Coach Kaitie Shae

CONGRATULATIONS to my former athlete Jaime on 2nd place at NCA College Nationals in the DII Intermediate Small Coed Division!

If I’ve coached you, then you’ve probably heard me talk about him. From the moment he stepped into the gym of the tiny 1A school where I was coaching several years ago, I knew he was destined for greatness. From the start he was determined to compete and cheer at the next level. I watched him teach himself how to tumble in about 30 minutes, stayed late after practices asking me how he could improve, he critiqued videos of himself and asked me to do the same, and constantly worked to be the best he could be… basically just has every quality that every coach dreams of in an athlete. He has the drive and heart, but also the SKILL to do anything he sets his mind to.

I’m beyond proud to be a small part of his story and thankful that he still takes the time to share this part of his life with me! (Had to include the pic of me ugly crying over FaceTime when I saw his metal😂)

Way to go and congratulations, Jaime!!❤️🤍💙

Messages like these keep me going! I virtually work with strangers in multiple states to get them ready and it paid off big time with this girly who made mascot for the first time!

Tryout season is so tough. While the celebrations are so exciting, it’s also hard and sad to see kiddos I train sometimes not make the cut. If you didn’t make it this year, please know your worth is not defined by this! Keep working, keep training, keep believing!

One of my favorite things about coaching lessons before tryouts is getting to know these girls in a way I wouldn’t otherwise. I get to see their personalities, their work ethic, and their growth.

What makes this group even more special is that I have trained some of their big sisters too! And now here we are… full circle!

Grateful for the trust from these families and so proud of these girls. I’m so thankful for this job that gives me a chance to be a small part of so many athletes’ stories!

THIRTY-FIVE lessons in 24 days, usually with my 5 year old and 8 month old in tow. The pic shows how I’m doing (i think im losing it🤪)
This has been my busiest tryout season yet with private lessons. I am so thankful for the families that have trusted me year after year to train their cheerleaders for tryouts. Once this week is over my schedule slows down a lot, so you’ll find me on my couch😂 At this point I’m doing these cheers and dances in my sleep!

Good luck everyone! BE SHARP, BE LOUD, BE PROUD!📣

The Valentine Cheer Squad in Valentine, Nebraska placed 4th in the C2 Gameday Large Squad Division! It was an honor to work with them for the first time and choreograph the Band Chant and Fight Song portion of their routine to aid in getting them from 12th place (where they finished last year) to 4th!

Congratulations, Valentine!❤️📣

✨A little about me!✨

Huge congrats to the Edgewood Cheerleaders out of Ohio for their finals appearance in their first year ever competing in the Game Day division!

One of the programs I work the closest with finished this UIL season as a finalist (2/2 in their second year competing) just 1.34 points outside of the Top 10, and a little over 4 points from a Top 5 finish.

I was recently told by a college coach who frequently judges UIL that Texas is the most difficult state to compete in for cheerleading. A UIL staff member echoed that sentiment, noting that in her opinion the 2A and 4A divisions are especially stacked, with more teams competing at nearly identical skill levels than any other classifications.

Since the UIL Comp, I’ve reviewed 15+ UIL routines to help coaches better understand judges’ feedback (because that feedback isn’t written to be instructional unless you’re familiar with the judging process). Most of these teams I’m reviewing did not advance to finals. I’ve also reviewed routines from around six other states as teams prepare for nationals coming up. Those routines from out of state have placed 1st–3rd at their local or state competitions, but likely would not have placed top ten if they competed at UIL. They are talented for sure, but they still don’t fully match the overall depth and intensity of the Texas routines I’ve seen.

This isn’t to diminish the talent of teams outside of Texas… there is incredible cheerleading everywhere. It’s simply to highlight what many in the sport already know:

Cheerleading in Texas is a different level.
The margin between placements is razor thin, the competition is relentless, and improvement isn’t always reflected immediately in rankings.

Texas truly is in a league of its own. Cheerleading, just like everything else, is bigger in Texas, and I’m lucky to be a small part of it.