By Derrick Smith

Bringing back a sports program that has not been active for many years can be a lot of work. The Alex High School cheer team is a few years into their return after a long hiatus and head coach Amanda Chambers says that she could not ask for a better group of student-athletes.
“I have coached cheer at Alex since we rebuilt the cheer program in 2018,” she said. “The work ethic of these young ladies is phenomenal. The girls are eager to get better. They want to put in the work needed to excel, and they never complain. We are a close-knit family, where we can be ourselves around each other. The love they have for each other is genuine. We laugh together, we cry together, we encourage, and we get work done.”

The team attended their first UCA cheer camp in June and Chambers’ squad is excited about the future.
“We came back on a school-spirit high and closer than we were before,” she said. “We also had a lock-in, where the girls enjoyed each other’s company and planning our future as a team. We got up the next morning and went on a day trip to the Wichita Mountains. It’s always a good time with these girls and that’s never a shortage of laughter.”
Senior Jaidyn DeWitt enjoys being part of a team that has grown so close and they are always there for each other.
“My favorite thing about our team is how we are all so different but we come together and work hard,” she said. “We’ve come from being strangers into a little family. I enjoy cheering for our school because of my team and the way we can bring the community together.
DeWitt’s teammate, junior Delaney Chambers agrees with her teammate and says that helping spread school spirit is something that she loves.
“I love being a part of bringing the community together with school spirit and supporting our team,” she said. “Our team works really well together and always has fun. Even when we’re working so hard and getting frustrated, we are still laughing and having a great time.”