Hello, friends and neighbors. It is good to see you here.

Of the 25 members of the Carolina Panthers cheerleader squad, the TopCats, two members call Jacksonville home: Alyssa Simma, a 2013 graduate of Jacksonville High School, and Annalise C olema n , a 2011 graduate of White Oak High School. The two women grew up dancing together in Jacksonville, went their separate ways and have come back together again.

Alyssa never thought she would a TopCat, she said, but there it is — a dream to cheer for an NFL team come true when she was selected as a cheerleader for the Carolina Panthers.

“It is extremely exciting,” Alyssa said. “There is no other feeling like being on that field for a game, the energy and the fans; it is euphoric to be out there to cheer on a wonderful team and excite the people in the community.”

Alyssa is an Onslow County native, the daughter of Tracie and Kenny Simma. Kenny Simma is a retired alcohol law enforcement agent and is now a detective. Tracie Simma is a second grade teacher at Bell Fork Elementary School. She is the granddaughter of retired school teacher Martha and Tommy Warren and Judy Simma and the late Jack Simma.

Alyssa cheered on varsity as a freshman at Jacksonville High and danced growing up, first at Dance Theater of Jacksonville and then finishing at A Step Ahead Gymnastics and Dance. After graduation, Alyssa attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte majoring in middle grades education. When she turned 21, she decided to take a shot for her dream and try out with the TopCats. When she made it, it was a “huge shock, an amazing blessing to fulfill my childhood dream.”

From the time she entered the audition process, it was an amazing experience, Alyssa said. The staff was extremely nice and welcoming and made her feel like it was a second home.

Alyssa is in her first year and says it is a lot of hard work and self discipline but as a member of the TopCats, she has a sisterhood that has bonded and they work together. The cheerleaders do not travel with the team except last year when the cheerleaders went to the Super Bowl.

“We are friends,” Alyssa said. “Every single woman on the team is completely genuine. It is great to be in that kind of environment.”

The team practices twice a week depending on the games. She works out at the gym and does yoga to stay physically fit. The team has trainers who instruct them.

Alyssa is scheduled to graduate from college in May. She plans to audition again next year to be a Top-Cat and if she makes it, look for a job in Charlotte. Meanwhile, she is taking everything one step at a time.

Alyssa’s family is very supportive. She was so nervous trying out, but she talked to her parents and they supported her even from a distance. The Simmas have attended every game that she has cheered. They can’t see much from the stands, but it is nice to know they are up there, she said.

“I definitely would not be here without them,” Alyssa said of her parents.

Alyssa’s favorite Panther is linebacker Luke Kuechly.

“He is great at his job,” Alyssa said. “He is a good character.”

Annalise Coleman

When Annalise was a little girl, her parents took her to a Panthers game. She watched the cheerleaders all the time, she said. She attended another game when she was 18. She watched the cheerleaders the whole time and became more interested in becoming a TopCat.

When Annalise turned 21, she auditioned and was selected. She had a double major at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and knew she would be in school an extra year and would have to commute 90 minutes for practice.

“It is such a great experience that it didn’t really matter,” she said.

The coach was going to send emails out at 1 p.m. after the audition to tell the women if they made the team. The time came and Annalise heard nothing. But then it came.

“I cried,” she said. “I was so nervous. I was freaking out. We just started screaming and crying. That moment when you reach a goal you have had, it is awesome.”

The first year, she said she was nervous. But during this second year, she is having a lot more fun and enjoying herself.

“Whatever is happening in the game, the fans are so good,” she said. “It is definitely my favorite part, being on the field.”

Last year Annalise toured Africa, Bahrain, and Kuwait with the team entertaining the troops and attended the Super Bowl.

“It was awesome despite the outcome,” she said. “It was still an amazing experience.”

Being a TopCat is definitely a lot of hard work with the workout schedule, but “the awesome thing about the program is that it opens doors to meet a lot of people and do a lot of cool things.”

Annalise is an Onslow County native, the daughter of Vanessa and Gerald Coleman. Vanessa Coleman teaches at Brewster Middle School; Gerald Coleman is a retired Marine who works with the Wounded Warriors at Camp Lejeune. She has one sister, Alyssia, a sophomore at Northside High School and a cheerleader.

Annalise began dancing at the Dance Theater at 3 years old. When she was in the ninth grade at White Oak High School, she attended dance in Wilmington. She was a cheerleader at New Bridge Middle School.

Annalise graduated from UNC-G in 2015 with degrees in dance and public health education. She works as a dance teacher at KIPP Change Academy Charter School in Charlotte.

Annalise’s family was at the Dance Theater to watch, and they are at every Panthers game where she performs.

“I definitely wouldn’t have made it without them,” Annalise said. “They paved the way with all the dance classes they put me in throughout the years,”

Annalise plans to try out again next year and see where it takes her. She also loves her job and wants to continue to teach dance.

Annalise’s favorite player is quarterback Cam Newton.

“Every time we see him, he has a smile on his face,” she said. “He does everything he can to make the fans and kids happy.”

Artist in training

Allie Crowell, 9, a third grader at Morton Elementary, won the art contest sponsored by Johnson’s Drug Stores during the holidays. Her artwork and ribbon is on display at Johnson’s Westpark. Allie’s entry stood out because of the added details she added to her artwork.

Allie is the daughter of Joey and Sara Crowell of Jacksonville.

Thank you for coming.

Carolyn Alford’s column appears here each week. She can be reached at calfordster@gmail.com.