Here We Go Tigers
Summary
Cheer coach has positive impacts with cheerleading squad
A good coach is someone who impacts you for the rest of your life because of their passion in helping you succeed. A good coach needs to challenge you, understand you, and care about you. Jenell Jones, the head cheer coach at Clay Center Community High School, is a good coach.
Jones has coached cheer for six years and was previously a cheerleader herself. “I cheered in high school and then Rachael, [my daughter]’s, Sophomore year their coach resigned in the middle of the summer. They needed someone to fill in so I contacted [Athletic Director Greg] Ferguson,” Jones said. “It was just one of those things [where] I got an email that the job was open and I messaged Mr. Ferguson, asked what all it entailed, and the qualifications. Then we set up a meeting and that was it.”
Jones said her favorite part of coaching cheer is “when [the cheer team] finally hits a stunt that we’ve been working on.” This is the first season in a couple of years that the team has been able to perform harder stunts during games because their skill level has improved. In the past, the team did more crowd cheers. This year, they have been able to integrate more stunts.
Another one of Jones's favorite parts of coaching is bonding with the cheerleaders. “[I enjoy] getting to know all of the girls and watching them grow from Freshman year to Senior year,” she said.
After coaching for three years, Jones stepped back once her daughter graduated high school. “I left because I did not think I could handle it any longer with Rachael going to dance in college,” Jones said. Jones left coaching for only a year when she decided that it was time to come back. “I definitely could tell that it could fit back into my schedule and I just was not quite done so it was perfect timing that [the position] came open again,” Jones said. This is her third season back after leaving coaching. Jones said she continues coming back to coaching because of the impact she gets to make. “I really enjoy this group of girls and they just motivate me to continue to come back and make an impact in their lives.”
Coaching cheer does come with its fair share of hard parts. Jones said the hardest part of coaching every year is tryouts. “Sometimes you do have to crush someone's hopes of becoming a cheerleader and not everybody is made out to be a cheerleader,” she said. Although tryouts are the hardest part of coaching for Jones, she continues to have them each year. “It is good to see how the girls will get along together,” Jones said. “it’s good to see technical abilities. Even though they don’t have to be perfect for tryouts, they have to be able to pick up and learn material, and be able to execute it fairly quickly.”
For Jones, the most fulfilling part of being a coach is how the cheerleaders mature from Freshman to Senior year. “Being able to watch the girls grow up and being a part of their lives [is rewarding]. They sometimes come in as freshmen and they’re very quiet and timid, and by Senior year they are not so quiet any longer. Their confidence usually grows well,” she said.
Jones has had a great impact on many cheerleaders over the years of coaching. She is a great example of a good coach.
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I love seeing our cheerleaders learn new skills and celebrate each others' successes. Janell creates such a positive, nurturing environment.