A newcomer is joining a familiar face in Wildcat athletics to coach the Baker University spirit squad.
Assistant Athletic Trainer Lynsey Payne has taken over as head coach of the dance team and Taylor Schreiner, a new name to Baker athletics, is now head coach of the cheerleading team. Schreiner, born and raised in Lawrence, cheered at Free State High School where she later went on to coach.
“I coached there for three years,” Schreiner said. “I worked with some great coaches over there and learned a lot from them. Then I got out of it for a while but decided I wanted to come back.”
Payne worked with the dancers last season when she took them to Florida for the national competition. Payne’s experience and her enthusiasm for the team sparked her interest in adding dance to her Baker athletics involvement.
“After (former head coach) Cathy Ritter decided she was no longer going to be doing cheer and dance, (Athletic Director) Dan Harris knew that I have always enjoyed dance and visited with me a little bit,” Payne said. “I really enjoyed the girls, and we thought we could make it work.”
Although both coaches are new to the spirit squad, Payne is confident that Schreiner's eagerness to work with the team will make the transition easier for all the athletes. <br/>"Taylor has a great personality, she is really outgoing, and I think the girls will really respond well to her and enjoy her," Payne said. "She has got great ideas and good experience being a cheerleading coach.""Taylor has a great personality, she is really outgoing, and I think the girls will really respond well to her and enjoy her," Payne said. "She has got great ideas and good experience being a cheerleading coach."
“Taylor has a great personality, she is really outgoing, and I think the girls will really respond well to her and enjoy her,” Payne said. “She has got great ideas and good experience being a cheerleading coach.”
Schreiner brings with her the goal of taking both the dance and cheer teams and bringing them together as one entity: the spirit squad.
“I would like to do more team building stuff, just to get us closer together as cheer and dance team but also together as a whole spirit squad,” Schreiner said.
Together Payne and Schreiner hope to make a few positive changes for both teams outside of performances. Payne said she hopes this year the spirit squad will be more of a presence on the Baker campus.
“We are going to try to not necessarily cheer or dance at all of the events but be more of a presence on campus,” Payne said. “At those events like soccer where we don’t have cheerleaders or dancers, we really want to go and support those teams as well – really encompass what BU spirit is all about.”
Junior Chimare Eaglin said she is excited to welcome a new coach to the cheerleading squad and is happy with the changes being brought to the team.
“I think that it will be really great for our team, and all the girls are excited to have a new coach,” Eaglin said. “She is really working hard to make the team a lot better, and I think she is going to do a great job.”
Despite all the changes, the essential goal of improving performances remains on the mind of both new coaches.
“Of course we want to strive to be better,” Payne said. “Improve our technique, improve some cheers, just improve all around, which is always I think everyone’s goal.”
The spirit squad may have the chance to show those skills off in October, as plans are being made for a possible performance for the Kansas City Wizards soccer team.