When the announcer called out Maȟpíya Lúta as the recipient of the 2025 Spirit of Six award at the state girls basketball tournament in Spearfish, senior cheerleader Precious Pourier was overwhelmed with emotion.
“I was shocked and very emotional at the time when we received it,” Precious said. “Hearing our school’s name called for the Spirit of Six award—it felt like everything had paid off, and in that moment, everything just felt complete.”
But this moment wasn’t just a celebration of this season’s hard work. It was part of a much bigger story—a legacy coming full circle. Precious’ mom, Jolene Buckman, was a cheerleader for Maȟpíya Lúta back in 1997. Like Precious, it was Jolene’s first year cheering, and that year, her squad also won the Spirit of Six award at the state boys basketball tournament in Rapid City.
“I knew my mom was a cheerleader in high school and that she was new to it, just like me,” Precious shared. “And I always knew she had won the Spirit of Six with her team. Knowing that about her inspired me to work hard and stay motivated.”
Precious said the story of her mom falling in love with cheerleading always stuck with her. Jolene hadn’t planned on trying out, but her friends convinced her. For Precious, it was her cousin, Tomee, along with her mom, who encouraged her to give cheerleading a chance.
“It really felt like a full-circle moment,” Precious reflected. “My mom always told me that if you’re going to be a cheerleader, you’ll have to come out of your shell. You can’t be scared to yell or to smile.”
This year, Precious and her squad not only carried on that legacy but made history. After winning the dance competition at the Lakota Nation Invitational, they had their sights set on one more goal.
“After LNI, we knew we wanted to complete the season with the Spirit of Six,” she said. “We already knew our girls basketball team was going to state, so we stayed motivated for them and for our crowd. What really kept us going was that we were a whole new team this year. We knew if we could take on the dance competition, we could take on the Spirit of Six.”
For younger girls who dream of becoming cheerleaders—or leaders in their communities—Precious has this advice:
“Don’t be scared to do something that’s completely out of your comfort zone, because it might be the thing you’ll unexpectedly fall in love with,” she said.
“And don’t let others discourage you or take away the spirit and motivation you carry with you every day. At the end of the day, it’ll all pay off.”