FRANKLIN SPRINGS, GA - Emmanuel Athletics announced the hiring of a new cheerleading coach on Wednesday. We're excited to welcome Jerrica Grant to the family!
Grant may be new in her role as Head Cheerleading Coach, but she certainly isn't new to Emmanuel. After growing up in Toccoa, Georgia, about 45 minutes from campus, Grant attended Emmanuel. She was on the cheer team herself all four years, until her graduation in 2018.
Grant originally began cheerleading her sophomore year of high school, where she quickly became captain of the JV cheer squad in her first year. Kristen Stamey and Cathy Thornton were her high school cheer coaches, and serve as two of Grant's biggest inspirations in this new role. "I had no background in cheer, but they (Stamey and Thornton) were really patient with me when I was starting out as a cheerleader. They saw potential for maturity and growth in me and built upon that. What they instilled in me I hope to instill in others."
After receiving her Bachelors in Sports Management from Emmanuel in May of 2018, Grant accepted a position in Southern Wesleyan University's athletic department. She was a coordinator in their PASS (Promoting Athletic Student Success) program, where she stayed for a year. However, Grant says "My heart was in Georgia." So, in the summer of 2019 she applied and got hired to be the Residence Director of Jackson Hall, one of several all-female dormitories at Emmanuel. She had worked in residence life as a student, serving as a resident assistant, so her transition into the role made sense. After three years as an RD, Grant will now be transitioning away from that role and into a new position: Director of Student Activities, Leadership and Student Life, along with her job as Head Cheer Coach.
Grant believes that "In anything that you do, you should always have a lot of grace and patience for the individuals you're working with. So, while I expect excellence from my athletes and anyone I'm working with, I've also learned to have grace and patience because we're all human." This type of attitude is beneficial in any field, but particularly coaching.
While the main purpose of the program has been and will continue to be sideline cheer at home athletic events, the cheer program will also begin partaking in several intercollegiate competitions for the first time ever this upcoming year. Conference Carolinas held their first ever Cheer Championship in 2022 in conjunction with the basketball championships, and they plan to do the same in upcoming years. However, while competition is certainly something Grant looks forward to, her initial focus will be on developing each athlete holistically. She wants to use this opportunity to boost school spirit at home athletic events before working up to a potentially heavier competition schedule in future years.
Despite current Emmanuel students knowing her primarily as a Residence Director, Grant has always had a passion for athletics. She not only did cheer and dance in high school, but also ran track. "I've always known I would end up as a coach, I just didn't know when. In this season leading up to this I've had to have a lot of patience, but I'm very humbled to now have this opportunity."
As Emmanuel Cheer transitions into their first season of being a competition team, Grant's motto is, "We're just getting started." If you want to be a part of this exciting and expanding program, she is available by email at jerrica.grant@ec.edu. Feel free to reach out and explain why you think you would be a great fit for the squad!
Vice President for Athletics Nate Moorman had this to say on the hiring of Grant:
"Jerrica is a great addition to our coaching staff. She's not only an accomplished alumni, she has experience in a variety of roles on a college campus and has excelled in each of them. Her passion for EC cheer and desire to pour into young college student-athletes is second to none."
For more on Emmanuel College athletics, visit goeclions.com.
