Cheerleading Dream Team Brings State Championship To Wellington High School

Cheerleading Dream Team Brings State Championship To Wellington High School

The Wellington High School cheerleading team’s journey to win the 2017 state championship was both magical and challenging.

The squad didn’t have a coach until former Wolverines cheerleader Dan Tyrie took over a few weeks before the start of the fall season. He stepped in to lead a team still reeling from the sudden passing of beloved cheerleading coach Matt Mounts in February 2016.

“At the beginning of the season, we were nervous and hesitant, but we were excited to meet our new coach,” recalled rising senior Jessica Pass, who has been on the team for two seasons. “Without coach Tyrie, we wouldn’t have a team. We were so thankful that he stepped up for us. We were already a difficult group to deal with and gave him a hard time. Coach Tyrie deserves a lot of credit.”

Tyrie was a member of Wellington’s 1995 co-ed state championship team before the sport was officially recognized and sanctioned by the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA). However, he had never coached before and didn’t intend to stay for more than one year.

“Coming in after the team had been selected and practices were already occurring was overwhelming,” recalled Tyrie, who was working two jobs before agreeing to lead the cheerleading squad. “Initially, I silently attended a few practices. I didn’t speak to the girls, but I’m sure they knew why I was there. I did not commit right away, as this was something that I had never even considered doing. It’s something that I never even could have seen myself doing. I was beyond hesitant. I was well-aware that it was a massive commitment, and once I agreed to do it, there was no turning back… The first football game was just weeks away.”

Although Tyrie knew it was a huge commitment, he didn’t realize how much time it really would take. He is very thankful for the help of the choreographers and parents.  

“I did not realize until a few weeks into the school year just how large a commitment it was,” he said. “The time commitment alone was more than double what I had anticipated.”

There are two seasons for cheerleaders — football season and competition season.

During football season, the team practices their cheers and band dances. New team members are coached by the veterans. They are also broken down into stunt groups and practice their basic stunts, which are performed after touchdowns and during timeouts.

The squad practiced as a team two afternoons each week for two hours, and some also attended private coaching sessions with Stephanie Brodbeck and Robbie Gregory of Pro Cheer International. There’s an occasional Saturday practice and some strength and conditioning workouts are included during practices.

During competition season, the same schedule is maintained, except instead of Friday night games there is a Friday afternoon practice.

“At that point, the intensity gets cranked up,” said Tyrie, referring to the road to the state championship. “Their routine is choreographed, and they begin practicing more advanced stunts, a fast-paced dance and routine transitions.”

Throughout the season, Tyrie said the girls talked about Mounts and honored him continuously.

“They loved that man, and I’ve never heard an ill word spoken about him,” said Tyrie, who had never met Mounts and didn’t raise the topic himself. “They had their own thoughts and feelings about him, and I respected it and left it alone, aside from telling them that he would have been extremely proud of them, as was I.”

Mounts’ initials were monogrammed into each of their matching team backpacks and practice T-shirts, as well as a stuffed cat that was the team’s personal mascot. His initials were also written on their white shoes in permanent marker.

In addition, the team had a special chant that they would do before each competition. It was a chant that Mounts did with them. One of the team captains, Courtney Kleino, led it. The competition music that was custom-prepared for them also centered on the late coach and referred to them as “Coach Mounts’ Dream Team.”

The love for Mounts goes beyond the cheerleaders. His famous “Rule No. 4” — “Love Each Other” — is painted high on the wall of the high school courtyard for all to see every day.

At the finals in Gainesville, the Wellington cheerleaders were excited and nervous. Tyrie told them that they were going to do great and to do their best to enjoy it. The Wolverines had finished second the year before.

“We knew it was going to be difficult [to win],” Pass said. “Hearing our name when they called first place was a relief and one of the best moments of my life as a cheerleader. I felt that all of our hard work and dedication for the team had finally paid off and that we had made coach Mounts proud.”

Jhona Navarrete was a senior and on the varsity squad for three years.  

“Coming together as a team definitely was what won it for us,” Navarrete said. “It wasn’t individuals on the floor, it was one team. Winning states meant the world to me with it being my senior year. All the work we put in throughout the season paid off, and it was a great way to end my last year with the team.”

The Wolverines scored 70.70 points and were crowned champions in Class 2A Medium Non-Tumbling Division. Ocoee High School placed second with 63.50 points. It was Wellington’s first competitive cheerleading championship sanctioned by the FHSAA, and Tyrie believes the Wolverines will win again.

“We all started screaming and crying as soon as we heard our name called,” Navarrete said. “Jessica [Pass] and I hugged immediately and didn’t stop crying. We were all hugging each other. Winning states was a major goal.”

Pass said all the work they put in was worth it.

“Competition season was stressful, but we were definitely rewarded for our hard work, and I wouldn’t trade this team for any other,” she said. “The past seasons have brought us closer as friends, and this team really does feel like a family.”

And Wellington High School’s cheerleading dream team honored Mounts in perpetuity by inscribing his initials on their state championship rings.

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