With a passion for precision and a vision for victory, a new face steps on the sidelines for the varsity competitive cheer team.
The team welcomes Adrian Nichols, the newest member of the coaching staff. Nichols is a competitive cheerleading coach with a nine-year tenure. She was previously the head coach at Thornapple Kellogg High School for three years for the varsity team. Nichols also coached at Hamilton High School before that. The girls debut into the OK Gold conference season with fresh ideas from Nichols.
During previous years, Nichols became familiar with some of the girls on the team.
“The year [Thornapple Kellogg] went to the state finals we did the buddy practice with Northview, so I’ve been around some of these girls. There were familiar faces to me,” Nichols said.
Although the team wasn’t actively seeking another coach, Nichols saw an opportunity to step in and offer her services.
“They necessarily weren’t looking for a coach,” Nichols said. “ I moved to the West side when we moved back from Texas, so I [told them] if you need help let me know and they took me up on that offer.”
This season, Nichols hopes to combine the knowledge she, Nicole VanTimmerman and Kelly Richardson have and use it to guide the girls to victory.
“Us coaches have a deep reputation in the cheer world and have great experience. We all have a lot of different knowledge. I know coach Nikki and coach Kelly were both judges, but I’ve always been a coach,” Nichols said. “We definitely have different perspectives, which gives a unique outlook on things. I think it’s a benefit that not a lot of teams have.”
Junior Keegan Breuker appreciates Nichols’ outlook on cheer and is looking forward to using her expertise to go further as a team.
“I’m really excited because she has coached really good teams in the past. Also with her expectation level to see how far we can come with a new coaching system that has new ideas and development,” Breuker said. “I love her so much, she’s pushing us so hard in her new way and it’s a very nice, fresh perspective on things.”
Even girls who have been on the team for a long time are noticing changes due to Nichol’s presence in the gym. Senior Yanni Williams has all positive interactions with Nichols so far this season.
“[Nichols] is very good at teaching us how to do other stunts and skills and helping us progress. She’s very fun to work with and she’s helped me with tips on becoming a better back spot,” Williams said.
Nichols sees an exceptional trait in the team this year that she feels has set them up for a successful start together.
“These girls are willing to learn and they are willing to have an open mindset and try new things. That’s helping us move forward going into the season where you don’t have a ton of time to prepare,” Nichols said.
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