Burklow, Ozment named to All-State cheerleading squad

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[A pair of minor oversights could not deter Harrisburg High School cheerleaders Valerie Ozment and Madison Burklow from being happy for one another.

Burklow and Ozment were named to the All-State cheerleading team on Tuesday. Ozment learned of the coronation on Jan. 26 via e-mail, however, Burklow did not receive the e-mail right away. In another gaffe, Ozment said the e-mail had spelled her name wrong. Still, it was a phone call from Ozment to Burklow that confirmed the honor.

In the end, those were minor details the seniors were able to look past for the big picture. Ozment and Burkow began cheering when they were in middle school and have not stopped since.

The Bulldog cheerleaders have won a pair of cheerleading tournament championships this year as they claimed the titles at the Eldorado Holiday Tournament for the third year in a row and the Carmi-White County Invitational Tournament for the second straight year.

"I'm happy I get to do this with my best friend. We've been best friends since sitting on the bus in second grade," Ozment said. "We cheered together in middle school, and she almost didn't try out."

"I never wanted to be a cheerleader, ever," Burklow added. "until the day before tryouts."

Their trip includes a scholarship interview that is based on community service, school involvement and a video of cheer skills.