A couple of years ago a Facebook memory post caught the eye of a school administrator at Tupelo and Tonya Crisp was asked to take over the cheer program at the school with the old coach stepping down. “I cheered when I was in high school for four years and I posted about it and the next thing I know here I am,” said Crisp now in here second year leading the program. “We only had four girls on the squad when I took over, but we did a tiny camp at the elementary and junior highs and sparked some interest and this year we have eight on the squad. It has taken a lot of hard work and some tears along the way but the girls I’ve got now are eager to learn and they’ve really been able to get the student body a lot more involved in backing our teams.”
One of those girls is captain Mady Daffern, a junior who Crisp asked to step in as a leader last year when the captain and co-captain both left the team. “It was difficult at first and there was a lot to get ahold of but as time went by it got easier,” said Mady who also plays softball, is in FFA and student council. “I like working with the new girls because I like the idea of them wanting to learn cheer and be on the team.”
Another member of the squad is senior Chloe Davidson who is cheering for the first time. “I was always a little interested in cheer, but I decided since it was my senior year that I would go for it. I like the team bonding and all of things we do in the schools and community,” said Davidson.
Junior Shannon Hatton is both a cheer leader and is Roary the Tiger, the school mascot. “Shannon is funny and a little goofy and she keeps us loose and makes us laugh,” said Crisp
As a child Shannon moved a lot and came to Tupelo after cheering in junior high in Oklahoma City. “I probably like being Roary a little more than cheering because I go to the elementary school every week as Roary to read to the kids and I love to see them smile and be happy when they see me.”
The future looks brighter for the Tupelo cheer program as Crisp says she’s already had 15 or more inquiries about tryouts next spring, and she hopes to have a skilled enough squad to compete at the Game Day competition next year.
