Teen with Down syndrome not selected for cheerleading team learns their routine by just watching

Each child is endowed with unique sets of talents that set them apart from other children. These distinctive traits could be anything from dancing to playing an instrument and can be highly refreshing for them. For 13-year-old Emmie Tallent, that activity was cheerleading. Unfortunately, she was not accepted onto her school's cheerleading team because she had been diagnosed with Down syndrome. However, she did not let this setback get to her and pursued her passion, as shown in a video on @emmiedanger, an account managed by her older sister.

The clip has gone viral with 3 million views and 87,489 likes on the social media platform. In the caption, she writes, "I aspire to have an ounce of her confidence." It turns out that Tallent began observing her team from the sidelines at various events and picked up on their routine quickly. In the short clip, we get to see her effortlessly following along with the team's moves. Since the clip had reached so many people, her sister decided to provide a short clarification as to why the school did not select her to be on the cheer team.

She shares how the team did not have many spots and other girls who had similar neurotypical conditions and who danced better than Tallent were not selected. Tallent would also become stubborn at times and refuse to listen, which would make practice sessions and performances quite difficult. The post mentions how her school was extremely supportive but had to make a hard decision on this particular issue. The older sister also mentioned that Tallent was still happily cheering from the sidelines and that their mom was a bit relieved since she did not have to drive her to every game.

The 13-year-old is quite active as she also has a keen interest in gymnastics and dance. The post concludes by saying, "I'm sure in the future Emmie will make cheer somewhere, but today she's perfectly happy as she is. Thank you everyone for caring about her!" People shared their thoughts in the comments section. @user45334774 said, "Now we all watched you cheer and you did an outstanding job!! Good for you sweetie!!"

However, not all stories need to end with rejection. Bree Cox, a 14-year-old with Down syndrome, was extremely excited to tell her dad that she had made it into the drill team. Cox proved to be an inspiration to many others by challenging misconceptions about people with the same condition. Her mother spoke to PEOPLE and shared how the weeks following the news were "really touching." She looks up to her older sisters Kyra and Adrie as her "role models," as they played a major role in encouraging her to dance.

Cox has attended all of her sister's dances and even memorized a few of them, too, all in the hope of being selected for the dance team one day. The family was reluctant and worried whether she would get selected but decided to let her pursue her dream. The sisters practiced their routines together and finally danced. A few weeks later they both got individual letters revealing that they had been selected for the team.

You can follow Emmie Tallent (@emmiedanger) on TikTok for lifestyle-based content.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on February 16, 2024. It has since been updated.