BELLAIRE • MEMORIAL • RIVER OAKS • TANGLEWOOD • WEST UNIVERSITY

The cheer life

By Hailey Harrison, age 12 | February 1, 2020

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SHAMROCKS Pictured are the Shamrock cheerleaders (from left: (seated) Coco Balette, Audrina Valdez, (second row) Hailey Harrison, Kendall O'Grady, Jackie Walton, Sophie Storm, Itzarie Amaro, (back row) Madeline Gage, coach Lisa Hale, Madison Eubanks, Lillian Johnson, Isabella Hutchison, Milana Lipkin, coach Dana Eubanks and Sarah Beth Roady. (Photo: Photo Texas)

I have always loved cheering on the sidelines. When I was younger, I cheered in the Houston/Cypress area for about three years, and I loved it! When I moved to Memorial, there was no sideline cheering program for girls my age. I watched my brother, Brett, play football in middle school, and there was never a cheer team! I begged my mom to help create a cheer team so that when I got to middle school, I could cheer for the middle school teams.

SPIRIT AND SISTERHOOD Hailey Harrison, a seventh grader at Westchester Academy for International Studies, worked with her mom to create a sideline cheer team called the Shamrocks. (Photo: Photo Texas)

It took about a year to plan our initial season with Houston Christian Stallions football (the team my brother played on at the time), for middle school boys that do not have a team at their school. I started by recruiting my best friend, Alyssa McDonald. After that, it was time to recruit the rest of the team!

My mom and I did some marketing and recruited nine middle school cheerleaders. Our first year was a big success. We had so much fun! Most of our cheerleaders returned for our second season in 2019, and we added some new girls, too. In 2019, we aligned our team with Southwest Football League. We just completed our second season with 13 Shamrocks cheerleaders! Our cheerleaders attend multiple schools, including Westchester Academy for International Studies, Cornerstone Academy, St Francis Episcopal and Memorial Middle School.

This team means a lot to me. We make bonds that don’t break, and we aren’t just teammates – we’re a sisterhood. It’s a chance for girls to have fun and learn some new cheer and tumbling skills. Most of all, I have learned that, when I have a big idea and work hard on it, then I can make it happen. Hopefully the team will be an opportunity for upcoming middle school girls, even when I am finished with middle school. We would love to hear from you ([email protected]) if you are interested in cheering with us!

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