- Jul 10, 2013
- 5
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McKeil Patterson is not only a cheerleader at Beaufort High School in South Carolina, she’s an inspiration leader. One day at practice, the team had become unfocused and distracted while stunting, and Beaufort’s coach, Kathy Ingram, was prepared to punish the squad. It was then that McKeil asked Coach Ingram if she could bring the team together to speak to them.
Coach Ingram called the team together, and McKeil told them they had to get serious, be careful, and try harder.
But that wasn’t the only thing McKeil had to say.
“I was in bad foster homes, and I was abused for a very long time, three years,” she said.
“I didn’t give up. When I go to therapy I give 100 percent. It might be hard, but I give 100 percent every time. It might hurt, but I give 100 percent.”
McKeil was born with cerebral palsy, and is bound to a power-wheelchair. As member of Beaufort’s cheerleading squad, she is a constant reminder to the team to try harder and to never give up.
When McKeil was in physical therapy, her therapist would use poms to encourage McKeil to reach up and grab them to increase her range of motion. The poms inspired McKeil to become a cheerleader, and her therapist’s husband happened to be an Athletic Trainer at the local high school. It was then that they helped fulfil her dream of becoming a cheerleader.
“I didn’t know I could lift my arms that high,” McKeil said. “They’re always down, but once I get on the track, they’re always up. My head is always up and always smiling.” Before cheerleading, McKeil’s biggest goals in physical therapy were lifting her arms to her face and holding her head up straight. Cheerleading has helped her conquer both of those.
Coach Ingram is sure to push McKeil just like the rest of her squad and cheers on the sidelines every Varsity home game. During halftime of a football game, McKeil told her coach that she didn’t have enough energy and that she knew she could do better. Coach Ingram smacked her hands together and told her to get out there and find some energy.
“[My coach and teammates] make me feel proud, like I’m not just a person in a wheelchair,” she said. “They see me in a different way. They see me as this girl who can do anything.”
Next time at practice when you feel like you can’t try any harder and are ready to give up, think of McKeil, and how maybe pushing yourself to jump a little higher is nothing compared to the challenges others like her conquer each day.
We’re cheering for you McKeil! You can watch her story here:
-Tayler Easton
Source: http://www.islandpacket.com/2013/12/29/2866942/beaufort-high-student-overcomes.html
McKeil Patterson is not only a cheerleader at Beaufort High School in South Carolina, she’s an inspiration leader. One day at practice, the team had become unfocused and distracted while stunting, and Beaufort’s coach, Kathy Ingram, was prepared to punish the squad. It was then that McKeil asked Coach Ingram if she could bring the team together to speak to them.
Coach Ingram called the team together, and McKeil told them they had to get serious, be careful, and try harder.
But that wasn’t the only thing McKeil had to say.
“I was in bad foster homes, and I was abused for a very long time, three years,” she said.
McKeil was born with cerebral palsy, and is bound to a power-wheelchair. As member of Beaufort’s cheerleading squad, she is a constant reminder to the team to try harder and to never give up.
When McKeil was in physical therapy, her therapist would use poms to encourage McKeil to reach up and grab them to increase her range of motion. The poms inspired McKeil to become a cheerleader, and her therapist’s husband happened to be an Athletic Trainer at the local high school. It was then that they helped fulfil her dream of becoming a cheerleader.
“I didn’t know I could lift my arms that high,” McKeil said. “They’re always down, but once I get on the track, they’re always up. My head is always up and always smiling.” Before cheerleading, McKeil’s biggest goals in physical therapy were lifting her arms to her face and holding her head up straight. Cheerleading has helped her conquer both of those.
Coach Ingram is sure to push McKeil just like the rest of her squad and cheers on the sidelines every Varsity home game. During halftime of a football game, McKeil told her coach that she didn’t have enough energy and that she knew she could do better. Coach Ingram smacked her hands together and told her to get out there and find some energy.
“[My coach and teammates] make me feel proud, like I’m not just a person in a wheelchair,” she said. “They see me in a different way. They see me as this girl who can do anything.”
Next time at practice when you feel like you can’t try any harder and are ready to give up, think of McKeil, and how maybe pushing yourself to jump a little higher is nothing compared to the challenges others like her conquer each day.
We’re cheering for you McKeil! You can watch her story here:
-Tayler Easton
Source: http://www.islandpacket.com/2013/12/29/2866942/beaufort-high-student-overcomes.html
