May 2023 – Houston Cheer is a highly competitive, award winning athletic program, and Betsy Spurlock has been a part of HMS Cheer for 25 years. She has always encouraged her athletes and pushed them, all with a smile on her face. On May 18, the cheerleaders of Houston Middle and Houston High school, past and present, came together to celebrate Mrs. Spurlock as she retires.
HHS cheerleaders who previously had Mrs. Spurlock as a coach and sponsor, shared that although she was tough on them, she always encouraged the “family” aspect of cheerleading. Sophomore Gabrielle Hirsch said, “Mrs. Spurlock is the nicest person ever and always had the biggest smile on her face.” Junior Camryn Tillie chimed in saying, “She was so helpful, and she was always in such a good mood.” They described her as uplifting, and they always knew that she would be in their corner.
HMS cheerleaders echoed these sentiments. CeCe Duke, Kate Howell, and Paige Cho said that Mrs. Spurlock was their “cheer mom.” Paige said, “She was just always there for us if we ever needed anything.” Kate Howell and CeCe Duke both agreed that their favorite memory is spending Nationals with Mrs. Spurlock. Their final thought was simply, “She’s been amazing, and Houston Cheer will not be the same without her.”
Mrs. Spurlock said that being a part of Houston Cheer has been such an amazing journey, and her lasting memory for cheerleading is once again just “the family aspect” and how much fun she’s had being a part of cheer. She wanted to say a thank you to all of her cheerleaders, saying, “They’re all just amazing kids, and they all have worked really hard to be in this program. I’m so hopeful for their future. I can’t wait to see them succeed wherever they go.”
Coach Chris Crabtree is thankful for all that Mrs. Spurlock has done for the program, saying, “No one is ever going to love the program as much as her. She’s built a tradition. She built a dynasty.” He also mentioned how Mrs. Spurlock was always the calm during a storm, and she always had a smile on her face. He did add one funny note as well saying that Mrs. Spurlock is known for how quickly she can walk around the Disney parks when they are there for Nationals. Through laughter he said, “We all call it Spurlock Speed.”
The lasting notion is that everyone is so grateful to Mrs. Spurlock for her work and dedication over these 25 years. Her positive energy and bright smile will be greatly missed by her co-coaches and her athletes, and GMSD cannot thank her enough for all that she has done to help build a nationally recognized cheer program. Mrs. Spurlock will continue to work at GMSD, but she will be missed by her athletes! They were all glad to take a moment to tell her 'thank you'.