EOMS squad brings home title

CENTERFIELD – In just three years the East Oldham Middle School cheerleaders have made a name for themselves.

The squad just capped its most successful year by winning the first-ever Mid-Bluegrass Conference cheering

competition.

“We have three eighth-graders who have been with us since the school opened and we had seven totally new girls on the 14-person team,” EOMS co-coach Ashley Manuel said. “We had to overcome a lot to get to where we were this year.”

Manuel and co-coach Emely Clevinger are both former Oldham County High School cheerleaders and University of Louisville graduates. Clevinger cheered for U of L for two years.

Manuel said the team’s three eighth-graders, Alexis Gill, Hannah Lorenz and Olivia Baker were a big part of the team’s success.

“Those three were really great and did everything we asked them to do,” Manuel said. “They really set a good example.”

In addition to winning the conference title, the team won competitions at Beth Haven and St. Athanasius. They were also second at a competition at Mercy Academy. The team won another prestigious honor when they were given the Spirit Award at Bluegrass Classic state championships which is voted on by the other teams. They were fourth overall at that competition.

The team recently held its own awards banquet with Gill winning the Miss 8th Grade award similar to an MVP honor. Ashley Mitchen won the sixth-grade honor and Morgan Harper the seventh-grade honor.

The team started practice in July and cheered at all home football and basketball games. They practiced one night a week at Apex Gymnastics center and fit in a couple of more practices through the week at the school.

“With Emely and I both working full-time now we had to practice at night and that was a little harder to get adjusted,” Manuel said. “They were amazing though. We definitely pushed them to their limits because we knew what they could do. Once they got going, they just exploded.”

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