Local Texarkana resident Cookie Deloney, has been working diligently since 2007 to help support, encourage, and train young cheerleaders across the Texarkana Area. Her team, Dynamics Allstar Cheer, is one of the only completely African American teams in our area. Her girls have won competitions all over the state of Texas including San Padre, and through their continued support, philanthropy, and hearts, they have made a difference not only in their teammates lives, but around our local community as well.
“We do a lot of team building and bonding skills with our girls. We truly believe in the idea of no girl left behind. If one of our girls is struggling with a routine, the whole team stops, works with each other, and ensures that everyone is on the same page before moving on,” said team mom Monica Evans. “Our team also does much more than cheer. We do a lot for our local community as well. Our girls are constantly raising money, collecting canned food items, purchasing blankets and more to deliver to Randy Sam’s and local nursing homes. Earlier this year, a local school was in need of composition notebooks for their students. Our girls came together and purchased enough for the entire school to use,” said Evans.
The Dynamics Allstar Cheer team focuses on the individual, as well as the entire team. “Our team trademark is a part of the anti-bullying campaign,” said Cookie Deloney. “We have a lot of girls who don’t feel comfortable talking to someone at home, or who don’t have anyone to talk to outside of school or our cheer team. We try to instill a sense of safety for our girls, so that they feel comfortable talking to us, their coaches or their teammates about issues that are going on in their everyday lives. Many of our girls check on each other throughout the day. Whether it be through a text message, or a brief conversation in the hallway at school, these girls are much more than just a team, they become a family,” said Evans.
In a changing world, the Dynamics Allstar Cheer team mission is to empower young girls through coaching, teamwork, and cheer. “We live in a world where so much of the time we are trying to empower our young men to be better, and to do better. But we also have to focus on the girls. Through Dynamics Allstar Cheer we are able to reach girls as young as 3 years old all the way through their teen years before going to college. We work to instill in them a sense of power. On our team there is no body shaming. There are little girls out there that can be on the heavier side, that are capable of doing everything the other girls are doing. This team is a way of giving our girls a voice and a platform. Most of these girls do go on to be cheerleaders at our local schools, but the hard work these girls do starts right on these mats,” said Evans.
Dynamics Allstar Cheer has several teams ranging in age. “The girls all rally around each other. Whether you are part of the Divas team (ages 3-5) or a part of the older teams, the girls come together to teach everyone. The older girls love to work with the young girls, showing them how to be poised and proper. This is the kind of teamwork and camaraderie that is important and crucial for these girls’ success in and outside of the gym,” said Evans.
