It was big, like, 'OK, we in the house right now.' "

Although Ciara was at the top of the cheerleading game, she had big dreams and left the sidelines of her high school matches for the nonstop action of superstardom.

"Unfortunately, I couldn't be as involved as I wanted to be because it was a year when my music started to become even more important to me," the star revealed.

She may have given up her pom-poms, but focusing on her music obviously paid off.

"When I Was 17" — this week featuring Ciara, CC Sabathia and Debi Nova — airs Saturday at 11 a.m. on MTV.

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