FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- When Alexis Stamm decides she's going to do something, she doesn't just put her best foot forward; she immerses herself in the task, giving it her complete mind, body and heart -- a trait that makes her the ideal candidate to represent military children throughout the world.
In December, when Chief Warrant Officer 2 Heath Stamm nominated his daughter for Operation Homefront's 2012 Military Child of the Year award, he kept it to himself. Through the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, he nearly forgot about the nomination until a month later, when he received a call telling him that his daughter was one of the top 20 Army semi-finalists.
"I guess I had to tell her," admitted Stamm, who was so excited, he broke the news to her while she was cheering at a basketball game. Stamm serves as a targeting officer with Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 10th Mountain Division (LI).
Thirteen year-old Alexis is involved with everything from cheerleading and softball, to volunteering for community and post groups.
The Georgia native attributes her wide range of interests to the Army and the fact that she has moved so much -- 12 times -- over the years.
"My friends were into different things, and I just tried to do what they do," she said.
She admits that the big plunge into her currently busy lifestyle began when she and her Family moved to the North Country three years ago.
In addition to cheering with the Indian River varsity basketball cheerleading team and practicing almost every day after school, Alexis also cheers for the NNY All-STARZ Cheerleading team, whose practices are held a couple of times each week.
The Indian River Middle School 8th grader also adds former dancer -- including jazz, ballet, tap and hip-hop -- to her resume. Up until her Family moved to Fort Drum, she danced competitively, placing fifth at a national competition.
The Stamm Family has been stationed across the country at Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort Benning, Ga.; Fort Jackson, S.C.; Fort Sill, Okla.; and Fort Riley, Kan. Alexis said she believes frequent moves have given her a lot of practice at making friends and putting herself out there.
"I'm more involved here than I was at other places, because there are more opportunities (to get involved)," Alexis noted.
She attributes her involvement with community service projects to her mother, Darlene, who is active with the unit's family readiness group.
Alexis has spent hours helping with canned food drives and coat drives with her cheerleading team, and she will be involved with an upcoming telethon.
"(My parents) are always there for everything. They tell me if I need to I can just take a break; they're not going to push me," Alexis said.
Even 13-year-olds can get burned out though, and when Alexis realizes she's overextending herself, she makes the decision to opt out of her additional, extra-curricular activities, such as power tumbling, which she attends a few times each week.
Her father admits that Alexis is the driving force behind the Family's organized lifestyle, encouraging them to gather around a calendar, mapping out the upcoming week's activities, and paying special attention to who will transport Alexis to and from her activities.
"She keeps me on task," Stamm said of his daughter. "I've never seen a child this (organized)."
For instance, when Alexis must attend an overnight competition, she doesn't procrastinate her responsibility to pack until the last minute; she writes out her packing list a few days before the trip.
She said her motivation to be proactive comes from being involved in dance, where she learned the consequences of being late and unprepared.
This motivation -- combined with a mature teenager -- proved to be a successful pairing when Alexis decided to push the limits and try out for the varsity basketball cheerleading team.
In order to join the ranks of the varsity basketball cheerleading team, Alexis was required to take a maturity test. The test not only assessed her physical maturity -- through sit-ups, running and pull-ups -- but it also evaluated her mental maturity.
Alexis noted that although the senior girls on the cheerleading squad are up to five years older than her, she's not intimidated by them.
"They just treat us like they would treat their friend," she explained. "We're all pretty close."
Once she demonstrated that she could pass the maturity test, Alexis was able to try out for the varsity team.
"It's very hard to keep up with two (cheerleading squads), especially since All-Star cheering is a very competitive sport -- they expect 110 percent out of (the cheerleaders)," noted Joni Hoover, Indian River varsity cheerleading coach.
Hoover also believes Alexis's maturity level is exceptional, making her deserving of the recognition.
"(Alexis) is always willing to do whatever (I) ask, and she is always open to criticism that will make her better," Hoover added.
"(Alexis is) really involved with a gamut of things -- between sports and academics -- she just doesn't really do (well) in just one area," Stamm said. "She really excels in everything she does."
While her father might boast about his daughter's accomplishments, Alexis is a little more modest about her success, sometimes for things as trivial as being hard on herself for earning a B instead of an A in a class.
"She always wants to learn it first and be best at it," Stamm said, noting Alexis puts everything she has into all that she does.
Alexis jokes that one activity she does not participate in, but would like to tackle, is driving.
Stamm, who has deployed four times, notes there are two ways military children can handle a deployment: they can wait around for their parent to redeploy, or they can find ways to keep busy in order to pass the time.
Alexis is the latter, handling deployments by immersing herself in school and practices, to keep her mind off her father's absence.
"A child -- especially on a military post -- can be as involved as they want to, or as uninvolved as they want to," Stamm noted. "(Everyone) should take advantage of what we have on a military installation, because we have more community-type activities for kids."
Stamm constantly reminds his children of how fortunate they are to be military children, having experienced more opportunities than the average person.
Alexis will have an upcoming telephone interview with the judges, and although she admits it's an intimidating situation, she's no stranger to competition or performing in front of others.
When it's game time, she trades her soft-spoken persona for an aggressive game face.
"She hates to lose at anything," Stamm admits of his daughter.
Alexis said she learned to "buckle down and get serious" from the older girls she used to dance with.
"I'm always impressed when I see an older person instill discipline, and I gravitate towards that person because I'm comfortable with her being around them," Stamm said.
While Alexis's coaches and teachers might have provided her academic and sporting guidance, her parents are responsible for a substantial amount of her motivation.
Stamm credits the fact that he and his wife, Darlene, make it a point to stay heavily involved in the lives of Alexis and her brother, 19-year-old Adam Lee.
Whether it's having open communication about bad influences, teaching their children how to make good decisions, or trying to attend every game and competition, the Stamms do it as a Family.
"Coming out and supporting Alexis gels the Family together," Stamm added.
The five competition winners from each branch of the military -- Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines and Navy -- will be announced March 8.
"I would never think of getting anything like this," noted Alexis, who has aspirations of becoming an architect, harboring a passion for math and a knack for drawing.
Stamm believes that no matter what his "self-reliant" daughter does, he has no doubt that she will be a successful, independent woman.
Social Sharing