In partnership with the Special Olympics, Unified Cheer teams were invited to compete under the bright lights of the National Cheerleaders Association state competition for the first time.
Under the direction of Head Coach Victoria Butler and Assistant Coach Stacey Murto, Sparkle Cheer scored the highest in their division with a final score of 83.9 – the highest score out of all the Special Olympics divisions.
“We had to create a routine that consisted of a game day cheer, jumps, standing tumbling, running tumbling, stunts, pyramid, and dance all under three minutes long, ” Butler said.
The Sparkle Cheer team consists of 17 middle and high school student-athletes from Keller ISD and is housed at Fossil Ridge High School. The team practices weekly with the help of their Unified partners – the FRHS Varsity cheerleaders.
Be on the lookout! There are plans for the Sparkle Cheer team to cheer at select football and basketball games.
Congratulations to the following athletes:
Fossil Ridge High School
Gerardo Cereceres – Gold Medal
Marc Rodriguez – Gold Medal
Madelyn Arnold – Gold Medal (Unified Partner)
Kailey Hernandez – Gold Medal (Unified Partner)
Jonnhy Hernandez Lazcano – Gold Medal (Unified Partner)
Samantha Hurst – Gold Medal (Unified Partner)
Jordyn Joyce – Gold Medal (Unified Partner)
Kaylei Maine – Gold Medal (Unified Partner)
Lexis Pacheco –Gold Medal (Unified Partner)
Natalia Portalaitn –Gold Medal (Unified Partner)
Michael Salazar – Gold Medal (Unified Partner)
Camrynn Wimberly – Gold Medal (Unified Partner)
Central High School
Kinley Doan – Gold Medal
Leah Chavez – Gold Medal
Keller High School
Sophie Hinkley – Gold Medal
Emerson Nees – Gold Medal
Keller Center for Advanced Learning
Mia Culpepper – Gold Medal