Despite Delta never having a cheer team, Principal Johnson decided to start one. “I just felt like our school was missing something,” said Johnson.
With a starting number of 29 girls, 16 on Varsity, and 13 on JV, ShawnDe Young accepted the role as the head coach of the Delta High Cheer Team.
Young is from a 6A school where they could do many different things than we can, at games. We all have the same CHSAA rules, but it depends on what the school administration allows. “We were allowed to chant things like ‘start the buses’, ‘look at the scoreboard’, and who’s your barber’,” Young says we need to find ways to have fun at games and still respect the opposing team.
Young worked with the girls to build the team from the bottom up. “I wouldn’t say it’s difficult. I would say it’s a startup program, and trying to teach the student section, the girls, the parents, the teachers.” Young said crowd interaction is very important to the game because when the kids are having fun at games, it makes them want to come more often. “We have a lot of kids who just don’t come to games, but if we get them to have fun and interact with the girls, it will make them want to come back to games.”
Young has faced challenges starting up the new cheer team, knowing Delta has never had one. For example, the student section, the parents, and the coaches do not know how to react or feel about the new cheer team.
Young explained, “Our student section has never had a cheer team at all; they don’t know how to react or what to do.” Young said this is all part of the process, which teaches them how to interact with the girls while performing.
Skyler Kelley, a junior on the cheer team, reflected on what kind of coach she is. “She is one of those coaches who genuinely cares about her students and the kids she coaches, and it feels good to know that I have a coach who cares about my well-being.”
Young has worked hard to prepare the girls for the first “whole” season next year. “This has been a really fun experience for me, and I’ve loved getting closer to the girls on the team. I am so excited for next year, especially football season,” Paola Rodriguez Medina, a junior on the team, said.
