JACKSON, Mich. — Melissa Coito is the Varsity Coach (2007-Present) and Kaelyn Gober is the Varsity Assistant (2015-2017) & Head JV Coach (2020-Present) at Northwest High School.

Melissa, class of 2007,  and Kaelyn, class of 2006, cheered together in high school. They both cheered for sideline, winter basketball, and competitive season. The year after graduation, Melissa got involved in coaching the 7th grade team, and she jumped at the opportunity to give back to the program. Eventually Melissa moved up to coaching 8th grade, JV, varsity winter competitive cheer coach, and then took over the varsity position in the fall of 2013. Melissa and the former varsity coach started the first MHSAA competitive cheer team that competes in the winter season, which transitioned from the former Michigan Competitive Cheer Coaches Association competitions. She is also involved in the Competitive Cheer Coaches Association of Michigan and serves as the region 2 Representative.

In 2015, Kaelyn reached out to Melissa about coaching, and she jumped right into the JV coaching position. Kaelyn took a brief break from coaching while her family moved to Texas during her husband’s army deployment. After moving back to Pleasant Lake in 2020, she returned to fill the JV position once again.

Melissa and Kaelyn both fell in love with cheering in middle school and high school. Their friends cheered, so they cheered too. The longer they both cheered they found they didn’t know anything else. Along with their cheermates, they were very driven and motivated individuals. They finished 2nd in the state during the MCCA competitive cheer days, so they both wanted to coach their own teams so they could have the same experience.

The coaches proudest moments are when the girls finally accomplish a skill or a stunt. It’s so exciting to see them individually achieve a tumbling skill as they work so hard towards getting back walkovers, back handsprings, and back tucks. When stunting, they have to work together as a group of 4 or 5 team mates to achieve tossing the flyer into the air and having her hit that particular stunt they are working on.

“They get so excited when they learn something new and finally hit it! Just seeing the girls work individually, but also as a team, to do things most people would never think of, like tossing someone into the air, is a really awesome feeling!”

Life Lessons, a word from Melissa:

It is important to be a role model for young women. The saying, “every little girl is watching,” has never been more true. I still remind my athletes that when they are working with our youth and when they are performing, they need to be the best version of themselves. When an alumni invites me to a wedding or baby shower, it’s a wonderful feeling that I made such an impact on their lives that they still want me to be a part of it.

I hope that when I decide to retire from coaching, I leave behind the foundation for many successful state championship competitive cheer teams at Northwest. Showing the coaches and athletes that hard work and dedication to the sport will not only make you a better athlete, but better individuals as well. I am very blessed with an amazing coaching staff that makes our entire cheer program, from young 5’s through 12th grade,  a success. It truly takes a village to coach and I am super thankful that not only my own coaching staff, but fellow coaches around the state, are so helpful and motivated to make our kids the best athletes they can be.

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