A cheerleader from Adel-DeSoto-Minburn High School is grateful for her teammates’ work ethic that landed them in a country-wide competition.

ADM junior Marley Akey tells Raccoon Valley Radio that she’s been cheering for the past three years and she gravitated towards bonding with other girls with the same passion. The Tigers accomplished a big feat of qualifying for the National Cheerleaders Association competition for the first time in school history. Akey is appreciative of the effort her teammates displayed, and is looking forward to facing schools from across the United States.

“It was so exciting. Just amazing to know that our hard work had really paid off this season. I think it will be a really great experience and I’m a little nervous, but I have a lot of faith in us.”

Akey notes that a skill she’s developed over the years from her coaches is to keep pushing towards a goal until it’s achieved. ADM will be traveling to Dallas, Texas as the competition will run from January 24th-26th at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center.