By Chris Cox

In her 13 years coaching cheer at Kiefer High School, Shelley Blankenship has learned that each squad is built differently. Some are heavy on upperclassmen while others are reliant on underclassmen. With five seniors, five juniors, six sophomores, and three freshmen this year, Blankenship likes the mixture of veteran leadership and young talent on her Kiefer cheer squad.

As far as her senior class goes, Blankenship was quick to praise their leadership and hard work. She mentioned Kyleigh Greene and Tatum McMasters as two of those seniors that lead the way for the entire squad. “We went to the NCA (National Cheerleaders Association) camp this year and they asked [Kyleigh Greene] at camp to join their staff next summer and that was really exciting for her,” she says. “Kyleigh is one of those girls that, when you’re watching our group, your eyes will be drawn to her. She performs as well as she cheers. Besides her techniques, she’s just fun to watch.”

Of McMasters, Blankenship says when she speaks, her teammates listen. “Tatum is another good role model,” Blankenship says. “She’s willing to speak up and to put people in their place, if necessary. But she always does it in a respectful way. I know she always has my back.”

Of the underclassmen, Blankenship says she’s excited to see them learn from the upperclassmen and grow over the next couple of years. “We are getting them trained in how we do things,” she says. “We are teaching them different techniques and what to do in the future, which will make them better leaders when they are seniors.”

Blankenship also likes the competitive nature of this year’s team. “In the past we’ve had some girls on competitive squads outside of school but it’s very demanding of their time,” she says. “They are not doing that this year and are focusing on our team. We compete in the competitive side and game day side with OSSAA. They want to do well and are just a bunch of hard workers.”

Along with that competitiveness, Blankenship says these girls know they are also there to help create a vibrant game day atmosphere. “We’ve got kind of a tough crowd sometimes,” Blankenship admits. “Our main goal is to attack the crowd and try to get them involved.”

Kiefer Cheer Roster:

Kyleigh Greene (Sr), Emily Dangott (Sr), Clara Carter (Sr), Tatum McMasters (Sr), Kennedy Mims (Sr), Addison Brook (Jr), Avery Kearney (Jr), Remi Campbell (Jr), Kensleigh Sedlacek (Jr), Myah Valois (Jr), Makinlee Parker (So), Erin Boyles (Soph), Kaylin Waterdown (Soph), Jaylee Buck (So), Camdyn Dwyer (So), Josie Carr (So), Carli Brownfield (Fr), Kenadie Duncan (Fr), Mackenzie Greene (Fr)