BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. – For one Lord Botetourt cheerleader, Friday night lights just got a whole lot sweeter.
Thanks to a new ramp and access to the bleachers, Bailee Masters has a prime spot to watch the action.
Bailee said, “It was really cool.”
And for the first time, she was able to watch halftime from the stands.
Her parents, Ben and Emily Masters said, “We’ve been at the school now, this is the third year, there’s been no ramps so we’ve been sitting on the track, and she can’t see the game from the track or the band halftime show. So it was really cool to see that it was finally done.”
A new ramp was installed over the summer to make the bleachers more accessible for Bailee and others with special needs. Now, she’s able to take in all Friday nights have to offer, including...a sense of normalcy.
Her parents said, “It gives so much independence too, like hey go enjoy your stuff, you and your friends could go up there if you wanted to on your own without us and just hang out. it just really gives that extra independence, especially for kids her age in high school.”
Independence that brings a smile to Bailee’s face.
The addition also makes her parents’ planning much simpler. Her parents said, “It’s so nice being able to come someplace and not have to worry about that or plan ahead or message them and say where are we going to sit, do we have to bring our own chairs, are we even allowed to sit on the track close to the field. Just to have more idea of the game and watch the game and just be a little more involved never hurts.”
For the district, having equal accessibility was a priority.
Mike Moser, the communications specialist at BCPS said, “One of those priority projects was making sure we had a ramp installed at Lord Botetourt High School stadium as an upgrade in maintaining our facilities.”
Bailee is no longer sidelined and will continue cheering on her team — but this time, from a new vantage point.