My daughter (Rio Ottolino) is a dancer (a Lyrical Soloist) and was at the same competition as your team of girls on 1/11/15 at the UIC Pavillion in Chicago. Rio’s only cheering section was her Aunt Carrie, and me (her mom). Rio is an independent and not affiliated with any studio. We are from Marengo and were the only people that Rio had to go with her.

When your team saw Carrie sitting alone in the spectator’s section, as I was at the sound booth starting the music, a giant group of your girls came down to sit in the cheering section to help cheer Rio on. As I looked across the room and saw this, I got goosebumps as the tears welled up in my eyes. They melted my heart. What a wonderful group of young ladies you have that would do that for someone they didn’t even know!

It wasn’t until after Rio got off stage, that Carrie told me that your girls told Carrie that they felt sorry for Rio that she didn’t have a cheering section. Even Carrie was deeply emotional about the support your girls showed my daughter.

I couldn’t even sleep tonight without feeling compelled to look you up and email you about your wonderful group of girls. I’m not sure which cheer team won the sportsmanship award, (or if there even was one) because I couldn’t hear the announcer from where I was sitting, but if your girls didn’t win it, they certainly did in my opinion.

Please share this letter with your team and thank them from the bottom of our hearts. If I were the owner of your studio, I would be extremely proud of my girls. Cheer Alliance will remain in our hearts and minds, and if we see you at another competition, you can be sure we will be there cheering for you as well!

Good luck this season to your team!