What’s the best part of Cheer? For Alyssa Barnett, it’s the excitement, energy, and anticipation of the Friday night lights. She says it’s a lot of things: the roar of the crowd, the smell of the turf, and the fall chill in the air, looking up in the crowd and seeing the smiling faces, getting to cheer for her friends who she’s known since she was five years old, and especially those number one touchdowns.
Alyssa participates in cheerleading, tennis, National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and is the president of the Sub-Deb ‘s sorority. Her favorite subject in school is English, because of the great group of friends that she has with her in class. Her favorite teacher is Mr. Rios, because he’s a great teacher and “also a little goofy,” which makes it fun for her to learn. In her free time, she likes to spend time with family, her church youth group, and friends, take photos, and surf. After high school, she wants to play tennis at the collegiate level while studying in business or criminal justice, and also wants to travel.
Alyssa’s biggest positive impact has been her coach, Coach Greef, because he pushes her to be the best player that she can be. Her role model is also the person that got her interested in tennis and cheer in the first place, her mom. She says “She is my number one supporter. She always encourages me to do my best and chase my dreams. I love her so much!”
To be a great athlete, Alyssa says that you have to have discipline, confidence, and believe that you’re a winner. Sports have taught her teamwork and determination. “Realizing that you’ll get overwhelmed, but you have to pull yourself together and get it done,” she says. Her advice to fellow athletes is to never, never, never give up.
By Ariel Casida
