By Ken Hansard

Seneca High School senior Mina Merriman has cheered for the Indians’ Varsity Cheer squad since her freshman year, and what an impressive run that has been.  The Indians have captured the last four straight Missouri State Championships, and Merriman and her senior cheer-mates have been a part of three of those and hope to make it five this year.  Additionally, Seneca will be competing at Nationals for the first time this year.

On a team loaded with talent, Merriman acknowledges that her role is both as a leader and as a listener, “I see myself as a supporter for my team. I lead by example, and I am uplifting and encouraging for the girls. If I see someone upset or overwhelmed, I always go and try to help them out and calm them down.”

Feeling a bit overwhelmed is likely a part of life for Merriman and many of her teammates, as they must work constantly to keep a balance between a rigorous cheer schedule, homelife, academics, and social life, but Merriman sees the rewards that come from this as well worth the effort, “I cannot wait to make lots of memories with these girls. The bonds we make and the friendships that come from this team will always be so special to me. Competing for the last time at regionals and State is going to be hard, but I’m so glad I get to do it with this amazing team.  We’ve come a long way already, but now we are hitting skills we wouldn’t even have imagined a year ago. I can’t wait to see how far we get.”  

Besides enjoying one last year with the girls she has grown up cheering with, Mina says, “I’m really looking forward to Little Indian Cheer and working with all the younger girls. I love coaching them and teaching them cute dances and cheers. I am also looking forward to homecoming this year. Homecoming is my favorite game of the season because the whole school gets hyped up and everyone has fun. I love decorating the school in red, white, and blue and making banners rooting for our football team.” 

While the Indians team has been particularly well-decorated over the past several years, Mina has been able to share in some individual accomplishments, being named as Academic All-State and being named All-American this year. 

After graduation, Mina plans to attend Crowder College to study to become a Registered Nurse.