The University of Mississippi Athletics
More Than Wins And Losses
3/15/2006 | Athletics
March 15, 2006
They were there to cheer on the Ole Miss Lady Rebels in the second round of the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament in Little Rock, Ark. The Ole Miss cheerleading squad had no idea when they left the Alltel Arena that day, that they had impacted more than a basketball game.
The Rebel cheerleaders had arrived at the Alltel Arena to cheer on the Lady Rebels against the No. 1 seed, LSU. That's when they met a group of students from Vilonia, Ark.
The students were there to compete at halftime as part of Special Olympics. The group arrived by bus, dressed out in their red, white and blue basketball uniforms. They were greeted by the Ole Miss cheerleading squad as they exited the bus.
Noticing the similarity in team colors, the Ole Miss cheerleaders immediately asked the Vilonia team to join the Ole Miss fans in attendance and to help cheer for the Lady Rebels. With much enthusiasm, the students agreed.
The Ole Miss cheerleaders returned the favor by cheering for the Vilonia team during their halftime game. Vilonia was so thrilled by the support from the Ole Miss cheerleaders that they asked to have a group picture made for the Vilonia yearbook. This time it was the Rebel cheerleading squad who enthusiastically agreed.
Though the Lady Rebels lost a hard fought game against LSU, both the Ole Miss cheerleaders and the Vilonia Special Olympics team had a great time, trading hugs and high fives.
The game of life is about more than wins and losses.