Moving from Tulsa to Eufaula was a catalyst for senior Sydney Schiffli to become involved in cheer and that ride culminated this year with a trip to the OSSAA state competitive cheer competition. “I did dance when I was younger and had considered cheer a couple of times but when I moved to Eufaula, I had a cousin on the cheer team and I thought cheer would be something fun to do, a little out of my comfort zone, and chance to bond a little more with my cousin. So I tried out and have been on the squad since I was a freshman. I really like Friday night lights cheering and doing competitions.” Her coach Lori Curtis sings her praises. “Sydney is a four-year cheer leader who always has a positive attitude and is willing to go above and beyond for the team and is a good leader by example for us.” This year’s regional competition that propelled the Ironheads to state was something Sydney vividly remembers. “I was nervous on the trip to regionals but once we started warming up, I felt really confident, and I just knew we would make it to state. But I got a little nervous again as I watched the teams in front of us perform. But the confidence returned once we were out there doing our routine. Then there was the long wait to see who qualified and when they called our name, it was the best feeling ever,” said Sydney who is also part of student council, National Honor Society and Link Crew which is a mentoring program for incoming freshmen. As a senior leader, Sydney mostly leads by example but “I also work to mediate disagreements that come up from time to time.”. One of her role models was a former cheer leader, Vada Bevenue. “She was really nice and funny, not one of those scary seniors, and she was a friend of my cousin which was also nice.” After high school, Sydney plans to go to college, possibly cheer and study interior design or architecture.
