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A visit with W-H’s new cheer coach Alyssa Hayes

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Alyssa Hayes, a Whitman-Hanson Regional High alum, has been named the school’s head cheerleading coach.

Alyssa Hayes, recently appointed head coach of Whitman-Hanson Regional High’s cheerleading team, shared her opinion on what makes the program so special and how she aims to continue its legacy.

After the resignation of the previous head coach in February, Hayes was one of three coaches who stepped in and helped guide the program to its 13th state title.

Hayes, a 2012 graduate of W-H, is in her first year as an English teacher and head coach of the boys’ tennis team at the school.

Q: When did you first get involved in cheerleading?

A: “I’ve been in the world of cheerleading probably since I was about 4 years old as a mascot cheering on my little sister, they actually made me my own uniform. This was right in Hanson Youth Cheer.”

Q: What do you find most fascinating about cheerleading?

A: “The ability to have so much skill within one sport. All sports are difficult and I think cheerleading is such an individual sport and such a team sport all at once, which I think is really impressive. You need every single person on that team in order to make that routine successful.”

Q: When somebody says “cheerleading”, what are the first three words that come into your mind?

A: “Perseverance, team- work and motivation.”

Q: When did you begin coaching cheerleading?

A: “I’ve cheered my whole life, and then when I moved up to the high school I started coaching at the youth level, along with cheering at Whitman-Hanson. Then my senior year of high school I added the role of choreographer to my coaching and started actually helping to create the routines for Hanson Youth, and then I never stopped coaching all through college.”

Q: Being an English teacher, do you see any parallels between that role and coaching?

A: “Absolutely, there are so many. I think coaching is actually what got me into teaching because you have to show up for the kids and you have to be consistent and give them a sense of a routine. Otherwise, they don’t know what to expect. Kids need consistency. If you don’t have that you’re not going to have a successful classroom, you’re not going to have a successful sports team.”

Q: What, if anything, did you change with the program when you came on board?

A: “I think last year my biggest thing was teamwork and positivity. Looking at the future, I’d love to build the numbers back up, I’d love to have another JV team and maybe even a freshman team if we can get the numbers that high. When I was here, we had upwards of 40 kids, so I think building numbers is always a great thing.”

Q: What was so special about that roughly month-and-a-half experience you had coaching this team in the winter?

A: “Coming back to Whitman-Hanson was a blessing in itself. But, then just all the adversity I saw those girls face first hand, and just handle with grace and motivation and never take a step backwards. They just continued to push forward and continued to get better and work together and I think that’s really special.”

Q: Is there anything specific you learned from your cheerleaders last winter that helped you develop as a coach?

A: “I think you learn from every team you coach, every team is different. One thing that was special about last season was some of the flexibilitythat I gave the girls because I was coming in mid-season so a lot of it was learning through them, learning what their typical day was like. I think that was the first time in my coaching that I had to step back a little bit and see what they already had at hand, what they were already used to. Then, we kind of made a new consistency together, which for me was a really unique experience as a coach.”

Q: What is it that makes this Whitman-Hanson cheerleading program so special?

A: “A lot of people ask me that and I often ask myself that. It’s been such a strong and successful and special program for so long and I think it’s just the heart. We’ve got a great program and we’ve got kids that just consistently care about the program.”

Q: What are your goals for the program?

A: “I absolutely want to build numbers. Like I said, I’d love to have a JV and a varsity team. Not only two teams, but two decent size teams where we can get as many girls on there as we can and maybe even the potential for co-ed, you never know. And I also want to continue to build that legacy, continue to build the Whitman-Hanson cheerleading name while also giving these kids a special experience. There’s absolutely nothing like your four years of high school sports.”

Q: Finally, is it safe to say this is your dream job?

A: “Without a doubt.”

Jump for joy: ‘We believe’ drives W-H cheer to lucky number 13 championship

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The Panthers celebrate after the results are announced. / Photo by: Sue Moss

On Sunday, on its home mat, the cheerleading team had every reason to believe. The Panthers boasted a 200.1 score to secure their 13th MSAA Division 2 state title.

“We believe.”

The phrase can often be heard echoing off the walls in the Whitman-Hanson Regional High gymnasium as the cheerleaders break their huddle. It said before every practice, after every routine and every competition.

The two words have served as a way to draw the Panthers, who lost their coach of five-plus years after a trip in late January to Dallas for nationals, amid tough times.

“We came out about seven weeks to coach and we were looking to kind of find a way to really come together and one of the biggest thing this season was teamwork,” said Alyssa Hayes, who now coaches the team alongside Keryn Cordo and Melissa Scungio. “So, one of the things that we had talked to the girls a lot about was if they believed in themselves and they believed in each other and their team that they could do anything.”

On Sunday, on its home mat, the cheerleading team had every reason to believe. The Panthers boasted a 200.1 score to secure their 13th MSAA Division 2 state title.

“They came together, they worked hard from the second they arrived on Sunday to the second they left,” Hayes said. “I could see it in their face. I could tell that this is what they worked for and they weren’t going to let anything stop them.”

The victory also marked the program’s fifth straight winter crown.

“I think that this season the girls were so resilient and they really rose above and worked together, so I think after a [second-place finish] at regionals and after being at home, at least, they really wanted this title,” Hayes said. “This was definitely one of the sweetest ones of all.”

Milford, which finished second with a score of 196.2, edged the Panthers, 195.40-194.70, the week before in the South regional competition.

“We had been hitting prior,” Hayes said. “We had been hitting the routine and I think some days it’s just not there, so we used that as motivation during states week to work even harder to really ask them: how bad do you want this. This is your home and this is your mat. How bad do you want it?”

The Panthers also lost one of their flyers this winter, thrusting a base into action to learn new techniques on the fly.

“We had alternates step up to compete, learning the routine in less than 48 hours,” Hayes said. “I truly believe it was a season of teamwork and I’m really proud of that. The girls worked at 1,000 percent to make sure their dynasty lived on.”

The cheerleaders will not be attending the New England regional competition due to a scheduling conflict, but they’re perfectly content with the way things ended.

“They qualified, but they’re ending as state champions and they’re definitely pleased,” Hayes said.

The cheerleading team was captained by junior Anna Franklin and consisted of senior Nicole Masone, juniors Madelyn Anderson, Ashley Davis and Shelby Newcomb, sophomores Kaylee Diehl, Rachel Hunter and Ryley Hurley and freshmen Melanie Hulbert, Olivia McCarthy and Savannah Poirier.

Hoping for some deja vu in Big D

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After winning nationals last season, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High cheerleading team is vying for another title.

It’s off to Dallas for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High cheerleaders.

The team will head for the Lone Star State Friday morning, where it will compete in the NCA Senior & Junior High School National Championship, held at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. The two-day tournament, which spans from Saturday to Sunday, boasts many of the top teams from across the country.

Last winter, the Panthers, in their third straight trip to the tournament, captured the Small Advanced High School division.

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Under the leadership of head coach Tanisha King and senior captains-Ali Janis, Hannah MacDonald, Olivia Villanueva and Peyton Wright-the squad railed to win their first the NCA national title in the Advanced Small High School division on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017. / File photo

W-H head coach Tanisha King, who is in her sixth year at the helm of the program, said the NCA is one of the most prestigious competitions in the country based on the fact that teams must score a certain average at the state-level to even be invited.

King added that embarking on such a journey does draw them closer together.

“It definitely is a team bonding trip,” King said. “Whenever we do go there I do try to do certain things outside of our competition. In years past we’ve gone to the aquarium, the zoo, last year we took a tour of the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium, so we get to do things as a team we obviously wouldn’t be able to do here in Massachusetts, so it’s nice to do that.

So far this year, the cheerleaders – led by junior captain Anna Franklin – have captured a league title, regional crown and state title all during the fall. King said she’s seen an immense amount of growth from her team, which boasts just one senior after graduating four off last year’s roster, as the season’s worn on.

“I’ve seen a lot of people pick up the slack that I wasn’t sure if anyone was going to be able to,” King explained. “Even just younger girls stepping up and being role models and leaders for the team and filling the shoes of the four girls that left. They accepted that challenge and I think that showed in our state routine and the level on confidence and the level of difficulty that we had. They didn’t let anything hold them back.”

While the cheerleaders have endured great success, considerable time and effort has gone into that, and even more is needed before heading to Dallas, where they’re forced to alter their entire routine. The NCA consists of a minute-long cheer, while stunting, tumbling and moving, where back in Massachusetts the girls’ whole routine is performed to music.

“It could be a stamina issue, it’s definitely training your body differently,” King said. “You have just over six weeks to do that with them, so it’s a lot of different training that goes on in those six weeks getting them ready.”

Last winter, W-H followed up its national championship winning trip to the NCA with a league title, regional title, state title and New England tile. But first thing is first, it had to get the job done in Dallas.

“They have one agenda on their minds,” King said. “It’s not like a regular trip where we’re going down there, they’re going down there with the intentions on hitting their routine and hopefully becoming a champion again.”

State cheer champs

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The day after winning their MSSAA Div. 2 state championship, the W-H cheerleaders supported the boys’ basketball team in its state title game at TD Garden. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High cheerleaders won a state title Sunday.

On Sunday, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High cheerleaders landed two things – their routine and a MSSAA Division 2 state title.

The Panthers, under the leadership of head coach Tanisha King, boasted a 197.70 score to top North Attleboro (196.3), Shawsheen Valley (193.1), Assabet Valley (178.0), Milford (177.0), Billerica (174.5) and six other competing schools.

“It felt amazing considering especially in the fall, we didn’t place where we wanted to,” King said. “They have done amazing picking up from coming in fifth [in states in the fall] to going down to Dallas and winning the national title down there and then just keeping up the momentum all the way through states.”

With the victory, senior captains – Alison Joanis, Hannah MacDonald, Olivia Villanueva and Payton Wright – captured their sixth state title.

“They have all been four years on varsity,” King said. “Their commitment and dedication these past four years has been remarkable. They’re not only amazing cheerleaders but they’re role models.”

The win comes on the heels of the cheerleaders scoring a 202.20, which was tied for the highest out of 27 competing schools, Sunday, March 5 to claim a South regional title.

It has been a busy season for the W-H cheerleaders. They have captured an NCA national title, a Patriot League championship, a regional title and now a state title.

King said it’s easy to be complacent in the midst of winning but her team’s competition keeps it from being content, and coming in fifth during the fall season served as a wake-up call.

“It’s not an easy road,” King said. “It’s not like we’re in a division where you’re expected to win every time. Every year there is either a new team that steps up to the plate or even the teams that are hungry for their chance to win a state title. I always try to tell my team, ‘There is always someone in the gym working harder than you,’’’.

The squad vies for a Division 2 New England crown Saturday, March 18 at Providence Career and Technical Center at 10:30 a.m. This will be the last competition of the year for W-H.

“Since Dallas, we’re trying to go for that perfect record,” King said. “Go out and perform your routine one more time, the best you can and hopefully come home with the New England title again.”