QUINTASIA JOHNSON

IDABEL HIGH SCHOOL

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. That might be the mantra for Idabel High School junior Quintasia Johnson this year. She suffered a major knee injury during the summer which will sideline her from her busy schedule for a while starting with the cheer squad. But even injured, Quintasia is finding ways to support them.

“Even though she’s injured, she still shows up for our 6 AM practices and coordinates a lot of things for us,” said cheer coach Prince Ssai. “She also excels in the classroom where she is a straight A student and is one of those students you don’t get to coach very often.”

She had surgery in July so she will miss all of cheer this year as well as the basketball season this winter. She hopes to be able to take part in slow pitch softball and track next spring after capturing state titles last year as part of the 4X100, 4X200 and 4X400 relay teams.  And she has adopted a positive attitude about her rehab.

“I think the tendency after a big injury is to isolate yourself, but my family helped me realize that doing that isn’t going to help me be better, so being with the cheer squad in even a limited capacity has really lifted my spirits.”

Cheer has been a part of her life since her early years according to Quintasia.

“My older sister and cousin were cheerleaders and I really looked up to them and so I tried out in eighth grade and have loved it ever since.”

As we’ve seen Quintasia is involved in lots of athletic endeavors but says she likes basketball best with one her role models being former WNBA star Candace Parker. But her love for the game took some time to grab hold.

“When I was younger, I didn’t really like basketball so much but growing up I’ve learned a lot about myself through basketball and that’s helped me be better in other activities,” said Johnson who is also in National Honor Society, student council, FCCLA, Key Club, and Leo Club.