Cheering Up the Middle School

Fair Grove Middle School cheerleaders are transitioning from football season to basketball. This year the middle school cheer squad is coached by Bailey Calloway. Calloway explained, “I love coaching at Fair Grove. It is so special to be a part of the strong community here. I have found that athletes here want to be successful in the classroom and on the field and that’s been so refreshing. I feel like I have an opportunity to impact kids in a different way than I can in the classroom.”

Calloway might be new to Fair Grove but she’s not new to coaching. This year is her third year coaching but she has only ever coached varsity cheer. She told that she enjoyed stepping back to helping build the basics and drill fundamentals. 

The cheerleaders are also adjusting to the new coaching well. Hannah Bruner, a returning eighth grade cheerleader, said, “Adjusting to the new coach was fairly easy. She knew that at first some of the returning 8th graders were going to be resilient with her. She was prepared and helped a lot when it came to getting use to the new coach.”

Calloway said that the cheer squad did amazing during the football season. She elaborated, “We worked hard, cheered long nights and really enjoyed learning more about football, sideline cheer and stunting.”

The squads main goal for basketball season is to work on their stunting. They try to focus on safe and solid stunting. When they put something in front of a crowd they want to make sure it hits and it looks good. Over all they want to keep the spirits high, showcase their stunning and tumbling, promote sportsmanship, and to create a positive game environment. 

 The squad has the nice bond. Bruner mentioned that they are hard working and try their best to fix any problems. She thinks that getting closer would benefit their team a lot. She commented, “My favorite part about cheerleading is probably the family you make. No one can replace that bond and trust with these girls.”