South's Joey Barto will continue to cheer at Chadron State
May 9—CHEYENNE — Joey Barto has long strived to be the best she possibly can in whatever she does.
Aiming for excellence is what attracted her to cheerleading for Johnson Junior High and Cheyenne South.
"I knew the cheer programs here were very competitive and held their athletes to a high standard," Barto said. "I wanted to hold myself to that standard and cheer in high school. I didn't know when I'd be on varsity, but I fell in love with it."
Barto ended up being a four-year varsity member, who helped the Bison add to their state championship legacy. She'll continue cheering competitively after signing with NCAA Division II Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska, last month.
"I really like being in a competitive atmosphere and pushing my body to meet an end goal," Barto said. "South cheer has taught me to keep pushing and that — no matter the outcome — it's all worth it.
"That's something I still need in my life going into the next four years in college. I'm excited I've got that opportunity (with Chadron)."
Barto was thrust into South's varsity lineup the week of the state meet her freshman year when a teammate had to be quarantined after testing positive for COVID-19. South swept co-ed strung, all-girl stunt and gameday that year.
"She's always been a positive asset to the program," said South coach Madeline Moyte, who was an assistant during Barto's first two years of high school.
Barto was always drawn to cheerleading, and was a familiar face at South's various youth clinics before moving up to Johnson Junior High. Those experiences set the foundation for Barto's success.
"She's one of the first kids who did all three of those steps with us, and that's really exciting," Moyte said. "She also was a captain this year and was a great leader. She definitely left her mark on the program. Chadron's lucky to have her, and she'll do great things there."
Attention to detail was one of the ways Barto made an impact on the Bison, Moyte said.
"She always wanted to know why we were doing things and how what we were doing was important to our score sheet," the coach said. "She leads the way for other kids to know why we do certain things. She's been part of multiple state championships — an intricate part."
An honors student, Barto plans to study criminal justice with an emphasis on forensic science.
"I've had a couple influences in my life who had the job, and I think it's really interesting and something I really want to do," Barto said. "I live next door to someone who does something similar, and it's really cool."
Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on X at @jjohnke.
