Athlete of the Week: Allison Wallace

Allison Wallace, a senior on the White County High School cheerleading squad, is convinced that life is all about attitude, and she is determined to keep a positive one as she cheers her way through her final season as a Warriorette.

“I just loved how they’re always happy,” Wallace said about having watched older girls cheer when she was young, “and that has been my goal - to just be a happy person. Keep the spirit up. I feel like the girls I cheer with are that, too. We are just happy people, and I love that.”

Wallace may have always been a cheerleader inside, but she wasn’t always on a cheer squad. The Warriorette cheered for White County’s PeeWee Football team when she was very young, but, by third grade, she switched it up and found herself on the court instead of beside it, playing basketball in elementary school. By middle school, however, Wallace wanted to get back to cheer – where she could spread her positivity.

Through her time as a cheerleader, Wallace said there has been one lesson that has faced her every season.

“I’ve really learned to trust people,” she said. “You have to work as a team, trust your base, trust your flyer, trust your teammates. The same goes for life, surround yourself with positive people and then trust them to be there for you when you need them. Of course, you have to be that positive person for them, too.”

Wallace’s positivity is contagious. According to Warriorette cheer coach Tracy Mason, the senior cheerleader approaches everything with a smile.

“Allison is a powerhouse in a small frame,” Mason said, and further stated that Wallace’s physical strength is just a mirror of the mental strength she carries. “She will take on any challenge you give her and does it with enthusiasm.”

Wallace has just over three months left in her high school cheerleading career, and she doesn’t know yet whether that’s the end or if she will cheer in college.

“I’m not sure yet,” she admitted, “but I know I would like to be a cheer coach some day.”

As well as using her positive attitude to lead a new generation of cheerleaders, Wallace would also like to work in physical therapy.

“I want to work with kids, to help them, and encourage them,” Wallace said, explaining she gets inspiration from a friend who was injured and stayed strong as she worked her way back to health. “Watching her was so encouraging. Seeing her be so strong, and positive in the face of everything she had to go through, that made me realize how much our attitude really determines who we become. I want to help other kids find that.”

Of course, Wallace is going to soak up these next several months full of Friday night lights, basketball games, and pep rallies before passing the torch to the next group of Warriorettes.

“I’m going to miss it so much, miss all of my friends and all of the crowds,” she said and then offered one last reminder to all of the future Warriorettes – and anyone who will listen. “Whatever you choose to do, just do it. Keep a positive attitude and don’t give up. Ever.”