Championing All-Stars
Amber Wright and Winter Bolen see greatness in their athletes both on and off the mat.
Words by Jenny Lynn Davis | Images by Ryan McGill
This past February, Amber Wright and Winter Bolen found themselves running through Walt Disney World, chasing down a group of young cheerleaders to alert them of some big news.
"We had sent the girls on their way to the bus while we waited on results from the first round of the UCA All-Star competition,” Amber explains. “The announcements dragged on and they never called our names for advancement to the next round. It had become really discouraging, but Winter was in my ear telling me not to give up faith. Next thing I knew, they made the big announcement and I felt like I was going to fall out. We just took off running."
The two reached their athletes just in the nick of time to deliver the news—Jasper High School Varsity Cheerleading had advanced straight to finals in the Gameday Cheer category, one of only four teams in the 72-team competition to do so. The team, coaches, and accompanying parents erupted in a loud celebration, drawing the attention of parkgoers and rival cheer teams alike. The finals had yet to take place, but this huge milestone was one the team needed to validate their hard work and dedication.
The Jasper Cheer team would go on to place third in the nation in Gameday Cheer, an accomplishment worthy of the praise and celebration they received from their school and community. This accolade was triumphantly added to the team's existing list of accomplishments, including 6A Gameday Cheer Regional Champions and 6A Traditional Cheer Runners-Up.
"We have a very young team, and a lot of them started out their varsity journey in the midst of the pandemic when we still weren't sure how to carry out our normal preparation for the season,” Amber says. “We couldn't mandate their being at practices, yet we always had perfect attendance. They want to be great, and they work hard to be it, so when they see the fruits of their effort—starting from chaos and confusion and ultimately achieving the greatness they aim for—it's the most rewarding thing to us as their coaches. We're here to offer them guidance and advice, but ultimately those girls are responsible for their own successes."
Amber, a special education teacher at Jasper High School, and Winter, a nurse at Grandview Medical Center first met in 2008 when Winter was a cheerleader under Amber's leadership at Walker High School. Though Winter’s first year on the team was the school’s inaugural year for competitive cheer, the ladies took home a state title.
Following the school’s transition to Jasper High School in 2017, a position for head cheer coach became available. Amber had stepped away from coaching a couple of years prior due to personal matters, but found herself ready to jump back in. After applying, interviewing, and being offered the job, she was given the opportunity to bring on an assistant coach. She reached out to Winter, who had done part-time coaching jobs in her spare time and encouraged her to apply for the assistant coaching position. As soon as Winter was offered the position, the two got to work crafting the foundation for what Jasper High School cheer would become—and is to this day—a winning team.
While both Amber and Winter have high expectations for their team, they first want them to establish relationships of support for one another through all aspects of life and to become leaders in their communities. As proud as they are of the team's achievements on the mat, they are equally proud of their support of other programs within the school, and involvement in community activities that strengthen their reputations as individuals.
"Every day we see these girls traveling further down the road to reaching their maximum potential, both as athletes and as members of society," Amber says. "We couldn't be more proud of them, and we look forward to seeing how the Jasper Cheer program continues to succeed and grow." 78