By Emory Kouplen 

Reese Wilkins is always sure to bring the energy to the stands. Reese is a senior at Chickasha High School and she is a base/back and a tumbler on the cheer team, and she has been cheering for ten years. She was first introduced to cheer in the first grade. “My mom put me on a competitive team when I was in first grade, and I just fell in love with it! Cheer has become such a big part of my life and I have loved every second of it!” Her passion for cheerleading is proven through the way that she leads and encourages the fellow members of the team. “ I always try to be the first one to the gym and the last one to leave! I try to put up more reps with my stunt group even if we’re having a good practice and don’t really feel the need to do more reps! I hope that the younger girls on the team will look up to me and want to be in the gym as much as I want to be there!” All of her hard work contributes to what she most enjoys about her sport. “My favorite part about being a cheerleader is competing,” she shares. “Being on the mat with my team, and the feeling after you hit your routine has always been one of my favorites!” Having spent so much time cheering, Reese has learned many important and applicable lessons. “The biggest lesson I’ve learned from my sport is to not quit when things get hard. If you push yourself to do your best every time, you will get the outcome you want!” To anyone who is considering becoming a cheerleader, Reese offers some words of encouragement: Always push yourself to do more! Even when you think you can’t do another tumbling pass, you can always do one more. The satisfaction of knowing I can hit my skills even when I’m tired gives me the confidence to be able to go out onto the mat and perform a solid routine!