White County cheerleading head coach Tracy Mason is entering her ninth year leading the Warriors, and Mason said this year’s group is pushing harder than ever as basketball season begins.
Mason did not grow up inside the cheer world. She was a band student during her own years at White County High School. But the sport has been part of her life for decades through her daughter, who cheered from elementary school all the way to Tennessee Tech and now coaches as well. By the time the cheer position opened up in Sparta, Mason already had a firm grasp of what the job demanded.
“Cheerleading is hard. It’s difficult,” Mason said. “There’s things to remember, there’s, you’re throwing girls in the air, you’re lifting girls, it’s hard.”
Under Mason, the Warriors cheer program has earned blue ribbons, gold ribbons and multiple spirit sticks at summer camps while maintaining a strong presence at school events and youth mini-camps. But Mason said the wins are not what keeps her motivated: rather, it is watching her athletes commit to improving, especially when trying new stunts.
She encourages her team to push their limits, but only to a point.
“It kind of scares me a little bit when they do some of those difficult stunts,” Mason said. “Me beign a parnet of a former cheerleader, it just kind of [worries me.]”
Because of that, Mason’s number-one rule is simple and non-negotiable.
“If any of the bases or backspots lets a flier hit the ground, then they are in trouble,” Mason said. “We don’t let our fliers hit the ground. They have too far to fall.”
Mats are used when needed, especially during advanced stunt work. Mason said the Warriors are currently dialing in new skills designed specifically for the fast pace and energy of basketball season.
