Girls in cheer uniforms perform stunts in the air, waving their pom-poms as the crowd goes wild, chanting from the bleachers. Throughout the years, the team has had many coaches behind this success, each bringing something special to the team. This year, following a long legacy of sideline and competitive cheer at Westford Academy, new head coach Nina Feliciano stands dazzling in her own cheer uniform, maroon-grey pom-poms in hand.
After being a part of the WA Varsity Cheer team from 2011 to 2014 as a student, former cheerleader Feliciano has returned to the grounds of WA as the new head coach of the Varsity Cheer team. Although she joined as a coach in the middle of the 2024 fall season, she hopes to share the fulfilling experience she had on the team with current and new members at WA.
“[Coaching cheer] has just sparked a passion that I have always had. It’s reignited, and it just made me so happy […]. I wouldn’t change it at all,” Feliciano said. “I come in [to practice], and every day I’m just so happy every time I leave. And that’s a real gift, because not every team is like that.”
After high school, she became a teacher who taught infants all the way up to pre-K. A few years later, she returned back to school at the University of Massachusetts Lowell as a Psychology major.
Since Feliciano’s student career as a cheerleader at WA, the program has undergone many changes. There were many more people on varsity and junior varsity (JV) cheer when she was an athlete, and the team was mostly competition-based.
“Between varsity and JV, we had about 50 girls in the program [when I was a student]. We were a good group, but we were all very competitive cheerleaders, so it was very intense,” Feliciano said. “And I would say, I like that [this team is] a lot more community-based, and we do a lot more partnerships with programs in school,”
Feliciano’s strategies for the success of the team include team bonding, which they have been working to maintain in and outside of practices. Along with incorporating fun activities into cheer practices, she also hopes to host fundraisers over the summer, which will help bring the team together and form strong friendships.
“I would say a lot of our success has to do with team bonding and making sure we’re together as a unit,” Feliciano said. “The team that we have right now won’t be the team next year.”
For Feliciano, the hardest part about coaching high school cheer is being aware that the new team is different from what it was when she was in high school. It was also hard for her to quickly adjust to the team dynamic, especially because she joined mid-season. But despite the fact that she is new to the team, Feliciano has quickly become close to many of the girls.
“When coach Feliciano came, I was so happy,” sophomore cheerleader Alice Pillion said. “She has made a positive impact on our team and she doesn’t just sit on the bleachers, but she will step up to the mat and physically help, and that’s my favorite thing about her. […] She just has a positive, fun, upbeat attitude and is very ambitious.”
Along with coaching cheer, Feliciano is a student teacher at Stony Brook Middle School, as well as a student at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She maintains a balanced lifestyle while bouncing around to the three different parts of her life. Feliciano has always loved working with kids, and after completing college, hopes to become a teacher.
Feliciano is ready to take on the team and bring them back into competitions. She remembers to keep an open mind about her team and is excited for the upcoming seasons.
“I know from my own experience, we’ve got a good group, and I just feel so grateful to be a part of the process.” Feliciano said.
