Rallying to Remember 9/11 Two spectators hold a sign in remembrance of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks during a 9/11 Spirit Rally at Tucker High School. - Cydney Rhines Wednesday, September 21, 2011 By Cydney Rhines Advertising Ten years later, the events of  Sept.  11, 2001 in New York, Washington D.C. and rural Pennsylvania still continue to strike nerves across America.   Closer to home, Tucker High School, about 20 minutes outside of Atlanta, hosted the  9/11 Spirit Rally for families to remember and younger kids to learn what happened 10 years ago.   Sponsored by the Georgia Xtreme Youth Football League, the Spirit Rally provided entertaining competition from the league's local cheer squads that incorporated the 9/11 theme.  “ I remember the day it happened, where I was and what I was doing when the attack on the twin towers took place,” said GXYFL coach Charlaine Pitts.  “The word `shocked' was beyond me, and even though it happened 10 years ago, it still has me in disbelief today.”   Dressed in their red, white and blue outfits, army fatigue and squad colors, the cheer teams showed that even though the tragic events of 9/11 happened 10 years earlier, the victims and families affected were still in their hearts.  The chants, cries and laughs from the cheer squads stirred emotions.  The main reason for the rally was to educate a new generation about the reasons why the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York were demolished by two hijacked commercial jets and why thousands died with Americans in front of television screens helplessly watching it all happen.  Terrorists also attacked the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense in Washington and a crew of brave passengers caused a fourth plane to crash in rural Pennsylvania enroute to Washington by overtaking the hijackers. The rally, like countless around the nation on Sept. 11,  was a time to come together and take a few hours out of the day to recognize the ones who died tragically in the 9/11 attacks. Many of the cheerleaders, 10 to 12 years old, were too young to remember the events and wondered why they were cheering for a special cause, or why their parents were sporting their red, white and blue ensembles.   Host for the evening Jennifer Johnson of GXYFL, made sure everyone knew the reason for the occasion. “Cheering may be one thing, but cheering for a cause is everything,” she said.

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