Lora Harrington has wanted to be a cheerleader since she was a little girl.
"She started out cheering on her uncles as they played football and wrestled," says her mom, Cory Wingett.
But Wingett wasn't sure she'd be able to make her daughter's dream a reality. Harrington, who just turned 14 and is an incoming freshman at West Salem High School, was born with Down syndrome.
"It's hard for somebody with a disability to fit in," says Wingett. "She doesn't get invited to birthdays...she doesn't get invited to things."
That includes some camps and sports, which Wingett says Harrington has been excluded from in the past because of her disability.
But the West Salem High School cheer squad is different. "When I contacted the coach Aarika Guerrero," says Wingett, "she was very welcoming of Lora and encouraged her to try out."
"It was definitely new terrain," says Guerrero, who has been the head coach of the West Salem cheer squad for three years. Guerrero says she worked with the athletic department and Wingett to figure out the best way to make the cheer program inclusive and fair.
To that end, the team gave Harrington tryout materials in advance and allowed her to submit a tryout video.
"We were actually really impressed," says Guerrero. "She was just working so hard."
They gave Harrington the title of "honorary cheerleader" and she continued to work hard with the team all summer, and with her speech pathologist, to learn the cheers. And her work has paid off.
Gallery: Salem cheerleading squad welcomes girl with Down syndrome
"She was so proud when she received her uniform," says Wingett.
"She's just been fantastic," says Guerrero. "Her smile and her attitude are just infectious."
The outpouring of love and support has blown the girl's mom away. The coach is also pleased with the response of the other cheerleaders. "I really honestly couldn't have dreamed they would be as warm and receptive as they've been," says Guerrero.
And it isn't just the other cheerleaders. The whole school seems to support Harrington.
"The other night they put her up in a stand," says Wingett, "and the whole crowd just cheered for her."
-- Lizzy Acker
503-221-8052
lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker