By Hanna Bartels

Stow Welcomes Two New Cheer Coaches!

    As summer begins to wind down and the leaves start turning, the Stow cheerleaders are leaping into the football season with two new coaches! This year, Stow is welcoming Amy Kania and Kelly Swenson to the team and the cheerleaders already have great things to say about the coaches!

    This year, Coach Amy would like to see each cheerleader learn something new and achieve their own personal goals.  As for the competition team, she would like to see the team have a confident, clean routine with hopes of placing well. She would also like to have team cohesion to keep a fun and positive learning environment throughout the season.

    Coach Amy enjoyed her time as a cheerleader and says that her coaches were always her best mentors. She hopes to be a role model and mentor to her athletes. “Cheerleading gave me life long friendships and I hope these girls can experience the same,” she says.

    “Both coaches have shown great respect towards our team our team and want nothing but the best of us,” Marissa Mosko, a sophomore cheerleader says. She explains, “They will also take the time to work with us and spend that extra time going over important material, working on tumbling skills, and perfecting our routines.”

    She says that her favorite thing about Coach Amy is how she prioritizes taking time to get to know each of the cheerleaders. In addition, Coach Amy participates in the cheerleader’s tumbling classes and will give her own person tips and tricks for tumbling.

    Mosko feels as though the team sees Coach Amy as more of a helpful teammate and friend, rather than just a coach. She admires her “ability to get along with teenagers and her passion for cheerleading.”

    Her favorite things about Coach Kelly is how she uses her experience with dance to give tips to the girls on stretching and new dances. She exposes the girls to “new and improved things.”

   Sophomore cheerleader, Lindsay Riggs, says that her favorite thing about Coach Amy is “her energy” and how she “always brightens everyone’s day when she comes to practice with a smile on her face.” Her favorite thing about Coach Kelly is “her creativity”. “She is constantly helping us come up with new material and is always willing to help out,” says Riggs.

    She says that the Coach Amy and Coach Kelly  have helped all of the girls become better cheerleaders through their critiques and that the team has improved as a whole. “Kelly and Amy also bring great energy to this team,” says Riggs.

Riggs says that the new coaches are both great additions and will only helm the team grow!

    She explains that Stow’s cheer team has made friendships with all of the coaches. “We got to know Kelly and Amy throughout the Summer when we went to cheer camp as well as conditioning practices that the team attended. They fit right into the Stow Cheer Family,”  says Riggs.

    This year, the cheer team is sure to be stronger and more skilled than before. The coaches are working the cheerleaders hard and are making big improvements in the team. With Coach Kelly’s long history in dance and Coach Amy’s long history in cheer, the team is excited for a great season!