Eagles inspire with victory

It was impossible not to be inspired.
As the West Jay Middle School cheerleaders sat on the grandstand stage, side-by-side with their counterparts from East Jay, Saturday evening at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, hope hovered in the air.
Coaches and others in the crowd with cheerleading knowledge agreed the Eagles had performed a winning routine. Jay County High School coach Abby Champ said WJMS deserved nothing less than first place.
But, as in any competition scored by judges, nothing is ever assured.
So when Greencastle was announced as the second-place squad, leaving West Jay as the winner, the emotion was real.
The jaws dropping in shock, leading into screams and hugs of elation, marked the culmination of a summer of hard work and years of building a program. And feeling streamed all the way from the stage, across the track and to the grandstand, where family and friends cheered on their newly-crowned champions.
The victory by itself is a great story.
A squad that had never finished higher than third at the state fair and had finished seventh just a year earlier lifted itself to the top of the pedestal. It happened because of determination, dedication and a nearly-flawless routine when it counted most.
But West Jay’s triumph is loaded with compelling sidelines.
This year marks the only time Cheree McCallister will get to coach both of her daughters — eighth grader Dara Grove and sixth grader Demi Grove — on the same squad. And it came with victory.
Such a breakthrough win is one that would often come because a squad is loaded with experience. But that’s not the case this year as the Eagles have just two eighth graders — Randi Ferguson and Dara Grove. The future is bright.
And then, of course, there is Shawna Davis.
In the week leading up to the state fair, Shawna, mom of West Jay cheerleader MaKenna Davis, died unexpectedly.
In the days following Shawna’s death, the community rallied around the Davis family.
At the state fair preview show Friday at Jay County High School, cheerleading fans donated hundreds of dollars. And after the JCHS, East Jay Middle School and West Jay squads performed, Pastor Randy Davis spoke about Shawna’s spirit, her supportive personality and her love for Jay County cheerleading. The event concluded with all of the cheerleaders on the mat together, leading the crowd in spelling out Shawna’s name.
West Jay fans honored Shawna again Saturday, wearing T-shirts with a giant “WJ” on the back and the hashtag “#ShawnaStrong” on the arm.
Losing a parent is a tragedy no middle schooler should ever have to endure. But MaKenna, a seventh grader, has done so with grace and strength beyond her years.
She practiced with her squad in the days leading up to the state fair competition. And on Saturday, she was on the mat with them, cheering her heart out.
So when West Jay was announced as the champion later in the evening, the emotion was heightened. Many of the tears came from a mixture of the joy of victory and the sadness of Shawna’s loss.
It was a feeling hard to describe, but two of the Eagles smallest in stature found words that captured the enormous impact.
“It meant a lot,” said seventh grader Taylor Lowe. “Shawna was really special to our team.”
“I could just see her up there cheering for us,” added sixth grader Abbi Kuss as she pointed toward the grandstand.
On Friday evening, Randy Davis had talked about the benefits of living in a small community, a place that comes together and lifts each other up in times of tragedy and heartbreak.
Cheer grandpa and Jay County Commissioner Jim Zimmerman brought up the same topic Saturday evening as we watched the West Jay cheerleaders, parents and friends revel in their victory.
Those moments — support in times of both extreme sorrow and supreme elation — are uniquely small-town America. And Jay County embodies them to the fullest.