Tri-Plains/Brewster Junior High Cheer Team Honors Veterans

The Tri-Plains/Brewster junior high cheer team turned their Tuesday night basketball doubleheader into something far more meaningful, teaming up with Heartland Christian School to host a heartfelt Salute to Service Night that paid tribute to local veterans and launched a growing effort to support deployed service members.

What began as a simple team fundraiser has quickly grown into a mission with real purpose. Junior high cheer coach Jalyn Felzien said the idea started last month, when the team began selling T-shirts with plans to set aside a portion of the proceeds to send care packages to military personnel. The project took on deeper meaning almost immediately.

Felzien’s coaching partner, Dayna Beachel, has a son SPC Ryan Ludowese currently deployed overseas with the 130th Field Artillery Brigade. After the cheer team reached out to him for ideas, he asked that their efforts support a fellow service member who needed additional help. That request led the team to a single mother serving in the same battalion, a soldier raising three young daughters back home. The cheer squad has since gathered a list of items that could brighten the holidays for the family, and they have begun collecting donations from the surrounding communities to help make it possible.

Felzien said the experience has helped the girls understand the value of giving back.

"Our goal is to show the athletes we coach that acts of support, whether big or small, can make a meaningful impact," Felzien said. "We are not doing this for recognition, but to express genuine appreciation, respect, and gratitude for the sacrifices our service members make each and every day."

Because Tri-Plains/Brewster had no home games scheduled in November, the cheer team partnered with Heartland Christian to host the ceremony in Colby. Heartland welcomed the opportunity, especially since they currently do not have their own cheer program.

When the national anthem began, a young Heartland Christian basketball player stepped to center court carrying the American flag in honor of his brother, who is serving in the military. Veterans and family members stood along the baseline as cheerleaders handed out small flags, posed for photos, and carried homemade thank-you signs recognizing those in attendance. Felzien said she personally counted at least four veterans wearing service caps, along with several family members representing multiple branches.

"Our cheerleaders did a fantastic job of representing everything that we wanted this night to stand for," Felzien said. "They were proud, respectful, and so excited to honor the people who protect us."

The project has grown even bigger in recent weeks. With donations continuing to come in, the cheerleaders have expanded their Support a Soldier effort, gathering items not only for the Kansas service member and her daughters, but also for a Texas-based troop preparing for a holiday celebration. Felzien’s aunt, who serves with that unit, will soon be promoted, creating another meaningful connection between the cheer team and service members stationed far from home.

Felzien said the girls on the team, 11 in total between the Winona and Brewster schools, have embraced the project wholeheartedly. For small rural districts where students already pitch in across multiple activities to keep programs alive, she said it has been powerful to watch them rally behind something larger than themselves.

"We appreciate everything our communities do for us," Felzien said. "This is our chance to give some of that back."

The work has already drawn attention beyond Northwest Kansas. Felzien said Governor Laura Kelly’s office plans to include the cheerleaders' service project in the upcoming state newsletter, which is also distributed to deployed troops. The recognition, she added, belongs to the girls and the communities that support them.

As donations continue to arrive, the team plans to assemble and ship care packages at the end of November and again in December, depending on the number of items they receive. Their hope is to continue the project into future seasons.

Felzien said anyone interested in contributing items or monetary support may reach out via email at jalyn2022@gmail.com. The cheer team will provide guidance on needed items for the holiday packages and ongoing Support a Soldier efforts.