Teammates can be a vital part of an athlete’s success. Not only do they help you improve your game and abilities, but they also can be a source of motivation and encouragement when needed. Ava Smalley is a member of the Blanchard cheer team and she says that a couple of the members of her team have been influential in who she is today. 

“One of my biggest role models is a senior on this year’s cheer team, Mackenzie Keeler,” Ava said. “She has helped me a lot this year. She is always very encouraging to me and the team. She is always positive and supportive to all of the girls.  My other biggest role model is Cassidy Barnes. She is also a member of the cheer team and has helped me a lot this year. She’s an amazing cheerleader and I look up to her a lot.”

Smalley is a freshman at Blanchard High School. Along with cheer, she also plays basketball. Outside of sports, she is also a member of the school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes organization.

Throughout her time in sports, Smalley has invested a lot of time and effort into becoming the best cheerleader that she can be. With that work, she has also seen the positive results from it.

“It has taken a lot of hard work and dedication,” she said. “For cheer, I’ve had to learn to be dependable, so my teammates know I’ll always be there and always do my job the best I can. The highlight moment was getting the MVP award for cheer last year, and making the team my freshman year.”

Cheer has always been something that Ava has loved and dreamed of doing, but once it came time to be a part of the varsity squad, she was a little apprehensive. But her new teammates came to her rescue.

“Going into my freshman year I was extremely nervous,” she recalled. “But the girls on the team have done nothing but welcomed me and made me feel wanted and excited to be there. The coaches as well, I could not have asked for better coaches to help me through this year.”