Enquirer announces Spirit Award winners for Oct. 30

The Cincinnati Enquirer announces the final 2026 fall winners of the Spirit Award, a weekly feature recognizing the accomplishments of cheerleaders, dance team members and their squads.

Much like the popular athlete of the week voting, school fans and friends voted on two weekly ballots (individual and team) for The Spirit Award. Only coaches can provide nominations each week, either for their squads or other teams.

Eligible are varsity girls and boys cheerleaders and dancers who exemplify the fruits of the spirit ‒ love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – while uplifting their squads, the student body and others. Team nominations focus on squads that come together to help each other, work hard, do things right that week, show outstanding virtues when dealing with or serving others, exceed expectations to prepare something special for the school or take part in any other honorable reason they might be acknowledged.

This week’s Spirit Award winners are:

Madison Finn, South Dearborn High School

“The junior is a member of the varsity cheerleading squad as well as the competition team. Madison is a hardworking athlete who consistently brings a positive attitude and strong work ethic to everything she does. She is always willing to lend a helping hand to her teammates, encourage others, and step outside her comfort zone to try new things. No matter the challenge, Madison approaches it with a smile on her face and a willingness to learn and improve. What makes Madison special is her positive energy, kindness and dedication to her team. She leads by example and demonstrates what it truly means to be a supportive teammate. Madison is a wonderful representation of South Dearborn Cheerleading and is very deserving of this recognition,” according to her coach, Erin Wuestefeld.

Conner Cougars Varsity Competition Team

“This team has really come together and fought hard at their first competition. They have been working consistently since the summer to better their skills and perfect their craft. They improved by 12 whole points from last season to this season on the score sheet. They all work beautifully together and will only get better and stronger. We are so proud of their performance and can’t wait to see what the rest of the season brings,” according to their coach Kristy Ludeker.

How winners can receive their certificates

Winners can email prepsports@enquirer.com to receive the PDF winners’ certificates. They can print the certificates and submit a photo of the winners holding the certificate to mlaughman@enquirer.com. Winners are also welcome to submit a video thanking fans for their votes.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Enquirer announces Spirit Award winners for Oct. 30