Ashleigh Battaglia is the newest member of the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
She’s joined there by Mica Shipley.
Whether competing with the CHS squad, or on their own, the duo soared to great success. (Photo courtesy BreAnna Boon)
The debate is settled, at least for me.
Cheerleading is a sport, and cheerleaders are athletes.
It has been ever so.
There have been 16 cheerleaders previously inducted into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, a mix of multi-talented athletes from Amanda Fabrizi to Rose Bergdoll to David Torres.
Today, we welcome the 17th and 18th Wolf cheer squad vets to our digital clubhouse, with the CHS senior duo of Mica Shipley and Ashleigh Battaglia joining the elite.
After this, when you look at the top of the blog, under the Legends tab, you’ll find the high-flying spirit superstars right where they belong.
Mica and Ashleigh have been at the forefront of Coupeville cheer for years now, whether as fast-rising newcomers or as experienced captains.
During their time at CHS, the Wolf spirit program has returned to competitive cheer, adding new moves, new stunts, and a new energy to their work on the sidelines.
Leading the return to the competition mats, Mica and Ashleigh spurred the Wolves to a 3rd place finish at the state tournament as juniors, then led their squad all the way to nationals in their final season on campus.
There was a time period, back when Hall o’ Fame coach Sylvia Arnold led the CHS program, when Coupeville competed on a regular basis, bringing home banners and trophies, including a state title.
Now, after a stretch of years in which the school chose not to compete, the Wolves are back in the thick of vying for team glory, with current coach BreAnna Boon encouraging the change.
What’s been the biggest surprise is not that Coupeville has been successful in its first two years back in competition, but that the Wolves have soared so high, so fast.
I believe a large part of the credit for that rebirth goes to Mica and Ashleigh.
To truly grow a program, you need captains who lead through words and action, with sweat and work, with an unshakable belief in themselves and their teammates.
Few have put in the time and effort that this all-star duo have.
As individuals, they are talented, strong young women, both with different skill-sets, but both utterly committed — walking, talking, backflipping testaments to never backing down and never giving in.
Together, as friends, leaders, and athletes, they show their classmates, their teammates, and the world, how much Coupeville teens can accomplish.
Whether meshing as part of the Wolf team, or going off on their own to compete in high-caliber cheer events, Mica and Ashleigh have earned our respect and admiration.
Witness the work they put in to their sport, the long, physically-demanding practices, the constant chase of perfection in events in which even the slightest of errors can be devastating, and you see two of the best we can claim as our own.
Through fall and winter cheer seasons, through off-season work and through countless performances, the duo have shined a positive light on their town, their school, their families, and, ultimately, themselves.
CHS cheer is better for Mica and Ashleigh having worn the Wolf uniform, and, as they prepare to head out into the world to write the next chapters in their story, I have no doubt both will succeed at whatever path they choose.
Look at their drive and work ethic, than add in that both of them have always come across as intelligent, outgoing young women who embrace family and friends with great passion, and it’s a pretty easy prediction to make.
As they have progressed from middle school to high school, Mica and Ashleigh have grown in confidence, refined their skill as athletes, and embraced their opportunities.
But their star quality, the special light which both project to the world, has always been there, since day one.
They have devoted time and effort, and given their all, to cheering for their classmates, to stoking the fire of spirit, and to making Coupeville a better place.
Today, we return the favor and cheer for the cheerleaders – two young women of remarkable class, accomplishment, and promise.
Hall o’ Famers in every way.
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