CYFA (Cherokee Youth Football Association)

Junior Cheer Coach — Giving Back Through Cheer
Cheerleading has been an important part of my own life, so becoming a Junior Cheer Coach with the Cherokee Youth Football Association gave me an opportunity to experience cheer from a completely different perspective. Instead of being the athlete learning the cheers and routines, I had the opportunity to help younger cheerleaders learn them.

As a Junior Cheer Coach for a 4th-grade team, I assisted the cheerleaders with cheers, chants, routines, and game-day responsibilities while encouraging teamwork, sportsmanship, and confidence. Working with younger athletes taught me that everyone learns differently. Sometimes I needed to demonstrate something again, encourage someone who was frustrated, or simply remind a cheerleader that she could do it.

This experience helped me understand how meaningful it can be for younger girls to have older students encouraging them. Cheer has given me confidence, friendships, and many memories over the years, and coaching gave me an opportunity to give some of that experience back. I learned that leadership is not always about being the person performing in front—it can also mean standing beside someone else and helping her become more confident in herself.

Leigha as a young cheerleader → Leigha as a high-school varsity cheerleader → Leigha returning to help younger cheerleaders.