Lady Tigers ready to rise at state cheer

Coaching in itself brings a sense of pride. You’re a leader of people. In the case of Brandi Lumby, she’s not only the coach of the Neelyville Lady Tigers cheerleading squad but she’s also leading her alma mater.

“I say I bleed maroon and gold,” she said. “I always have.”

While Lumby spent her high school years cheering on the Tigers, she’s now leading the next wave of Neelyville cheerleaders as they prepare for Saturday’s MCCA State Cheerleading Championship at SEMO but the work has been going on for months.

“We started this routine in the summertime,” she said. “That’s how competitive cheer works. You start in the summer and hope everybody can come and get everything going.

“We’re just really excited to see this hard work pay off.”

The Lady Tigers will compete in the 1A Small Division with their start time being 11 a.m. on Saturday morning.

This will be the third appearance for Neelyville at the state competition as it’s also just their third year in competitive cheer. But even though they’re new to the scene, Neelyville has brought home two second-place trophies at the last two MCCA State Championships.

Lumby returned to Neelyville about a decade ago after 15 years away and one of the things she wanted to do was help implement a junior high program.

“I really had to start from the ground up,” she said. “It was a process.”

Cheerleading is no stranger from other sports as it also needs youth programs to instill vital skills and techniques.

“Started the girls on the foundation and fundamentals,” she said. “Tried to get into tumbling … We have a strong tumbling team. I don’t know if anyone realized you don’t wake up one day and say ‘Oh, I want to run a back handspring tuck or a full.’ You work years. So here we are.”

For Lumby, it’s a full circle moment as her daughter is also on the squad she used to be a part of but Lumby said the entire team is her daughters as they’ve been through a lot together.

“It’s really fulfilling,” she said. “To know and to reap the benefits of the hard work is amazing … It’s blood, sweat and tears. I feel like I’m in the trenches with them. This is my hometown. This is my school.”

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Lumby said she remembered when she cheered for the Tigers how she also wanted to compete against the others schools in the area.

“It took permission, it took parents support,” she said. “It is a lot of time and that’s the biggest thing. I have an amazing support system.”

Lumby said while the parents of her girls have been vital to the success of the program, her parent’s have been as well.

“I’ve always been very appreciative of my parents be cause it takes a village,” she said. “I feel very loved and supported.”

The Lady Tigers got some more practice on Thursday as they performed at the basketball game, something Lumby said was something keep at the forefront.

With not long until the competition, Lumby said they’re just ready to go.

“I’ve really been telling them this week they know what the job is,” she said. “Do what you know how to do but do it to the best of your ability. That’s what we’ve been focusing on.”