WOOD RIVER - East Alton-Wood River High School cheerleader senior Riley Shook has been a key component in the Oilers' cheer success this season and in her career.

EA-WR High School senior Riley Shook

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"I would like to thank my mom who has supported, pushed, and encouraged me throughout my time cheering here at East Alton-Wood River," Riley said.

Riley started on her highly regarded Coach Alison Beachum's JV team in her first time coaching and became JV captain. She did both JV and varsity basketball games and cheer competitions her freshman year, which kept her busy.

"Now I got named head cheer captain my senior year, was recognized as a senior scholar-athlete at ICCA, and was also named an all-conference athlete at our conference championship!" she said.

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"I have been cheering on the sidelines since third grade and started cheering competitively when I entered high school! What I love most about my sport is I have teammates and coaches who always want to help each other succeed and who you can count on in and out of cheer!"

In May 2020, Riley started to create and build her own business in photography.

"Photography is a strong passion of mine and I can’t wait to see how far I can go with it!" she said. "

Shook continued and said: "Cheerleading has helped me develop into the person I am today by teaching me commitment, communication, and discipline. It has also shown and taught me teamwork! I plan on continuing my passion of cheer at SIUE."

She also plans to major in business and marketing and try to take her photography business to the next level.

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