By Derrick Smith

Anna Everhart is in her third season at the helm of the Olustee-Eldorado cheer team. She says that her team has some new faces that are bringing some new excitement to the team.
“We are down in numbers this year,” she said. “We will only have seven on the varsity squad, but my three newcomers are all eager to learn and be a part of our family. I have three seniors this year on my squad, Madison Garcia, Rhey’Lynn Sanders, and Delaney Gobeille. They have all three cheered together since they were in the fourth grade, so they know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. What one lacks, the other picks up.”
While her team enjoys cheering on the athletic teams, they also enjoy spreading school spirit in other ways.

“Being in a small school, my girls do a lot of work for spirit and homecoming week,” she said. “They dance at basketball games as well as cheer for the guys and girls if they do not play basketball themselves. We keep posters hanging in the halls to promote spirit. We have had floats in the Altus Christmas Parade, have a yearly lock-in where we get to know each other, practice our routines and cheers, play games, and attempt to stay up all night. In the spring we will hold a pep squeaker’s day, where we attempt to teach our Pre-K through sixth-grade future cheerleaders a small dance and cheer which they get to perform at halftime of a varsity boys game.”
The team has also brought home some hardware to show that their hard work has paid off. They have attended camps and walked away with Most Spirited Squad and Most Improved Squad.
Sanders enjoys cheering for Olustee and has made some great memories over the year.
“I love being a part of a loving cheer squad and getting to support our basketball teams during games,” she said. “A highlight of mine would have to be being in the Altus Christmas parade with my cheer team.”
Her teammate Gobeille says that helping the younger girls has been the best part.
“I enjoy being able to give encouragement to our players and be a role model for those younger than me.”