Like mother like daughter might be the title for this story about the Shenemans-Kendall and her mother Jessica. Kendall is a senior at Weleetka High School where her mother is the cheer coach. Keeping up with Kendall is a challenge since she seems to be everywhere. In addition to cheer, she plays softball, does track, is in National Honor Society, FCA, and is president of the FFA chapter. And…
“This year I also joined the basketball team so they would have enough players to finish the season after some of the team suffered injuries and I also started powerlifting which I really enjoy,” said Kendall.
Mom Jessica is a Weleetka alum where she cheered before going to Eastern State to cheer in college and has been a high school or junior high cheer coach for 18 years. So getting into cheer was pretty much a given for Kendall.
“I’ve been around cheering since the day I was born. My mom was coaching from the time I can remember, and I was always around the high school cheerleaders she coached,” said Kendall. “I started tumbling when I was about six and then got into competitive cheer for a while. I really enjoy stunting, specifically the basket tosses, where I am a flyer and I also enjoy cheering Friday nights at football games.”
Cheer is also where Kendall says she found one of her cherished high school highlights.
“Probably the biggest highlight for me at Weleetka is when we went to state in cheerleading my sophomore year.”
As a senior, Kendall has the responsibility of being a team leader, which she takes seriously.
“I believe a good leader is someone who can lift up your team and who sets a good example on and off the field.”
Kendall will move on to Oral Roberts University next fall and is trying out for the cheer squad there in April. But true to the mother-daughter theme, Kendall says her mom will always have a special place no matter what.
“My mom is my role model and motivator in cheer and in life. I know no matter what I am doing, she will be there cheering me on and encouraging me. Whether I have a bad game or just need a pep talk, she is always there.”
