Here at Starr’s Mill, our motto is “Demand excellence.” Another member of last year’s cheer squad is demonstrating just that.

Tori Davis, who graduated from Starr’s Mill last May, recently earned a spot on the Texas A&M competition cheer team. Davis cheered all four years of high school.

“Tori was very, very disciplined,” cheer coach McNally said. “She, in particular, was involved a lot while she was here at Starr’s Mill.”

McNally agrees with her current stance, for she believes Davis has what it takes for amazing things. She had the discipline, the organization, the level-headedness, and the drive to become a star cheerleader and student-athlete. 

“She’s very personable, very helpful. She wants people to succeed. She wants everybody to succeed,” McNally said. “If she knows that you’re serious about something, she will do whatever she can do to help you. That’s just the type of person that she is.”

Tori Davis joins two additional members of last year’s cheer squad to cheer at the collegiate level. Carol-Anne Collins cheers for Georgia Tech, while Hannah Defler competes at West Georgia.

McNally praised the girls, saying that Davis had the discipline, Collins never gave up, and Defler just knew her path lead to cheerleading in college.

“I’m very proud of those three girls. All three of them worked extremely hard while they were here,” McNally said. “They were all very serious and very dedicated athletes and students. I couldn’t be more proud of them.” 

Texas A&M University has no sideline team, so cheerleading is strictly competitive. Therefore, tryouts were intense. Forty-five cheerleaders tried out, ten were returners, and only 15 new girls made the team. Tryouts evaluated only the girls’ stunting and tumbling skills with two days of open gym.

Texas A&M cheer squad gets to travel in the United States, and Davis looks forward to their competition in Daytona, Florida, where national championships are held. Texas A&M being two-time national champions, Davis joins a competitive and respected team. 

She’s also excited about the relationships this new step will bring, like a new family.

“Cheerleading really brings people together from different backgrounds,” Davis said. “I am the only person on my team that is from out of state, so I feel like it definitely develops a sense of unity.”

When she graduated last May, Davis did not know if she would continue to cheer in college. She describes it as a great way to be competitive, to build relationships, and to make a personal mentally tough.

“I’m really excited to be back in the cheer world and doing the thing that I love,” Davis said.