As the sun sets over Burger Stadium, Coach Hailey Scott guides the Bowie cheer team through their cheers as they perform at the football game. Bowie cheer has turned a new leaf this year as new leadership has been implemented. Hailey Scott and Candice Villarreal have both joined the Bowie cheer community this year and have taken on coaching roles.
Hailey Scott, a former UT cheerleader, has stepped into the role of head coach, accompanied by new assistant coach Candice Villarreal. Coach Scott states that she is looking forward to watching how the cheer program grows this season, and loves seeing her athletes embrace new systems with positivity and overcome challenges.
“It’s been a rollercoaster, but one that I wouldn’t trade for anything,” Scott said. “I’m incredibly proud of my athletes and thankful for my assistant coaches, Candice Villarreal and Davis Tran, whose dedication and support make all of this possible. Coaching has taught me patience, humility, and perspective, and I feel blessed to lead this program.”
Coach Davis Tran, an assistant coach who’s been working with cheer for three years, has been showing them the ropes as well as adjusting to their new coaching styles.
“I think they’re both such amazing coaches,” Tran said. “The girls have so much potential and so much talent. I think these coaches can really bring them to their fullest potential, just because in the span of a few months, I think this is the best that they’ve honestly looked in the last five years.”
Coach Scott and Coach Villarreal both worked together previously at Casey Elementary, where they launched a cheer program called Casey Spirit. The coaches introduced stunting and the foundational components of cheer to kids who were new to the sport.
“Essentially, Casey Spirit is a cheer program where we coach them the motions,” Scott said. “It’s pretty cool just because cheerleading is super expensive outside of school. It’s an opportunity to give back to the community and give the students enrichment after all of the curriculum after a long day.”
Casey Spirit gave many kids the chance to preview cheerleading before middle school and gain experience early on. For cheer co-captain Addy Ingram and the rest of the team, hearing the news of the old coaches quitting came as a shock.
“I was definitely surprised,” Ingram said. “They sat us down in a circle, and then one by one, all three of them said that they were quitting. And it was kind of scary because they were stopping in the school year, and we needed a coach for camp, because you can’t go without a coach.”
While coaches Alyssa Paramski and Brianna Smith left the cheer program altogether, Coach Tran decided to stay as assistant coach after initial plans of leaving cheer.
“Coach Scott and Coach Candice are still learning Bowie’s ways, but that’s why I’m here to help guide them through it,” Tran said. “I think we mesh really well together. Coach Scott is extremely communicative, and she lays down her expectations outright, and all I really have to do is just follow it and make sure they’re being upheld.”
Coach Scott believes that her coaching style reflects her dedication to the cheer program and her athletes. She has taken on the challenge of working with a new team to help them grow and become successful.
“I think there’s been ups and downs, but I think that’s all a part of the process, working out the kinks so that it can be a successful program,” Scott said. “My athletes want to be there, they want to come to cheer, and they want to pour all of their energy every single day into the program.”
Along with new coaches, Bowie cheer has experienced changes in practice schedules. In prior years, the cheer team had practices during the class periods as well as after school on weekdays. With changes in coaches’ schedules, the cheer team no longer has after school practices on weekdays, but instead practices Saturday mornings in addition to the class periods.
“Coach Scott has another job,” Ingram said. “She’s a cheer coach at Tumble Tech so she can’t stay after, so we’ve had to figure out how to work around that, because we have to put it on ourselves if we need extra practice to get together with our stunt groups.”
The Bowie cheer program has experienced changes to grow the program’s structure and community. The cheer team incorporates ‘family circles’ before their practices for athletes to check in with one another and discuss team goals. The cheer team has also shifted their focus to crowd engagement to elevate the game day experience for everyone.
“I think Bowie this year specifically is taking a hard turn on expectations and structure and how the program is run,” Tran said. “It’s a change that is needed for the program, for the booster, for the cheer girls, for just the program all together. Coach Scott and Coach Candice are bringing something that Bowie cheer has never really seen before, and I truly think that they can make this program extremely successful.”
Coaches Scott, Villarreal, and Tran have all collaborated and contributed to the program in different ways with the goal of helping cheer be at its best. The coaches are attempting to emphasize team unity and accountability to bring the team together.
“So far, it’s been awesome working with them, just because it’s like a puzzle piece,” Scott said. “I bring the skills, Coach Tran brings the logistics, and then Coach Candice balances both of us out.”
When Coach Scott heard about the open position for head coach, she was drawn to the opportunity to coach kids and pursue her passion for cheer.
“I truly love working with kids,” Scott said. “So being able to do my passion, which is cheerleading, as well as still teach, I thought that God is making a way for all to make sense. So I just knew that I had to take the opportunity.”
Coach Scott states that she is looking forward to watching how the cheer program grows this season. She loves seeing her athletes embrace new systems with positivity and overcome challenges.
“It’s been a rollercoaster, but one that I wouldn’t trade for anything,” Scott said. “I’m incredibly proud of my athletes and thankful for my assistant coaches, Candice Villarreal and Davis Tran, whose dedication and support make all of this possible. Coaching has taught me patience, humility, and perspective, and I feel blessed to lead this program.”
