Karlie Sika is excited to put her stamp on the Whitehall cheer program in her first season leading the competitive squad.
That stamp has involved several changes - instituting twice-weekly weight training, bringing in a tumbling expert (former Hope College cheerleader Josh Kraft) once a week, and choreographing the Vikings’ routines herself. Those changes aren’t coming out of the blue, as Sika has leaned on her former boss (and neighbor), longtime Grandville coach Julie Smith-Boyd.
“I was super blessed to get to coach under Julie Smith-Boyd,” Sika said. “She’s the best mentor I could’ve had. That’s been a great foundation. She’s a legend.”
Sika might have coached sooner, but she was busy the last couple years getting married - her husband is former Vikings’ wrestling state champion Steven Sika - and welcoming the couple’s son in 2022. The timing lined up last year, and she took over the sideline team in the fall prior to leading this season’s competitive cheer squad.
The Vikings attended a summer camp at Grandville last summer and were able to compete at the Bulldogs’ invitational early in the season, building a relationship Sika is excited to see grow.
The new coach also hopes to see growth in the program. She’s been able to count on seniors Claire English and Kenzie Johnson to lead the team, but they’re hardly alone.
“There are a lot of girls who have been really awesome,” Sika said. “I couldn’t say I have single people this year. Every single person on the team is as important as the other people.”
Due to inconsistencies brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and multiple coaching changes, the Vikings haven’t had the success they want in the recent past, but Sika is looking to build modestly, with achievable goals.
“Our goal every single week has been to do better than the last time,” Sika said. “I don’t want to give overwhelming goals or set overwhelming goals. If we can do better than we did before, we’re doing something right. We just want to keep moving forward.”
At the same time, she wants to make clear to her team what she hopes they can be. While the Vikings always look forward to West Michigan Conference meets, Sika is enjoying the chance to introduce the team to top competition from Divisions 1 and 2 at larger meets, showcasing where she believes they can go with time and hard work.
One meet she is very excited for is the state coaches’ association scholarship meet at Byron Center Jan. 24, at which athletes can apply for scholarships and potentially attract attention from collegiate coaches.
“Getting the girls involved in college cheer and the opportunities they could have is exciting,” Sika said.
Montague preview
Montague has a small team - only nine athletes as of December - but coach Penny Grinage-Guy has the Wildcats believing they are “mighty.”
Montague had a strong 2022-23 season, bouncing back from finishing behind Ludington at every West Michigan Conference meet to knocking the Orioles out at the district meet. Six are back from that team, and Chloe Stout also returned after not competing last season.
“We’re small, but we’re learning,” Grinage-Guy said. “We have a good core of girls. They’re a pleasure to coach. They’re a very good group of kids working hard, and a pleasure to be around.”
Stout and Addy Dean are the team’s two seniors, and freshman Allee Eppard has been a pleasant surprise in early practices, but with so few team members, Grinage-Guy said everyone’s role is important.
“Every day, someone else is getting better and better,” Grinage-Guy said. “The girls have been through a lot, with people not coming out that they thought were coming out, or people coming out and then quitting after a week. They’ve been through quite a bit and they just want normalcy, and to settle down and see what we can do.”
The Wildcats hope to challenge for the WMC title, but just as important to them is how they live up to this year’s “three C’s,” Grinage-Guy said - communication, commitment and compassion.
“Those three C’s are kind of what we’re trying as a team to develop - to be better people, to be better teammates, to be better students, to be better everything,” Grinage-Guy said. “We want everyone to know, we’re small, but mighty.”
