The Cincinnati Enquirer introduced a new voting feature for the 2025 high school sports year: The Spirit Award for cheerleaders, dance team members and their squads.
Much like the popular athlete of the week voting, school fans and friends voted on two weekly ballots (individual and team) for The Spirit Award. Only coaches can provide nominations each week, either for their squads or other teams.
The Spirit Award winners for Oct. 10, 2025, are:
Jesslyn Roberts, Milford
“Not only is Jesslyn an amazing cheerleader, but the junior is also an incredible team player. She prioritizes the common goal and the team’s success. Jesslyn is open-minded and respectful,” wrote her coach, Stacie Vernon.
“She is reliable, flexible, works to support her teammates and helps to create a positive, productive team environment. We appreciate her attitude and have loved watching her shine on the varsity sideline!”
Edgewood varsity cheerleaders
The Edgewood High School varsity cheer squad is comprised of a talented group of 16 seniors and juniors. They began their work for the season back in the summer with daily practices and workouts and have continued their hard work through the season,, according to their coach Lindsey Clemmons.
“Their spirit and enthusiasm on the sidelines are contagious as they spirit up and down the track with their signs to get the crowd motivated to support the team. They continue to lead the crowd throughout the game with different cheers and chants to promote crowd engagement,” Clemmons wrote.
“They embody the characteristics of sportsmanship, ethics, and integrity throughout their performance on the sidelines, in the classroom, and the community. They are avid volunteers with the youth programs in our school district, while also maintaining a high GPA in the classroom,” she wrote. “Many of these cheerleaders are also involved in many other organizations, clubs, and sports teams in the school. They are true leaders on and off the sidelines.”
What is the criteria for The Spirit Award?
Eligible are varsity girls and boys cheerleaders and dancers who exemplify the fruits of the spirit ‒ love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – while uplifting their squads, the student body and others. Team nominations focus on squads that come together to help each other, work hard, do things right that week, show outstanding virtues when dealing with or serving others, exceed expectations to prepare something special for the school or take part in any other honorable reason they might be acknowledged.
If you win, what’s next?
Families have the option, after a win, to send in a VERY short (five to 10 seconds) thank you video from the athlete within two hours of the win for a winners’ compilation video. The video’s orientation must be vertical. Send videos by email to mlaughman@enquirer.com or through Messenger on Facebook. Or, you may drop the video in a separate DropBox using this link.
The Enquirer will no longer mail certificates to schools after getting feedback that families weren’t receiving them. Alex Harrison will make digital copies of all certificates available to families by 8 a.m. the Monday after the Friday win. Families will access the PDFs through this public Dropbox link.
Once printed, families can email a photo of athletes with their certificates to Melanie Laughman at mlaughman@enquirer.com, through Messenger on Facebook, or tag her on X at @mlaughman. We’ll put those images in a photo gallery.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Enquirer announces Spirit Award winners for Oct. 10
Reporting by Melanie Laughman, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
