By Peighton Noel

A coach and Her Son

Multitasking is one of the most difficult things you will ever do. Mooresville High School cheer coach Holli Goodman finds herself multitasking on a very regular basis. Holli’s son, Karson is a freshman at MHS, and participates in football, basketball, and track.

            Holli coaches both basketball and football, so watching her son play can be a convenience. It might sound easy, but it can be a small struggle.

            “I wouldn’t say that it is hard, I just have to be very organized as a coach and parent of a player.” Coach Goodman said.

            There was a time this fall when she was sad because she was not there to see him receive an award at the award banquet because she was with her squad giving them their awards.

            Coach Goodman’s favorite sport to watch her son play is football. Luckily enough, she coaches football season cheerleading. This makes supporting her son a little easier.

            Her son, Karson Goodman, agrees that she does a good job distributing her time.

            “She does a great job. She makes sure I stay on top of my school work, and I see her putting together cheers at home getting ready for her next game.” Karson said.

            Multitasking is a very hard thing to do and takes a lot of focus and discipline. These are also some of the qualities a good leader, and coach need. Fortunately, Coach Goodman possesses these characteristics.

            Holli Goodman is very passionate about coaching and of course parenting, so making an equal amount of time for both is very important to her.

            “I always want to be the best coach to my squad as possible while also being my son’s number one fan and biggest supporter. My favorite part of coaching is making a difference in the life of another person. Coaching is a passion of mine, and I am very blessed to be a part of the MHS coaching staff.” Goodman said.

            Coach Goodman has been coaching cheer at Mooresville High School for four and a half years now. She loves her job, and enjoys forming strong relationships and bonds with her cheerleaders.

            “I know that she is a great coach and stays on top of it. She really cares about the girls she coaches. Also, she is a great parent and monitors me very well.” Karson said.

            Holli has made such an impact on the lives of her cheerleaders. She has helped them not only improve as  cheerleaders, but also as people.

            “We all loved her. She is always in a good mood and cheers everyone up.” senior cheerleader Shelby Stanley said.

            Shelby cheered under Coach Goodman’s advisory when she cheered for JV. Holli coached JV for one year. This is her third year coaching the freshman squad.

            “Holli is a great coach that always pushes us to be the best that we can be.” freshman cheerleader Alyssa Phipps said.

            This year’s freshman cheer squad holds a total of  9 spirited girls: Sally Blackburn, Megan Greenwell, Karli Koch, Jillian Koch, Katelyn Johnson, Peighton Noel, Alyssa Phipps, Olivia Stinson, and Samantha Trusty.

            She works with her girls to help them improve as much as possible. Being a freshman can be hard, especially in sports, so Coach Goodman does the most she can to help them reach success.

            Hard work is something that Coach Goodman typically looks for in an athlete. She sees this as a very important trait when looking to get to a higher potential. With tryouts coming up, Coach Goodman is, of course, trying to get everything in order.

Tryouts can be chaotic and stressful, and they take a lot of organization. Luckily, this is something Coach Goodman has.

Even during the season, she displays a great deal of organization. Her squad captains always have binders with their game plans, guidelines, and cheers/chants.

“She always makes sure we know what is going on, and if we don’t have the game plan ready, she always has a back up.” Phipps said.

A game plan is a piece of paper given to the captains to fill out before each game. It is an organized way to put together formations, plan out quarter changes and half times, and determine stunts.

Coach Goodman is definitely one to keep everything in check, but knows how to make the most of every situation, and have a little fun.

“She is so much fun, but also knows when it is time to be serious.” Stanley said.

When dealing with a bunch of teenage girls, you need to have some discipline, but also keep them entertained. Coach Goodman, luckily, is known for her fun, outgoing personality.