Flores remembered, cheerleaders recognized at fair rally

The Owatonna cheerleading team returns for another sports season after losing a captain, a teammate, and friend right before the end of the school year.

The team was recognized on the last day of the Steele County Free Fair on Sunday at the football/cheerleader rally. Head coach Jenna Compton introduced the varsity cheerleaders and also talked about Olivia Flores.

Compton has been coaching cheerleading in Owatonna since 2010 and this will be her second year as the head coach. She and assistant varsity coach Chelsea Wendel took the stage on Sunday night to introduce the 2024 cheerleaders.

Compton explained that last year was the hardest year for her to coach cheerleading due to the passing of Olivia Flores.

“The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do is say goodbye to a friend and a teammate,” Compton said at the rally. “Last year Olivia Flores was up here on this stage excited for her senior year, and she had an amazing senior year. She was a great captain. She had so much energy, and her smile and her laughter was contagious.”

Flores was killed in a mutli-vehicle crash involving a state trooper in Rochester just weeks before her graduation.

Compton also said while it was hard to say goodbye to Flores, it was also an honorable experience for her.

“I am so lucky to be a part of such a wonderful community and a wonderful cheer family,” said Compton. “I’m honored to be a part of celebrating Olivia’s life as much as I was, so I want to thank her family for sharing her daughter with us.”

The cheerleading team and crowd then went into a moment of silence in remembrance of Flores.

Compton then went on to introduce the varsity cheerleaders for the football season, with their being three seniors, twelve juniors, one sophomore, and one freshman on the team.

The cheerleaders did workouts during the summer which were two days a week at 7 a.m. This was the first year the summer workouts were held at the new high school track and field.

“These ladies have been working hard,” Compton said. “They had their first round of tryouts last spring, and they all had goals they’ve been working on over the summer.”

The cheerleading team did multiple cheers throughout the rally and performed a dance to the hit song “Hot To Go!” by Chappell Roan.