***PHOTO CREDIT – Caelyn Agnew

By Derrick Smith

There are a variety of people that high school athletes look up to. Professional or collegiate athletes, celebrities, parents, and other family members are usually at the top of the list. Mary O’Neill is an athlete at Stillwater High School, and while she has other people that she looks up to, she says that one of her teachers had a big impact on her.

“One of the most impactful teachers I’ve had is Mrs. Webber,” Mary said. “She was so enthusiastic and fun which is exactly how a teacher should be. She always had us doing something, and I was always learning. I learned so much in her class, and I can use her knowledge for everything. My coach, Kaitlyn Vollmer, has been a role model for me as well mainly because she has accomplished so many things in cheerleading. I aspire to be just like her. She cheered for Team USA, Oklahoma State University, and the Twist and Shout Obsession allstar team that I am on now. She knows everything about cheer, the ins and outs, she is also the most committed person I have ever met.”

As a cheerleader at Stillwater, O’Neill is a main base and flyer. One thing that motivates the senior is letting people know how hard cheerleader work. 

“Being the absolute best I can be is a big motivation for me,” she stated. “But also, proving people wrong about cheerleading. Cheer is not easy and it takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to do what we do. It takes commitment, hard work, but mostly just the love for the sport. I’ve been cheering Allstar or competitively since I was eight years old, which led me to high school cheer. All I do is cheer, sometimes I get tired but I’ll never stop loving it. If you don’t love it, it’s really hard to get any better. The feeling of your hard work paying off is a huge reason as to why I succeed in my sport.”

When she is not practicing or competing in cheer, Mary enjoys catching up on social media. 

“My favorite non-athlete to follow is Craig Groschel,” she said. “He is an amazing pastor and leader. He spreads amazing messages that really make sense to me.”