While changing coaches can often lead to uncertainty, the cheer team is adapting quickly, thanks to the structure provided by coach Tabitha Villarreal. After serving as the assistant coach for the 2024-2025 school year, Villarreal’s decision to take on the head coaching role came with a sense of duty and a vision for the year ahead.
Villarreal knows a lot about McCallum going into her fourth year teaching at the school. Her familiarity with the cheer team has made the transition smoother than she thought. Though the transition has been smooth, Villarreal has had obstacles on the way.
“There have definitely been some hiccups,” Villarreal said. “There are definitely some things that I didn’t even realize that head coaches have to do.”
One of Villarreal’s main focuses this season is preparing the team for the UIL cheer competition at the end of January. After a good performance last year, the cheer team is hoping to go even further this year.
“I definitely want to start on a strong note for our upcoming competition,” Villareal said. “I definitely do think that we can have a very successful run in UIL.”
The students have made it clear that they want to reach this goal as well. Senior captain Larkin Long is a four-year member of the cheerleading team and has been a captain for two years. She wants the cheer team to make it far in the UIL competition and make the team the best it can be.
“All of our seniors are very determined to make it to finals for our final year,” Long said. “And we definitely have a better chance than we did last year.”
One of Villarreal’s priorities is balancing tradition with new ideas. While Villarreal plans to keep spirit activities like supporting the football team and making posters, she’s also introducing new things to strengthen the squad. Villarreal was hoping to incorporate more workouts into their daily routines.
“We want to add more structured workouts like upper body, lower body,” Villarreal said. “So we have more consistency in training.”
Coaching with Villarreal is Jada Stewart, who is in her second year at McCallum teaching math, and is brand new to cheerleading. Though Stewart admits to lacking cheer experience when it comes to technique, she brings a positive attitude and passion for coaching.
“Well, for one, I really love Coach V,” Stewart said. “So when she asked me, and she said I would be a good fit for the role, it kind of made me feel confident and reassured.”
Stewart believes the best thing about being the assistant cheer coach is getting to build relationships with the students.
Though Stewart is still getting up to speed with the technical aspects of the sport, she’s committed to growing in the role as assistant coach.
“Sometimes it feels like I’m not being as helpful as I want to be because I don’t know what things to look for,” Stewart said. “Taking feedback from Coach V and Laura from Cheer Station, I think I will be better equipped to give feedback of my own.”
The cheerleaders have responded positively to the change. Long reflected on the transition between coaches, noting that McCallum’s cheer program has had several coaches over the years, and the team has had to adapt.
“Every time there’s a new coach, there’s definitely a need for us captains to step up and help teach the new coach how the sport works,” Long said. “As well as telling her the different events and requirements our team needs to be at, and the different ways our team functions.”
Long is confident in the cheerleader’s ability to stay flexible and adapt to the changes they have been faced with.
The coaches, captains, and cheerleaders are all excited about the new season and what it holds. Although there have been some bumps on the way, the cheerleaders have learned to persevere and adapt to changes. With spirit and determination, the McCallum cheer team is ready for another season.
