TULSA, Okla. — The Green Country Shining Stars Cheer Squad is just minutes from showtime, and the team is revved up.
"I'm so excited," said 13-year-old team member Morgan. She and the rest of the squad are ready for the spotlight.
"We have so much fun, and we work hard," says teammate Lucy Kennon.
The Green Country Shining Stars are gearing up for their first performance of the new year. This is also the first time they're sporting their sparkly new uniforms.
"I feel dazzling!" says Lisa Nicole Schaffel.
For more than 20 years, the Shining Stars have been dazzling audiences.
"We are a cheerleading team for athletes with special abilities," says coach Michelle Adams.
Adams founded the team in 2008. She says it was a first for Green Country.
"I was at a cheerleading competition with my daughter, and we saw an organization similar to this. I was out of state, and they were performing, and it touched my heart, and I thought we needed something like this around here," Adams says.
So, she and her daughter, Abigail, developed the team together. Since then, others, like Michelle King and her daughter, Makenzie, have stepped up to help.
"All of us are volunteers. We're not paid for what we do. We do it just because we care about the girls," Adams says.
Seventeen ladies make up the team, designed for ages five and up.
"A lot of times, special athletes don't get the opportunities that their peers get, so I wanted to tell them. Yes, you can be a cheerleader," Adams says.
They perform at community events, cheerleading competitions, and sporting events around the area. The night we caught up with them, they performed on the hardwood at Memorial High School.
The team wasted no time lighting up the room once they hit the floor. Their routine, a cheer and dance combination, was three minutes of pure pep. Spirit filled the air, and smiles fill the gym. The squad even threw in a few surprise stunts. The team says these halftime shows are confidence boosters, and that's music to the ears of their coach.
"It makes my heart just shine just like they do because they've for the opportunity to show the world what they've got," Adams says.
With nearly 50 performances, being on this team takes commitment, but the ladies say showing up is easy when you're having this much fun.
"I like to be with all my friends," Schaffel says.
"Those girls are more than teammates. They are best friends," says Adams.
Best friends who remind us that everybody deserves time to shine.
The Green Country Shining Stars will perform next on Tuesday, Jan. 24, during halftime at the boy's basketball game at Metro Christian Academy if you want to go cheer them on. If you have a special athlete who would like to join the team or if you'd like to volunteer or invite the team to perform at one of your events, you can contact the group here.
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