Have you looked at the school sports Instagram? The cheer program has been mentioned four times, not for athleticism, but for a cheer coach position. Over the past three years, one major issue has been difficult for the cheerleaders, is the constant change in coaches. With four different coaches in just three years, the cheer program has struggled to stay consistent, and that instability has had a real downside for the athletes.
With frequently changing coaches the team lacks consistency. Every coach has their own style, expectations and way of running practices. When a new coach comes in, athletes have to train the coach on how they do things, adjust to different rules, and sometimes even change the way they perform basic skills. This is frustrating, especially for returning team members who have already spent time learning a system. Instead of building on what they already know, they are forced to start over. “Switching our coach gives us a major disadvantage at competitions. When we have a new coach, they have to relearn all the rules, and our routines do not score as high as they can,” senior Emily Johnson said.
Another problem is the impact on team chemistry. Cheerleading depends heavily on trust and communication. Stunting, for example, requires athletes to rely on each other for safety. When coaches keep changing, it becomes harder to build that sense of stability and trust within the team. Each new coach can change positions or reorganize groups, which can disrupt relationships that took time to form. “I feel like once we build a foundation and connection with a coach, when they leave, it crumbles and we have to start over from square one. It’s really confusing and uncoordinated, so it hurts the team structure and ability to do our best,” junior Winnie Kelley said.
The frequent changes also affect motivation. It’s hard for athletes to stay fully committed when they don’t know what the program will look like from year to year. A coach may start something strong, but before it has time to develop fully, they leave, and everything changes again. Over time, that uncertainty can cause people to lose interest or quit the team altogether. “It also gives the athletes a feeling of uncertainty with not knowing if we’ll have a coach for the upcoming year or who it’ll be. It brings down the team because people are wondering if cheer will be worth joining,” Johnson said.
In addition, long-term growth becomes difficult. Successful programs usually have a clear vision and goals that develop over multiple years. When coaches keep changing, that vision resets each time. New coaches may not know what worked in the past or what the team has already accomplished. They have to learn traditions and can not comment on things they do not know about our team. As a result, the program can feel stuck instead of improving and reaching its full potential.
Of course, new coaches can also bring positive ideas and fresh energy. However, when changes happen too often, those benefits are outweighed by the lack of stability. What the cheer program needs is consistency and a coach who can stay long enough to build relationships, develop skills over time and create a strong, lasting team culture.
