School board names new head cheer coach

RONAN — The Ronan School Board of Trustees officially hired a new coach for the revived high school cheerleading program at their regular meeting Monday evening.

Lena Baertsch works as an attendance clerk at the school and said it was Principal Kevin Kenelty who pushed her to apply for the position as head coach for the squad.  

“Oh gosh, it’s just all happened so quickly,” Baertsch said.

The group’s first practice since the program was saved was Tuesday afternoon. Due to weather, the Ronan school buses didn’t run their usual routes, keeping many students home for the day. Baertsch said the weather also played a factor in how many students showed up for the first practice. While there are over 30 students signed up to tryout for the squad, Baertsch said she only had 12 at Tuesday’s practice.  Still, she is undeterred.

“The girls are excited to have something new and they’re excited that the program was brought back, Baertsch said. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”

She hopes the student body will meet the new squad with respect and she says they plan to treat them with respect. Parents and cheerleaders have voiced concerns of bullying during the past few months and Baertsch hopes the newfound school spirit will quash the issue.

Baertsch is no stranger to coaching as she was a basketball coach for six years and coached several other sports. She plans to bring an understanding of conditioning and health habits to the girls while instilling self-confidence, self-esteem and emotional maturity. She hopes to be a role model for the squad and in turn have them be role models in school, on the court and in the community.

Baertsch cheered in middle school and was part of the drill team. She said her focus for the squad will be toward the dance aspect of cheer rather than stunting. As coach, she plans to bring back the flag presentation and halftime dance routines. Baertsch must be certified for the squad to perform stunts and she said she would like to get a season under her belt before she takes on the task.

Most of all, Baertsch wants the cheerleaders and the student body to have fun.

“I want us to have a good, fun time where the whole school is proud of us,” she said.

Vocal cheer mom Jennifer O’Conner said the team is hoping to appear at this weekend’s tournament in Ronan, though they won’t be able to cheer. O’Conner, who also applied for the coaching position, said the team was able to raise over $2000 in the week and a half they were told they had to save the program.  Now that the school board is funding cheerleading again, O’Conner said the girls plan to use the money for new uniforms and supplies.

Tryouts will be held later this week and O’Conner said the new coach hopes to have a solid squad with at least 10 cheerleaders.  

The new cheer coach is not worried about the program’s rocky past. Like the seasoned coach that she is, she is concentrating on the future.

“Don’t focus on the past, it’s a whole new ball game,” Baertsch said.