Greyhounds cheering on inclusion with the Ocean Spring Sparkle cheerleaders!

The Ocean Springs faithful showed up and showed out for their community pep rally on Thursday night as fans packed out Hugh Pepper field cheering on several different teams and the Blue-Grey Pride Band.
Out of all the squads, there was one specifically eager to shine bright for the start of the 2024 season. Introducing you to the one and only Ocean Springs Sparkle Cheer team!
“I look forward to this every year,” said Senior co-captain Madelyn Tynes. “This is my second year now, and it just really brightens my whole day being able to include everybody and seeing the big smiles on their faces every single week.”
The Ocean Springs Sparkle Cheer team is the first inclusive cheer team in the state consisting of students with disabilities. The lovable squad is coached by Brooke Engle and all 33 members of the Greyhound cheer team who volunteered to be mentors.
“Every week we go to Sparkle practice and we go over all their cheers and we do a few dances with them as well that we will do during the first quarter of every home game so y’all be sure to come out and watch them,” said Senior co-captain Katy Lou Geiser.
The Sparkle cheerleaders have a very special place in the hearts of seniors Madelyn Tynes and Katy Lou Geiser, who volunteer as the co-captains. It’s also a family affair for Geiser who is cheering for the first time alongside her cousin, Nora Ryan.
“I love being so inclusive with our school and it’s always been a big part of my life of being very inclusive and including everyone around me,” said Geiser. “This is Nora’s first year on Sparkle and I’ve just loved getting to be a part of it with her.
“I love cheering with my cousin, so game on!” said Sparkle cheerleader Nora Ryan.
Game on indeed! Being on the sidelines cheering with a crowd can be overwhelming at times, but Nora and Laura are more than ready for those Friday night lights!
“I’m a little nervous, but I think I can do it. I like school spirit!” said Ryan.
“It’s so much fun to join the cheerleaders because it’s so much fun to do it on the field,” said Laura Drake, who’s been cheering on the Sparkle squad for eight years. “My favorite is that I’ll be cheering with my friends and the big cheerleaders.”
When you see them on the track, both squads truly look like a family. They wear the same color uniform, style of shoe, and even kind of bow! Being such a close knit group, it makes graduation even harder for fellow Greyhound seniors.
“This will be my sixth year cheering on the Greyhounds and I love every second of it,” said Tynes. “It’s very bittersweet that it will be my last year, and I’m excited to do it with my best friends.”
You can catch the Sparkle cheer squad in action for the first time on Friday, September 27th for the Greyhound’s first home football game. Go Greyhounds!