Raising The Spirit

After two years of coaching the cheer team, Alysha Valentine advocated for hiring a stunt coach to expand the cheerleaders’ abilities, adding more advanced techniques and routines. 

Marete O’Roake grew up cheering with Coach Valentine, and they have taught cheer together for a cumulative ten years and have built a cohesive coaching technique that puts both of their expertise to use. They started cheering together in high school and have helped coach and cheer different cheerleading teams and levels. With O’Roake’s background in stunts and Valentine’s experienced choreography and team-building, they use their specialized talents to improve the overall performance of the cheer team, leading to more dynamic routines and increased competition success. 

Cheer is almost a year-long sport that starts with practice in the spring. Tryouts begin in June with a cheer camp. The camp lasts three to four days and is spent teaching, practicing, and perfecting a cheer and dance. On the final day, cheerleaders are called in as pairs to perform the routine. They are scored out of sixty, and the highest eleven scoring cheerleaders become varsity members.       Practices vary from day to day, depending on if they practice stunts, cheers, or dance routine. Each practice begins with running a lap or two and then team stretches to ensure flexibility and prevent injuries prone to cheer. Emma Boogerd, a Pirate Cheer Captain, says, “We’ll all talk about our day… starting practice with the bonding helps us to continue to bond throughout the practice.” This emphasis on team bonding builds a supportive environment where trust and communication are key. Utilizing team practices to help bond the team increases the trust and confidence the cheerleaders have in each other which carries on to stunts and leading cheers. The physical challenges of the sport, combined with the mental focus required, demand that cheerleaders rely on one another in both practice and performances.

With the help of Coach O’Roake, both bases and flyers have seen significant improvement in their stunting abilities. As a base, each cheerleader standing on the ground must support and lift the flyer, who goes airborne during stunts. O’Roake’s specialized coaching has been invaluable in refining technique and addressing the unique challenges each position faces. By working with athletes individually and focusing on their strengths, she has elevated the performance of both bases and flyers in stunts. Flyer Aria Tyler says, “Having a stunt coach has helped a lot with our overall stunting and technique and having a stunt coach really helps with the difficulties that type of stunting comes with.” As a flyer, the trust and confidence in the bases are crucial—they are the ones providing the support and stability that allow stunts to be successful. This trust, fostered by consistent practice and guidance from Coach O’Roake, ensures that every stunt is executed with precision and teamwork, making the team stronger as a whole.

The collaboration between Coach Valentine and Coach O’Roake has significantly strengthened the cheer team’s performance, combining their expertise in choreography and stunting to elevate the athletes’ abilities. By focusing on building trust, communication, and team bonding, they have created a supportive environment that fosters both personal and team growth. The addition of a dedicated stunt coach has allowed the team to master more advanced techniques, leading to improved stunting skills and better competition results. With their shared experience and commitment to excellence, Valentine and O’Roake have paved the way for a more dynamic, cohesive, and successful cheer team.