Time to cheer for Tea Area: Cheerleaders launch new program for young girls

Elementary girls now have the chance to cheer with the big girls at Tea Area.

By signing up at any Tea Area home basketball game, girls in junior kindergarten through fourth grade have the chance of their name being drawn to cheer at the next home game.

Kari Morales, basketball cheer adviser, said they have about 50 girls signed up. Girls can sign up by putting their names in the yellow box at the concession stand at any home basketball game.

“They have to register to be a Little Lady Titan Cheerleader,” Morales said. “Not everyone’s going to be able to do it unfortunately.”

Morales credits the idea for the program to junior cheerleader Grace Hayworth. Then, they brainstormed how to make it work.

The Little Lady Titan Cheerleaders wear little Titan cheerleading outfits borrowed to them from a football cheerleader. Each Little Lady Titan Cheerleader receives a Titan-colored hair bow made by the high school cheerleaders and a T-shirt.

The little cheerleader does a stunt of her own when her names is announced before the game and participates with the cheerleaders during the starting lineup and during cheers during the first half.

So far this year they have had nine girls drawn to be Little Titan Cheerleaders. Those include Emma Luden, Laynie Edblom, Kaylyn Hall, Moriah Kocer, Rease Moe, Ramsey Stansbury, Kenley Johnson, Chloe Kruger and Joslyn Kuipers.

Kruger’s mom, Kelley, said her daughter, a first-grader, thought it was a great experience.

“She had the time of her life. She thought that was the best thing ever. We want to thank them for doing that for those girls,” she said. “Hopefully they can continue that.”

Morales said the high school cheerleaders, including Hayworth, Amanda Olson and Kaylee Panning, enjoy it.

“They love it. They love getting the little younger girls involved,” Morales said.