MHS hasn't been very cheer-friendly

Marysville High is a school of many activities and clubs: Sports, language, religions and community service are just a few of the many areas in which students are interested and/or involved.

Cheerleading is one of the most popular. This year, 29 students participated.

Oscar Collaso, a senior, has been cheerleading since his sophomore year. "I joined because I love the adrenaline rush of performing, I'm somewhat fascinated by synchron-ization, and I also wanted to be part of a team."

But cheer has had issues. The past four years have had the incessant problem of maintaining a coach. In four years, cheer has gone through seven coaches.

Michelle Hendrix, anatomy teacher and activities director, coached cheer for eight years. However, this year she decided to stop. "I'm too busy with everything this year," she said.

Mrs. Hendrix explained that there's a chance cheer will not be an activity for the 2011-2012 school year. "If we cut the program, it will be the first time in 130 years that MHS doesn't have cheerleaders."

She believes that the inability to keep a coach has to do with poor coaching skills and bad attitudes from the cheerleaders, their parents and the prospective coaches.

David Chiono has been teaching math for about 15 years and has been the athletics director for about 10. He has been right in the middle of this conflict. He thinks part of the coaching problem lies with the low value sports hold in the district: "Every school, at least in this district, is cutting sports. I think the expectations on coaches are tremendous, but we pay coaches the lowest in the area. To me, if you value what someone does, you compensate them."

Oscar explained, "I think the coach issues affected everyone the same way; the team as a whole could have finished the season if they would have worked together. We did deserve a better coach, though."

Mr. Chiono feels angry for the students. "I'm just disappointed that adults can't get their act together. And who pays for it? Our kids. They have to bear the brunt of it. We don't need to invent the wheel again. We just need to find a program that works for us. Let's be smart about what we cut."

Mrs. Hendrix concluded with a wish: "I just want to know that they're going to do what they can to bring back a quality program."

Despite these issues, many students want cheer to return next school year. Junior Stephanie Anderson has been cheering for seven years. "Of course!" she exclaimed when asked if she would like to join next year.

But the coaching issues have had a negative impact on her. "(I'm worried about) not being able to go farther in cheer; and I probably won't cheer in college because of it; also, (I'm concerned about) the thought of not cheering my senior year, which has always been my dream."

Let's hope that these issues get figured out so that MHS can go back to the cheer-friendly school it has always been.