Miss-Delectable
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STLtoday - Deaf students take on cheerleading
"Go Knights!" the squad yelled from the soccer field sidelines as they flew into the air in a flurry of kicks and quick jumps. The girls shook their shiny black pompons furiously as the boys shouted into megaphones.
In the back row, three of the cheerleaders were watching the rest of the squad closely. They read lips to find out what cheer the captain was calling. They kept an eye on an interpreter using sign language nearby. When it was time to cheer again, they felt the rhythm they had practiced over and over.
"Black and gold, keep up the beat. Clap your hands and stomp your feet," they shouted, moving side to side in step with the others.
Rachel Hampton and Dylan Thayer, both 16, were born profoundly deaf in both ears. Brryan Jackson, 17, lost some of his hearing when medication damaged the nerve endings in his ears. All three tried out for cheerleading this year at Francis Howell North High School and made the junior varsity squad. The school is home to the district's deaf education program for high school students.
"I never thought about cheerleading before, but I feel really good out there," Rachel said. "I used to be really shy, used to have only deaf friends, now I'm making more hearing friends."
Although some schools for deaf students have cheerleading squads, it's still uncommon for hearing impaired teens to cheer with high school squads full of kids that can hear. Deaf students have been on athletic teams at Francis Howell North, but these are the school's first deaf cheerleaders since the district's deaf education program began about 17 years ago, said Lynann Barnett, a teacher in the program.
The National Cheerleaders Association also says deaf cheerleaders are rare. The Francis Howell North squad was the only one with hearing impaired cheerleaders that Missouri NCA officials could recall at recent summer camps.
Advances in hearing technology and deaf education in the past two decades have helped hearing impaired children have success alongside those who can hear, say experts in St. Louis, where some parents relocate because of the area's oral schools.
When Rachel was 15 months old, doctors found she couldn't hear. They said she would only communicate through sign language.
"We thought, at the time, that so many things aren't going to be possible," said her mom, Dina Hampton.
A few months after that diagnosis, a deaf woman, Heather Whitestone, was crowned Miss America 1995.
"I thought, 'If she can do this, my daughter can,'" Hampton said. "She was a huge inspiration. To see Rachel out there with all of the other girls, you would never know that she was deaf. She has come so far."
The family moved from Arkansas to the St. Louis area so Rachel could attend an oral school for the deaf. She learned to speak and has a cochlear implant that helps her hear.
Whitestone, who attended the Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis and performed ballet in the Miss America competition, also helped Dylan realize being deaf didn't mean he couldn't dance.
He tried out for cheerleading after impressing JV coach Erica Gittemeier during class one day with his "Bop to the Top" dance moves from "High School Musical."
Dylan wears hearing aids. There is an interpreter available to him and the others during the school day and at cheerleading if they need help communicating.
The squad has a ritual of calling out individual cheerleaders to show off their jumps in front of the fans.
At one point during a soccer game last week, they chose Dylan. As the squad buzzed about what was going to happen next, one of the cheerleaders told him to get ready.
"Hey, Dylan," they called as he turned to face the crowd. With a look of determination, he stepped back and then sprang into the air, one leg kicking out to the side. He pulled his feet and arms together sharply before landing in perfect position.
The first time he cheered at a game, he said, he was shaking. Not anymore.
"I just believed in myself," Dylan said.
While one of Dylan's strengths is jumping, Brryan is known for his charisma and ability to do stunts.
Jennifer Jackson, Brryan's mom, says cheerleading has made him stronger. It helps him stay positive despite what he's been through with his health.
Brryan's story drew national attention several years ago. His father was sentenced to life in prison in 1999 for injecting him with HIV when he was 11 months old. Brryan was 5 when doctors determined he had AIDS, and they thought he would live only a few months more. One of the medications he had to take caused the damage to his hearing.
Now a senior at North, Brryan must still take several medications and hasn't been able to play a lot of sports because of his health. But cheerleading has turned out to be a good fit.
"Between being hearing impaired and health impaired, he's heard a lot of, 'You can't do that,'" Jennifer Jackson said. "This has given him pride."
Brryan said he tried cheerleading because he had friends on the squad and he had seen a lot of cheerleading movies that he thought were "really cool." And his older sister dared him.
Brryan, Dylan and Rachel say it's a coincidence the three of them decided to try out for cheerleading at the same time.
"They pretty much have picked up the sport of cheerleading really fast, and I noticed that their self-esteem has skyrocketed," said T'Neisha Harris, North's head cheerleading coach.
Gittemeier, the JV coach, said she encouraged the kids to try out because they are good students who work hard.
Their fellow cheerleaders have been supportive, some working one-on-one with them until they feel comfortable with the cheers. They break down the cheers into two parts: words and motions. They learn each separately before combining the two to put together the cheer. During the fall season of soccer and football, the squad typically has practice twice and cheers at two games during the school week.
Captain Alyssa Rickermann, 16, said the squad is still working with them to perfect their rhythm.
"They're getting a lot better," she said.
All three say they are glad they tried something new, and look forward to cheering throughout the year.
"If you want to do something, go for it," Brryan said. "Don't let anybody put limits on you."
"Go Knights!" the squad yelled from the soccer field sidelines as they flew into the air in a flurry of kicks and quick jumps. The girls shook their shiny black pompons furiously as the boys shouted into megaphones.
In the back row, three of the cheerleaders were watching the rest of the squad closely. They read lips to find out what cheer the captain was calling. They kept an eye on an interpreter using sign language nearby. When it was time to cheer again, they felt the rhythm they had practiced over and over.
"Black and gold, keep up the beat. Clap your hands and stomp your feet," they shouted, moving side to side in step with the others.
Rachel Hampton and Dylan Thayer, both 16, were born profoundly deaf in both ears. Brryan Jackson, 17, lost some of his hearing when medication damaged the nerve endings in his ears. All three tried out for cheerleading this year at Francis Howell North High School and made the junior varsity squad. The school is home to the district's deaf education program for high school students.
"I never thought about cheerleading before, but I feel really good out there," Rachel said. "I used to be really shy, used to have only deaf friends, now I'm making more hearing friends."
Although some schools for deaf students have cheerleading squads, it's still uncommon for hearing impaired teens to cheer with high school squads full of kids that can hear. Deaf students have been on athletic teams at Francis Howell North, but these are the school's first deaf cheerleaders since the district's deaf education program began about 17 years ago, said Lynann Barnett, a teacher in the program.
The National Cheerleaders Association also says deaf cheerleaders are rare. The Francis Howell North squad was the only one with hearing impaired cheerleaders that Missouri NCA officials could recall at recent summer camps.
Advances in hearing technology and deaf education in the past two decades have helped hearing impaired children have success alongside those who can hear, say experts in St. Louis, where some parents relocate because of the area's oral schools.
When Rachel was 15 months old, doctors found she couldn't hear. They said she would only communicate through sign language.
"We thought, at the time, that so many things aren't going to be possible," said her mom, Dina Hampton.
A few months after that diagnosis, a deaf woman, Heather Whitestone, was crowned Miss America 1995.
"I thought, 'If she can do this, my daughter can,'" Hampton said. "She was a huge inspiration. To see Rachel out there with all of the other girls, you would never know that she was deaf. She has come so far."
The family moved from Arkansas to the St. Louis area so Rachel could attend an oral school for the deaf. She learned to speak and has a cochlear implant that helps her hear.
Whitestone, who attended the Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis and performed ballet in the Miss America competition, also helped Dylan realize being deaf didn't mean he couldn't dance.
He tried out for cheerleading after impressing JV coach Erica Gittemeier during class one day with his "Bop to the Top" dance moves from "High School Musical."
Dylan wears hearing aids. There is an interpreter available to him and the others during the school day and at cheerleading if they need help communicating.
The squad has a ritual of calling out individual cheerleaders to show off their jumps in front of the fans.
At one point during a soccer game last week, they chose Dylan. As the squad buzzed about what was going to happen next, one of the cheerleaders told him to get ready.
"Hey, Dylan," they called as he turned to face the crowd. With a look of determination, he stepped back and then sprang into the air, one leg kicking out to the side. He pulled his feet and arms together sharply before landing in perfect position.
The first time he cheered at a game, he said, he was shaking. Not anymore.
"I just believed in myself," Dylan said.
While one of Dylan's strengths is jumping, Brryan is known for his charisma and ability to do stunts.
Jennifer Jackson, Brryan's mom, says cheerleading has made him stronger. It helps him stay positive despite what he's been through with his health.
Brryan's story drew national attention several years ago. His father was sentenced to life in prison in 1999 for injecting him with HIV when he was 11 months old. Brryan was 5 when doctors determined he had AIDS, and they thought he would live only a few months more. One of the medications he had to take caused the damage to his hearing.
Now a senior at North, Brryan must still take several medications and hasn't been able to play a lot of sports because of his health. But cheerleading has turned out to be a good fit.
"Between being hearing impaired and health impaired, he's heard a lot of, 'You can't do that,'" Jennifer Jackson said. "This has given him pride."
Brryan said he tried cheerleading because he had friends on the squad and he had seen a lot of cheerleading movies that he thought were "really cool." And his older sister dared him.
Brryan, Dylan and Rachel say it's a coincidence the three of them decided to try out for cheerleading at the same time.
"They pretty much have picked up the sport of cheerleading really fast, and I noticed that their self-esteem has skyrocketed," said T'Neisha Harris, North's head cheerleading coach.
Gittemeier, the JV coach, said she encouraged the kids to try out because they are good students who work hard.
Their fellow cheerleaders have been supportive, some working one-on-one with them until they feel comfortable with the cheers. They break down the cheers into two parts: words and motions. They learn each separately before combining the two to put together the cheer. During the fall season of soccer and football, the squad typically has practice twice and cheers at two games during the school week.
Captain Alyssa Rickermann, 16, said the squad is still working with them to perfect their rhythm.
"They're getting a lot better," she said.
All three say they are glad they tried something new, and look forward to cheering throughout the year.
"If you want to do something, go for it," Brryan said. "Don't let anybody put limits on you."