Photo: Blue Ribbon News

By Jennifer Uselton
The WOW award is an individual award that is highly sought after at Spirit Celebration competitions. Victoria Butler, the WOW judge, is a former Tarleton State cheerleader and she currently coaches the Keller ISD Sparkle team from Keller, Texas. She watches every routine, with the trained eye of a critical judge, but it’s the feeling inside of her that helps her to choose the winners. This is not an easy job. Most coaches and cheer judges will tell you, once you are trained to choreograph a routine, coach one, or give points according to the judging sheet, it’s hard to really just sit and enjoy a competition. As coaches and judges we are trained to look for the flaws. We are so committed to synchronization and technique, that it’s hard to just sit back and enjoy the performance in front of us. We can’t help ourselves from picking out the imperfections as soon as the music starts. But Victoria, and the others who choose the winners of the WOW award, are the lucky ones. She is trained to notice the special things that make a cheerleader radiate with joy. WOW award judges look at a routine and see the passion inside those select kids that push just a little harder than the rest. 

Early this fall, Coach Butler and her special needs Sparkle athletes, raised money to buy jackets and two sets of bows for their team. They had plans to wear one bow on the sidelines of Keller high school games, and the other holiday bow was to be worn at their exhibition performance at Spirit Celebration’s Christmas Classic. To their surprise, the money they raised was stolen. Victoria and her team were crushed. Coach Butler recalls, “I had been selling Sparkle Game Day shirts to help the team fundraise. I wanted to secretly buy them new bows for competition and a cheer jacket for games because it was getting cold. I sent a faculty email and shared the word with students and all the shirts were sold in three days. We had over $400 to spend on our nine Sparkle girls. Unfortunately, on October 27th, the money was stolen from my desk. I was devastated. The girls were devastated.”They started a Go Fund Me Page to get the word out that they needed help. Donations came flooding in, and the team raised enough money to not only get new jackets, but new uniforms as well. But, it was Victoria and her team who were soon to have a WOW moment of their own. Angela Kreutzer, who owns Ribbons and Bows Oh My in Vista Murietta, California, heard about the situation and came to the rescue. She offered to donate performance bows to the team. Another coach for a young all star team, who is friends with Butler, reached out to Angela and offered to buy and donate bows to the girls. Click here for more info on the Keller ISD Sparkle Team.

Photo: Ribbons and Bows Oh My

The response Angela sent after she was contacted read,

I'm not sure if you know, but I'm a special needs teacher at Vista Murrieta High. I would love to sponsor the team. If you want the red holiday bow, I can do it in red rhinestones. If you want the gold bow for the sidelines, I will make you that as well. Anything you need, it's on me and Ribbons and Bows Oh My!

 Just a couple of short weeks later, the bows arrived at the KISD Sparkle Team practice. The girls were so happy to get them that they could barely contain their excitement. The night they arrived, each Sparkle team member stood up and told the crowd what they loved most about being a cheerleader. Click here for more info on Ribbons and Bows Oh My.

The spirit of giving and supporting others is common at Vista Murrieta High School. In fact, this past October, the cheerleaders at Vista Murrieta High School won the National School Spirit Day award and they were presented with a $25,000 grant from Varsity Brands. This type of selfless act is a reflection of what makes the sport of cheerleading so great. Angela and Butler have never met face to face, but that didn’t stop her from reaching out nearly 5 states away. 

The Spirit Celebration competition is sure to be a spectacular presentation of cheerleading at it's best. More info here about the Spirit Celebration Christmas Classic. Does this story inspire you? What has your team done to help or inspire others? Leave a comment and tell us what makes your team shine!