Meadors steps down as Cheer coach after ten years
Samo’s Cheer team is saying goodbye to its coach of ten years, Amy Meadors. While Meadors will remain in her position as a freshman Biology teacher, she announced that she will not be returning as coach of the award-winning Cheer team. According to Cheer captain Dominique Parks (’14), Meadors’ dedication to her job made both an immediate and long-lasting impact on the Cheer program.“Meadors did so much for this team and truly turned it around from the beginning,” Parks said.In high school, Meadors was a member of the cheer team and continued to cheer through college at Michigan State College. According to Meadors, when she first took the reins of the cheer team, the program was considerably smaller and ill-equipped for competitive training.“The team didn’t have any uniforms or gear; it was kind of a mess,” Meadors said. “But they were all really nice hardworking girls, and that’s what really made it possible for us to make cheer a substantial team at Samo.”However under Meadors’ guidance and coaching, the Cheer program saw a steady increase in involvement, at one point reaching an enrollment of 95 girls.“I think the growth of the team really had to do with just plain word of mouth. People would watch the routines onstage and be drawn in by how good they looked. So inevitably, that’s what made the team grow,” Meadors said.According to cheer captain Harper Miller (’14), Meadors’ dedication was motivated by the prospect of attaining team recognition on a national level. After winning CIF for five consecutive years between 2007 and 2011, the team earned the title of USA National Champions in 2008, and National Finalists in 2010.“We would work for hours upon hours come competition season, and it’s all because her enthusiasm made us want to succeed,” Miller said.For Pep Squad members like Mecca Donovan (’16), Meadors is both a coach and a member of the Cheer family, and her presence will be missed.“Mrs. Meadors was such an important part of our success, and we are all really going to miss her leadership next year. She is a great mentor and has really inspired us all to work our best,” Donovan said.bross@thesamohi.com