Yellin’ fever: Cougar cheerleader projects spirit from a wheelchair

When school started back in August, Rashel Felton wasn’t al´ways easy to hear. The slight, smiling Niwot High School fresh´man couldn’t make herself heard over the din of a busy classroom.

“She had a pretty quiet voice. But that,” says special-education teacher Amber Flynn, “isn’t a problem any more.”

Niwot High School cheerleader Rashel Felton, foreground, works the sidelines of an October football game in Longmont as, from left, Daria Djalali, Katie Rose and Rachel Gibbons catch snowflakes. Rashel, a freshman who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, joined the squad this fall. Mark Ivins Longmont Ledger

After all, if you’re going to be a cheerleader, you’ve got to be able to … project.

“I like to yell and I like to scream,” says the slight, perpetually smiling Rashel, 15, who this au´tumn became the first Cougar cheerleader who uses a wheel´chair.

Rashel, who lives with cerebral palsy, has long been active and athletic. But the Longmont teenager caught the cheerleading bug while playing “We Cheer” on a Nintendo Wii and she knew what sport she wanted to try when she got to high school.

“I discussed it with my dad, and he said, ‘You should do it.’ We filled out the paperwork and I went to my doctor to get cleared,” she says. “It’s been really, really fun. It’s been awesome.”

Rashel suited up in green, silver and white for home football games this season and recently cheered at a volleyball match.

“It’s so exciting. I get out there and really get my arms going. I really like being with the other cheerleaders,” she says. “And we’ve got new uniforms; they’re all sparkly. I love it.”

Rashel cheered at every Cougars home game with her teammates, back row, left to right Katie Rose, Rachel Gibbons, Elaine Bailey, Sami Williamsen, Sophia Praggastis, Chloe Duncan, Norma Jiminez, Cynthia Griggs, Finley Cruger, and front row, left to right, Katie Church, Rashel Felton, Daria Djalali, Joann Liang Mark Ivins/Longmont Ledger

Like any dedicated athlete, she doesn’t much care about the weather. She just wants to get out and do her thing. She cheered at the Cougars’ game Loveland High School on Oct. 8, when the  season’s first snow began to fall, but Rashel didn’t mind.

“Of course my dad thought I shouldn’t go. But I wasn’t really cold. Some of the other cheers were freezing, but I had a lot of layers on,” she says.

Athletics seem to be in Rashel’s blood. She has long played wheelchair sports, including fencing and rugby, though now she’s focusing on cheerleading. In her mind, cheering isn’t just another sport — it’s ultimately about effort and energy.
Her cheer coach, Linda Anton, agrees.

“She is so excited about doing this. It’s her dream. She couldn’t be more positive; she really wants to be out there,” Anton says. “To me, this is what cheerleading really needs to be. It’s all about enthusiasm, and she definitely has that.”

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