After coaching the Venice cheerleading team for five years, Ms. Melissa Shepherd has resigned from her adviser role. Ms.Shepherd, who is also a P.E teacher at Venice said she was resigning because coaching the cheer squad is very time consuming and it interferes with her outside job as a trainer. Three jobs were a heavy load for her.

" Many don't realize that cheer is a year round sport including summer, even though class only meets fall semester," she said. Try-outs for cheerleading are during the spring semester and last about two weeks. The team meets every day after school to practice; and during the summer they practice for many hours preparing for the fall semester.

“I’m really glad I had the opportunity to coach for five years,” added Ms.Shepherd She said that she plans to use her extra time to train for triathlons, like the Iron Man.

"Bring positive energy with you," was advice her to whoever may be the new coach.





“It will not bring down the team; it will only help the team,” said Evelyn Vasquez co-captain of the cheer team. She continued on to say, “It gives the team an opportunity to have a coach that will actually inspire them to cheer.”

Vasquez hopes that they will find a coach that is experienced and will teach them more about cheer.

Anne Robles, captain of the cheer squad, felt that losing Ms.Shepherd as a coach puts the team in jeopardy because if there is no sponsor then there is no team.

“I feel bad the team is losing a coach that pushed them hard academically,” said Robles. Also, she feels that the situation for next year on the team may not go so smoothly only because the new coach will be learning how to run things still. However, she went on to say that having a new coach gives the team an opportunity to have a better relationship between the coach and the girls, and that hopefully they can all come to an agreement on situations that come up.

Robles said Ms. Shepherd tried to make the squad better in her own way, and although she did teach them a lot, the girls on the team learned most of what they know by themselves. The girls on the team teach themselves routines, stunts, choreography, and movements.