Samantha Minno is a junior on the Struthers Cheerleading team who won Student Athlete of the Week.
Minno started cheerleading for the Struthers Little Wildcats for a year in the 4th grade and then took a break. She came back to it in the 7th grade and has stuck with it ever since.
The athlete’s most memorable moments of the football season consisted of having a major comeback after the game started slow and when she got asked to a school dance after the game.
“I have to say the most memorable was the Girard game during football season. Although we were losing at halftime, we ended up coming back and winning the game. It was definitely entertaining; I was screaming so much that I lost my voice. Also, after the game me and the other cheerleaders waited for the football players to walk out while I got asked to Homecoming! I got flowers and a sign and couldn’t have been happier,” says Minno.
The cheerleader has always loved the sport, but over time lost the desire to continue it after high school. She still loves cheering currently, but wants to focus on herself and her future.
Minno enjoys the happiness she gets from cheerleading with her friends the most and that it makes her perspective on high school better.
“My favorite part of cheering is being with my closest friends under the lights. If I wasn’t on the sidelines or the side of the court cheering on the boys with my closest friends by my side, I don’t know what I would do. Being in that setting just brings me so much joy and really adds to the high school experience,” says Minno.
The athlete’s favorite cheer is the B-E-A-T cheer that the whole cheer team learned from the alumni while practicing for the game on alumni night.
The junior is very honored to have been able to receive the award of Student Athlete of the Week and believes she really earned it.
“When I found out I got Student Athlete of the Week, I was so grateful. I know how hard I work and the amount of effort that I put in. In the most humble way, I think I deserved this award because I always try to put the team first by being the best version of myself personally and physically,” says Minno.
Minno’s biggest inspiration comes from her Aunt Elyse who has supported her on her cheerleading journey since the 7th grade.
