From Crystal Well, Cheer Coach ECU and Cheer Director for the SOTX:
I’m crying!! All the Special Olympics Texas cheerleading teams on the mat at NCA High School Nationals 2020!! This photo represents years of blood, sweat, and tears, hard work, dedication, and SO MUCH more!! Competitive Cheer became an Internationally RECOGNIZED sport of Special Olympics just last year. Texas picked it up in 2018. This is only our 2nd State cheerleading championship… and we are on the biggest stage in cheerleading—#NCAnationals!!!! Special Olympics Cheer is now a division at NCA!! What??!!! And Liberty Cheer Justice was the first SOTX team to compete on the mat in that division!! There aren’t words adequate for what this means to me, my daughter, my athletes, and cheerleaders with disabilities everywhere. So many people helped get us to this point and made this dream a reality: National Cheerleaders Association International Cheer Union, Special Olympics, SO CHEER, USA Cheer, Darian Packard and the Special Olympics Cheer Resource Team, everyone at SOTX, every single one of these coaches, all of the athletes and their families!! Justin Carrier and his whole crew went above and beyond to get this done today! The other cheerleaders and their families were amazing, wishing all of the teams “Good Luck”. It was incredible. I’m grateful to each of you! Kim Cannel Ashley Morris-Brown Lyndsey Brown Rose Carrie Brown Smith SamCat Brown Ryan Zeller Troy Deering Dez Davis Liberty Cheer, Gymnastics & Dance Special Olympics Ellis County United Couldn’t have done it without you!! We are going to keep pushing forward creating more opportunities like this, so y’all make more room for us. And tell your friends.
