There is a new cheer coach at Salida High School. Her name is Anita O’Daniel and this is her first year coaching a cheer team with Salida High School. O’Daniel is such a great fit for the school and the team loves to have her a part of their everyday lives.
Cheerleading in high school can be really stressful on students. Students and people tend to love sports and use them to express themselves in their personality and everyday lives. Cheer is one of those expressors for students around the world and as small as in SHS. The Cheer team consists of Captain Karsyn Thorpe, Co-Captain Emma Cozart, Emmerson Bradford, Kylee Butler, Phoebe Cuccio, and Lexi Wilcox.
The cheer team really likes O’Daniel and they say she is a very great coach. The Salida High School cheerleading team has great things to say about her. The students say that O’Daniel has a huge sense of understanding and really tries to connect with the team.
Captain of the Salida High School Cheerleading team, Karsyn Thorpe says, “She has two younger kids so she really has that mom heart.” Some say she has motherly instincts with the team and really knows how to problem solve and completely build the team up instead of break it down.
Salida High School Junior and member of the cheerleading team, Emmerson Bradford says about O’Daniel, “She is really compassionate and cares a lot about the team as a whole.”
O’Daniel was a part of her school’s competitive cheerleading team in her years of high school. With her experience, she knows what to look for in the team members and she knows all of the signs of what the team is feeling. O’Daniel can tell when the students need a break or if they need to be pushed harder just because of her own personal experience. She knows when to be strict and when to be extra careful. O’Daniel knows what to do because she’s been in the position of the students she is teaching, first hand.
Before becoming the cheerleading coach at SHS, O’Daniel coached other teams and she uses this to her advantage. She uses her prior coaching and her past teams to help motivate her current team now. This really works with the team because it keeps them in the game and gives more motivation for the team.
Everyone give Anita O’Daniel a warm welcome and if you see her around make sure to congratulate her on being the new high school cheer leading coach! The school is very glad to have her a part of the community and the cheerleading team is so happy to have her.
