Video: Student Athlete of the Week: Brooke Lancaster, New Hope HS, Cheerleading

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NEW HOPE, Miss. (WCBI)–  New Hope High School Senior Brooke Lancaster has been Cheerleading for the Trojans since the eighth grade. Her skill has earned her a spot on the Mississippi State sidelines this fall as a member of the M-S-U pom squad.

“I never thought that I was going to make Mississippi State Cheerleading. I was like I’m going here to just practice and get the experience and be with all these college cheerleaders. It’s going to help and then I ended up making it and so it was a huge blessing and I couldn’t believe it,”said Student Athlete Brooke Lancaster.

She understands the responsibility that comes with her new role.

“Just having that honor to know that little girls are going to look up to me the way I looked up to other cheerleaders and I can’t wait to do that and I hope to make a difference and the way they made a difference in my life,” said Lancaster.

Her friends think she’s always had the right approach.

“Brooke has always been the most down to earth person like I’ve ever known. She’s always kept me close with God and helped me to be nice to people. I don’t have another like super encouraging friend like I do her. She’s awesome,” said teammate Bethany Vaughan.

“Brooke is a true cheerleader athlete. She understands both sides of Cheerleading. She gets the school spirit side of it and then she recognizes the athletic side of it,” said Cheerleading Coach Hue Ellen Watson.

Watson says it’s an opportunity few people get.

“That’s going to be an S-E-C opportunity, a Division One cheerleader and it’s an experience like you just can’t explain. She’s going to get to cheer at wonderful stadiums, but the tradition at Mississippi State is going to be a really great experience for her,” said Watson.

Because of her Cheerleading, Brooke has built a connection with children. That connection guides her long-term goals.

“I want to be an Elementary Teacher and just recently I went and worked with some kids. I worked with them at my gym at game time and I just can connect with kids really well and I love them. I love being around all of them and so I really think that can be a good career path for me,” said Lancaster.

Brooke’s roots run deep in Eastern Lowndes County. Her mother Sherri Lancaster graduated from East Lowndes Academy in Steens in 1981. Her Father John Lancaster graduated in 1982 from New Hope and played football and baseball before playing baseball at EMCC. Her older brother and sister also attended New Hope.