By Trina Walker
Madison Lewis is passionate about cheer. She is a Broken Arrow High School sophomore with big plans to cheer at the collegiate level. She wants everyone to know that effort pays off.
BAHS cheerleaders are part of a highly competitive spirit team. They cheer for all the BAHS athletes while training year-round for regional, state and UCA cheer competition, where they won fifth place out of 112 teams in the All-Girl Performance this year.
“Pep assemblies give us the ability to cheer on every other student athlete. They are so fun, and we get to show off our skills. My team works hard for our competitions, so I love that we have the time to go show it off,” raves Madison.
Valuable advice pushes Madison to keep going. “Do it tired, do it sad, do it happy, do it mad, do it unmotivated, do it even when you think you can’t. Just do it!” Her sport has also helped her grow into a person with character. “Cheerleading taught me to always do the right thing even when I think nobody is watching and to always hold myself accountable with everything I do,” she said.
One challenge cheerleaders face is maintaining a healthy mental state. “Hard practices and bad days drain your mental health as a cheerleader, so it is always important to be there for yourself and believe you can do anything.” This is why Madison says having a strong team is important. “We are a family. When we have bad days, our teammates are there to lift up one another.”
Madison started cheering in the eighth grade after doing power tumbling in gymnastics for many years. She had watched her sister, Mackenzie Lewis, cheer her whole life. Seeing her sister cheer gave her the inspiration to try out. She made the team and is now taking cheer as far as she can go.
“My mom inspires me because she is at every competition, every game and any time I need her. She will always be there to be my biggest cheerleader. She is my biggest inspiration because I am doing everything for her,” said Madison.
Her plans after high school are to go to college at either Alabama or Oklahoma. Her ultimate dream is to make the cheer squad and study to become an ultrasound technician.
