By Agathe Dumoulin
When Amelie Ramey, an exchange student from Germany, came out of the plane in Grand
Rapids, she didn’t know anyone in Hamilton. She didn’t feel comfortable in this place that was
totally new for her. But finally, it seems like this year she found a new family, the competitive
cheer team of Hamilton High School.
Amelie is 17 years old. Back in Germany, she does horse riding and dancing.
This season was her first season of cheerleading. It was an all new activity for Amelie, a new sport
that fits her perfectly. She was one of the three seniors on Hamilton High School’s Competitive
Cheer team.
During the fall season, Amelie did sideline cheerleading, attracted by the famous American
movies. But she didn’t stop with just sideline cheerleading and tried for competitive
cheerleading, getting into the team thanks to her strong ambition. Amelie was taken in the team
as a back spot for the third round of the competitions.
Being a back spot was an everyday challenge for Amelie. Remembering all of those stands was a
lot of work, some of them being scary for her.
“There are standsthat terrify me because I didn’t want anything to fail or to messsomething up”.
But Amelie had the motivation to work hard and give her best and it led her to make a lot of
progress.
Amelie said : “ I wanted to give my best and notseem like I just did it for fun (…) I wanted to work
hard, to benefit them too.” And Amelie’s team has noticed the progress she’s made and all the
work she gave for competitive cheerleading.
“She isso incredibly hardworking and givesit her all” claimed Kennedy Vannuil, Junior in Amelie’s
team. “She is always giving her all and haslearned so much in such a short time.” declared Amanda
Kapenga, Amelie’s coach.
After school everyday, Amelie had 2 hours of cheerleading practice, but she didn’t work just
during practice. Indeed, Amelie liked to join her friends and to practice the stands together, and
she also practiced on her own by practicing the jumps, the cheers for the competition and the
movements she had to do as a back spot.
“ When I’m laying in bed at night before I go to sleep, I like doing the rounds with my arms and then
in my head I’ll justsay the words over and over again”.
Cheerleading taught Amelie to never give up, to go against her fears “I wasterrified and I did it.”
It taught her to fight for the sport she likes and to fight to achieve her goals. She claimed :
“(…)because if you don’t fight for it, it won’t happen.”
Doing cheerleading was a big part of Amelie’s exchange year. This sport brought her many friends
and helped her feel more comfortable. Thanks to cheerleading, she had something to
concentrate on.
Amelie had a really good relationship with all her teammates. It’s one of the reasons why she
continued competitive cheerleading after sideline cheerleading. She has forged friendships
through cheer and has carved out a place for herself on the team. Amelie has really enjoyed the
moments spent with her team, like for example the team meals before each competition.
Amelie brought a lot to the team, and was really appreciated for it.
“Amelie has been such a huge addition to our team with both her personality and skill level”
declared Amanda Kapenga, coach.
Kennedy Vannuil, her teammate said : “Amy is one of the sweetest girlsI’ve ever met, I’ve loved being
able to watch her fall in love with cheer, both the team and the sport”. Her good vibes and her
humor animated the team through the season.
“Amelie is an amazing teammate and always willing to try something new! She bringssmiles and
laughter to coaches and to the team that will never be forgotten” said Paige Mokma, Amelie’s
teammate.
In this team, she also found inspiration, particularly in one of her teammates, Korrayah Kapenga.
Amelie declared : “Korra because she always works hard,she always gives a 100% even though
something hurts(…) and she motivates otherstoo”
This season will be on Amelie’s mind forever. She will particularly keep in mind the memories of
the competition and the adrenaline she had when she was done with the round and she did
everything good.
“When you go off the mat and everything was how it wassupposed to be, it’s amazing.”
Everyone in the cheer team will remember her, and she left an indelible mark on the minds of her
team members. Kennedy Vannuil claimed : “the team will definitely miss her aftershe goes back to
Germany”
So if you have to take an advice from her :
“Just do it, like it’sfun, it’s nice, they are very nice people and they teach you very well even though
you’re coming with no experience. And just work hard if you want too”.