As a sophomore, Carson Kee was busy. Football, wrestling and Scouts BSA filled his days.

When he was invited to a cheer practice that same year, he had no intention of adding something else to his schedule. 

“I went to Bring a Boy to practice, I really wasn’t going there to join cheer,” Kee said. “I was just going there to hang out, but I was trying it and I ended up having a lot of fun.”

Kee felt that he belonged in cheer. He loved it, and he started rethinking his activities.

“Football, I just really didn’t grow with anyone else, I just kind of stayed the same height and I just kind of got outgrown,” Kee said. “So I was splitting my time and I ended up missing a bunch of cheer and a bunch of wrestling, and that just wasn’t fair to either sport. So I picked which was going to take me further.”

Senior Chila Guzman said she is glad Carson Kee continued with cheer.

“He’s very enthusiastic and very dedicated to what he does and he takes corrections very well,” Guzman said. “We have a brother and sister bond, so it’s just very fun to connect with him. And every routine we put on the mat, he gives me a hug because he knows he messed up at least one of the parts, and he knows I won’t get mad.”

Kee decided to do cheerleading full time and set big goals. It paid off. Recently, Kee committed to cheer at Mississippi State University as a walk-on to the program. He will be cheering as a co-ed base and majoring in Ag Business. 

“I really liked the atmosphere at Mississippi State,” Kee said. “I heard they won the national championship for cheer, and I was like, you know, that’s a cool place. So I went to check it out during the summer and I just fell in love with the campus.”

Guzman said she is excited to see what is ahead for Kee in cheerleading, especially in college.

“I can see him winning a NCAA D1 title with Mississippi State,” Guzman said. “I hope he just has a lot of fun at State and possibly joins the USA cheer team.”

While Kee gave up football and wrestling, he also reconsidered his goals in scouting. While he always loved the outdoors, most of his friends quit scouts when high school hit and his troop started getting small. 

“My sophomore year, I thought about quitting Scouts,” he said. “I was going through quite a bit of a sophomore slump. And I really went back to the thought, why have I been in scouts for all these years? I still have fun going on these camping trips and these summer camps.”

Kee started his scouting career in third grade. He loved exploring and outdoor adventures when he was younger.

“I joined because I wanted to go camping and they promised me I’d get to go camping as long as I came once a week,” Kee said.

Kee decided to continue his goal of becoming an Eagle Scout, which he achieved in June. For his Eagle Scout project, he built a memorial bench in honor of Bill Blaney that is located at the Northshore Park on Hamblen Road.

“He used to own the park where I used their boat ramp when I was scouting,” Kee said. “So I put a memorial bench facing the water. That way it gives a spot for people walking by to sit down and enjoy the water, and a great way to honor him.”

This week, Kee enters competition season with the cheer team, which won the 2025 UIL Spirit Coed State Championship. And soon he will start preparing to chase his college goals. He is hardly leaving his scouting in his past though. The lessons it gave Kee go everywhere with him. 

“As a Scout, I really learned to be true to myself – follow what I think is right, do the right thing as much as I possibly can, always choose to be nice rather than mean,” Kee said. “I got all these experiences and now I turn those experiences into skills that I still use to this day.”