Cheer Channel was eager to get an exclusive look at a small town cheerleading team that works and plays hard, the Jimtown Jimmies from Elkhart, Indiana. Cheer coaches Jen Kerrn and Angela Davis take a personal approach to working with the cheerleading team. In this team, junior high and high school cheer coaches work together to train girls from grades 7-12.
 
Can you give Cheer Channel a few brief facts about the Jimtown Cheer team?
 
"Over the past 15 years the Jimtown cheer program has seen a huge growth in numbers and experienced girls. The goal of the Jimtown Cheerleading program, at any level, is to teach proper technique, safety and to build community and school spirit."
 
What is the best part of coaching the team?
 
“The best part of coaching a cheer team is the final product. After practicing for several months we start to see the girls grow more confident. As their confidence grows, the performance gets better and better. Watching them hit a stunt in front of the community makes everyone ecstatic. It can give you butterflies to see what a group of teenage girls are capable of achieving. The crowd may not even notice what the girls do and probably do not understand how long it took them to perfect it.”
 
How is teamwork expressed through your team?
 
“The coaches start by building a strong foundation at practices. The girls rely on each other for emotional and physical support. You can hear them cheering each other on when someone is hitting a new stunt or struggling through conditioning. At any junior high practice you can find one or more high school cheerleaders hanging around wanting to help the younger squad. We absolutely love that. With their leadership skills and passion for cheer they are able to continue building our program with us, we couldn't do it without them. “