With the second season of competitive cheer approaching, a new horizon of opportunity appears for freshman cheerleader Isabella Koch. Koch previously cheered at Pineapple Cove Classical Academy on her varsity team before switching to homeschooling.
As a result of Florida House Bill 225 being signed into law last May, students now have the option to play sports at a different school if their own school doesn’t offer that sport. For the competitive cheer program, Koch said this is a great new opportunity for her and for her teammates.
“Being on the competitive cheer team has really impacted my life because I’ve made so many new friends,” Koch said. “I’ve also learned so many new skills that I never would’ve learned without the West Shore coaches.”
Cheer coach Kaitlyn Hoskins said she has worked hard to establish a competitive cheer program. The 2022-2023 season was the first season competitive cheer existed in Brevard, during which the Lady Wildcats received two bids to the Universal Cheer Association national competition. However, through all this success, Hoskins said she feels the sport does not receive the same amount of support as other sports. And she is working to improve that.
“Not a lot of schools in Brevard have a competitive cheer team yet, and West Shore is one of the more established programs,” Hoskins said. “So we might be able to get some students from other schools who might not have that opportunity yet. It will hopefully foster some more support for competitive cheer.”
Senior cheer captain Hannah Herndon said Koch’s contribution to the team is her positive attitude and energetic personality adding that crowd leading and excited expressions are valuable while performing.
“Isabella is a great asset to the team for our gameday routine,” Herndon said. “We need as many people as we can get to fill the mat and have as much energy as possible. Isabella’s energy will help us a lot in the gameday category.”
On the flip side, there are various sports that West Shore does not offer, such as football. For eighth-grader Preston Kennedy, the opportunity to play football would not have been presented without this new law. Kennedy practices football with the Satellite High School football team and hopes to play for the Scorpions when he gets to high school.
“I chose West Shore because I like the atmosphere and the academics it provides,” Kennedy said. “I also play soccer and lacrosse for the school. However, because there is no football, I now have the opportunity to play for Satellite.”
Kennedy said it is hard being at a school that does not offer a sport he is passionate about, so the new law gives him the opportunity to pursue his dream.
“When I’m playing football, the environment is what drives [me],” Kennedy said. “My team feels like family and they always motivate me to do my best.”
Athletics director Tony Riopelle said this new law involves a lot of paperwork. Depending on which type of schooling students are enrolled in, different forms are required.
“I don’t think there’s any downside. I think it’s just positive for kids,” Riopelle. “For me personally it’s more paperwork. I have a big packet with a bunch of flow charts and it depends on which type of student you are. It’s crazy the number of forms, and some of them have to be notarized.”
Hoskins said she believes there could be a slight disconnect between Koch and her teammates because most of the them attend the same school.
“I think the biggest downside is teamwise, you’re not at school with the team so you don’t have the bonds that some of the other girls have,” Hoskins said. “So we coaches will have to try a little harder to bond the team a little better, but it’s nothing we can’t handle.”
Hoskins said she continues coaching cheer because she is passionate, and she wants to share that passion with her team.
“We are happy as coaches that we are able to offer students the opportunity that they wouldn’t otherwise [have],” she said. “So that is our biggest win, because we want to be able to share the love of the sport with anybody who wants it.”