A dream, realized

The time has finally come for Morgan Lambert. 

A dream that has been evolving since she first stepped on a cheerleading mat as a 3-year-old has finally been realized for the Spain Park High School graduate and current freshman at Mississippi State University.

“That’s all I ever wanted to do, was cheer in college,” Lambert said.

She will now have the opportunity to do what she’s always hoped for, as she made it through an arduous tryout process May 6 to secure a spot on the all-girls cheerleading squad at Mississippi State.

“I was standing there with my mom when they finally posted the list,” Lambert recalled. “It’s old-fashioned. They print out a list and put it on the door. I went up to the door and saw it, and it was just shock.

“It still hasn’t sunk in. It’s still so surreal.”

On Saturdays in the fall, Lambert can now be found on the sidelines of Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, cheering on the same Bulldogs that her father, Gary Lambert, played defensive back for in the early 1980s.

“I really like it at Mississippi State,” Lambert said. “I told my dad I wanted to go over there on a visit after I decided Alabama wasn’t for me, and I went once and it was just like, ‘This is it.’”

State was the only school she visited. Her heart was set. And if she’s as passionate about Mississippi State as she was during her days as a Spain Park cheerleader, she will stand out immediately.

“She has a passion for Spain Park,” Spain Park cheer coach Ashelie Halla said. “She bleeds some baby blue, and I know she’ll have that same passions for Mississippi State when she cheers.”

Lambert cheered on the varsity squad at Spain Park her junior and senior years, serving as captain her final year. While directing cheers during football games, Lambert would sometimes get so wrapped up in the emotions of the game that she would need a slight nudge from Halla to remember her primary duty. 

“Coach Halla would have to come up to me on the sidelines sometimes,” Lambert said. “I would get so into the game, I’d forget and we’d all be standing there in silence, and it was my fault, but I was so into it.”

But Halla said she would much rather have someone with as much passion and knowledge of the game than a captain that lacked zeal or excitement.

“She can tell you who completed that third down pass,” Halla said. “She would get so excited and want to see her peers do well.”

Halla said that Lambert’s cheerleading talent combined with her people skills gave her a great shot at making the team at Mississippi State.

“She’s that rare person that communicates that spirit outwardly as well,” Halla said. “She’s a great all-around person, great all-around student, great representation of this school. …She’s one of those that you wish you had 100 of those kind of kids.”

Halla gave Lambert the opportunity to coach the upcoming freshman team in the spring, an experience that opened her eyes to the possibility of coaching in the future.

“She loves cheerleading. She loves to see people get better, and I knew that she would take that and translate that down to the freshmen,” Halla said.

Lambert’s work with Inside Cheerleading Magazine during her high school days left her with a hope of getting into some form of broadcasting or journalism, something that she plans to pursue at Mississippi State. But there will be options, She’s already got one standing offer.

“I told her to hurry up so you can come back and coach with me,” Halla said.