Coupeville grad Mica Shipley will be an NCAA D-1 cheerleader at Eastern Washington University this fall. (Photos courtesy Tammy Akard and BreAnna Boon)
She’s in the game for life.
Mica Shipley broke into cheerleading at a young age, and her love of the sport has never faded.
On all-star teams by age six, it was all uphill from there.
Already a star at a young age.
The 2020 Coupeville High School grad rose through the ranks, capping her time in Cow Town as a team captain for a resurgent Wolf cheer program.
With Shipley flying high, CHS returned to competitive cheer during her junior season, and immediately made an impact, claiming 3rd at the state tourney.
She and her Wolf teammates followed that up by making it to nationals during her senior campaign.
Shipley also was chosen to model for Glitter Starz, an Illinois-based company which is a national leader in custom all-star uniforms, warm-ups, and other cheer essentials.
But, as much as she accomplished during her high school days, that won’t be the end of her cheer career.
Shipley, who will be attending Eastern Washington University to study nursing, with plans to become an OBGYN, has been picked for the school’s cheer squad.
EWU, whose alumni include NFL wide receiver Cooper Kupp, legendary comic book artist Todd McFarlane, and Olympic gold medal shooter Launi Meili, competes as an NCAA D-1 school.
When selecting her new school, Shipley was looking for a comfortable fit, and she found it in Cheney.
“I chose EWU because it gave me that hometown feel without it being super small like Coupeville,” she said. “And it’s also not too far away from home.”
To earn her spot on the Eagles cheer roster, Shipley had to go through several levels of tryouts, all adjusted to deal with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“I had to do an online tryout video. They sent me a dance, fight song, and some cheers,” Shipley said.
“I also had to send in videos of me stunting and tumbling.”
After making the first cut, it was time for interviews with the coaches.
“They asked me how I would describe myself and how my relationships were with my past teammates and coaches,” Shipley said. “We mostly all just got to know each other.”
The official announcement came Thursday, and CHS cheer coach BreAnna Boon immortalized the moment by sneaking down to Shipley’s job and decorating her car.
Shipley’s car gets some love.
“Eastern Washington is incredibly lucky to have her be a part of the team,” Boon said.
“They don’t know it yet, but she is the perfect addition and I’m planning to catch her live at a game!”
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