From cheerleader to head coach: Ashlyn Grummer鈥檚 legacy of cheer for Sequoyah Chiefs
CANTON, Ga. — Serving as Head Varsity Sideline Cheerleading Coach for the third season and Assistant Varsity Competition Cheerleading Coach for the fourth year at Sequoyah High School, Ashlyn Grummer has been coaching gymnastics, tumbling, and cheer since she was just 13 years old. Over the past 28 years, she has worked with athletes from preschool to college鈥攆rom beginners to D1 collegiate athletes. Coaching at Sequoyah High School has her returning to familiar territory as she was a Varsity Competition and Sideline Cheerleader at Sequoyah High School from 1999-2002.
Friday night lights are special to the Grummer family, with Ashlyn鈥檚 husband, Brandon, assisting with Chiefs TV and her son, Maddox, learning to run the camera for the show. Ashlyn has had the privilege of coaching her daughter, Peyton, for the past three years. Brandon is a teacher at SHS, while Peyton is in her junior year and Maddox is in the 8th grade at Dean Rusk Middle School.
One of Coach Grummer鈥檚 favorite aspects of their sideline program is the emphasis they place on social and emotional intelligence. Beginning each practice with a game and a circle-up question, they work to build community and emotional awareness. Coach Grummer credits the support of Assistant Coaches Cassie Pichon and Michelle Giles with bringing their program to where it is. The squad also gives back to their community, from showing up early for “High Five Fridays” at local elementary schools to volunteering with organizations like SERV or CYFA. Additionally, athletes complete digital mental health check-ins which allows them to support and coach each athlete in a personalized way.
鈥淎nother key to our success is the energy we bring to Thursday and Friday night games鈥攐ur athletes don’t just cheer; they tumble, stunt, and engage the crowd, making the games an extension of our hard work in practice,鈥� Coach Grummer shares. 鈥淪upporting the SHS Football team during their playoff runs and celebrating their back-to-back county championships has been incredible. We’re so proud of our boys!鈥�
Of their competition program, Coach Grummer knows that, 鈥淗igh expectations drive our success. We practice with the same intensity we bring to competitions.鈥� And she emphasizes that the team鈥檚 Head Coach, Cassie Pichon, along with lay coaches, Katie Arbo and Shannon Thorton, have been pivotal in raising the bar for their program. She continues, 鈥淭ogether, the four of us are committed to building the future of Sequoyah Cheer.鈥�
In last year鈥檚 season of competition cheer, their team set a school record with the highest score in SHS Competition Cheer history at the Woodstock Competition in October 2023. Coach Grummer recalls, 鈥淚t was a surreal moment, and the team worked tirelessly to achieve it.鈥� The team also “made mat” at state for the first time since 2001鈥攚hen Coach Grummer herself was an athlete on the team鈥攎eaning that they placed in the top six in AAAAAA which is a massive accomplishment.
When faced with adversity, Coach Grummer says they get back in the gym and get to work, emphasizing, 鈥淟osing offers an opportunity to learn, and when approached correctly, it can ignite a fire in our athletes. Sequoyah cheerleaders are talented, driven, and fierce. We focus on effort and heart because those are within our control鈥攐utcomes aren鈥檛. We strive to be the best version of SHS Cheer and leave it all on the mat, knowing the result is in the judges’ hands.鈥�
Coach Grummer is proud that the program has been a part of the journey that led to three alumni athletes currently cheering at the collegiate level, including Gabby Stellato at the University of Alabama, Lola Giles at the University of West Georgia, and Kayla Policky at the University of South Florida. Some of her most heartwarming moments come from watching their high school athletes bond with elementary girls on CYFA night as the youngest Chiefs cheerleaders are invited to cheer alongside and look up to them as role models.
Of her time at SHS, Coach Grummer reflects, 鈥淚’ve learned so much in these four years. While I initially believed that building relationships and loving the athletes was the most important aspect, I now understand that clear expectations and boundaries are just as crucial. Athletes thrive when they know their coaches love them and expect the best from them. At Sequoyah Cheer, we prioritize both.鈥�
鈥淚 hope my athletes walk away with life skills they can apply to being good employees, students, friends, and family members. I want them to know that hard work, dedication, and a strong support system can help them achieve anything. Life may get tough, but they are tougher. Above all, I want them to know they have a coach who will always be cheering them on.鈥� -Coach Ashlyn Grummer
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