By Ken Hansard
For Wichita Northwest Cheer coaches Megan and Zachary Schuman, coaching cheer has been, quite literally, a labor of love. Both have spent the past 10 years coaching for the Grizzlies. Both have over 25 years of experience coaching cheerleading. Both coached All-Star cheer for many years, and Zach additionally has coached cheer at the collegiate level. And cheer has been their lifeblood for as long as they can remember. The Schuman’s have both made a career out of passion for their sport and their athletes, and a deep love for one another.
Even though enthusiasm for one’s profession can make each day a joy, the life of a cheerleader and a cheer coach is never easy. Coach Megan Schuman says, “Cheer never really ends. Basketball season ends right before spring break and then we have tryouts the week after spring break. Cheerleaders might get a little time off during April and May.” But then, it’s right back to preparing for a new school year and the busy fall sports season. “The first step for success for us is to have successful tryouts, which really means that our cheerleaders are excited and are out there recruiting others to join us. The goal for tryouts is to have so much talent that we have a difficult time narrowing it down to make a team. After that, the next step is getting ready for summer camp. A great summer camp for us is walking away with new skills and feeling like we have truly bonded as a team. That sets us up with the momentum that we need for a great year.”
The Schuman’s have built a culture around their squad that goes beyond success. It starts with engendering investment in their athletes and creating a family atmosphere. Coach Zachary described that process, “We run tryouts differently from traditional high school cheer tryouts. We don’t bring in judges. Our coaching staff picks our cheer team. We start with the ten things that require zero talent and then move on from there. Our cheer team doesn’t have any captains either. Typically, by the time our cheerleaders return for their second or third year, they have a sense of ownership and pride in the team, and they help the new cheerleaders understand and uphold expectations for the team.”
While the primary goal may not ultimately be success in terms of awards, success has been a major result of the culture that the Schumans have fostered. Coach Zachary had this to say about this year’s squad, “The 2024-2025 season has been one of our best seasons thus far. We have an amazing group of seniors and returning cheerleaders, but we also added a lot of new talent to the team. At camp last summer most of the team earned nominations to try out for All-American. We had six cheerleaders try out for All-American, and two of the six made All American. Also at camp, we had two of our cheerleaders receive the ‘America Needs Cheerleaders’ award for exemplifying traits of spirit, kindness, and leadership.”
Even though the Schuman’s emphasize the team over the individual, there are a few of their athletes who have received special notice from other coaches and peers. Senior Izabella Scheuffler is a three-time All-American nominee and a two-time “America Needs Cheerleaders” recipient. Coach Megan added that, “Izzy is a leader. She takes a lot of pride in making sure that everyone knows the material and making sure that the team as a whole looks gameday ready. She is full of spirit and always smiling.”
Gentry Schuman is another award-winning senior. She is a four-time All-American nominee who has been twice awarded as both an All-American and an “America Needs Cheerleaders” recipient. Coach Megan commented, “Gentry is usually a flyer for us, but she is a leader who will do whatever is necessary. She always encourages her teammates in everything they do and is willing to do whatever is needed – from helping with any position in stunting, breaking down cheers, or just giving words of encouragement. Whatever it takes, Gentry is always right there ready to help.”
Even though a couple of seniors have been highly decorated, the Schuman’s still realize that this is all about team and family, and Coach Megan wanted to end on this note, “Losing our six seniors is going to be a tough one. These ladies have been with us since their freshman or sophomore year. They are wonderful, positive leaders, and they have really helped to shape and mold the team into what it is right now. They all have a ‘we’ – not a ‘me’ – mentality, which has really helped make the team more of a true team.”
