Two, four, six, eight . . . here’s some news the kids in Lake Nona will appreciate.
Brandy Sellers is the new cheer director and head coach for Lake Nona Youth Sports, which is for students in grades K-8. The football and cheer season will kick off in August, and online registration is now open.
Even though this will be Sellers’ first season coaching in the Lake Nona community, she can’t remember a time when she wasn’t involved in the sport of cheerleading, either as part of a squad or as a coach. Growing up in the small town of Boron, Calif., on the edge of the Mojave Desert, her parents enrolled her in her first cheer lesson at the age of four. And once she got to try out pom-poms and megaphones, Sellers never looked back, continuing to cheer through her senior year in high school.
“I loved cheering as a student, and I have enjoyed coaching my daughters’ cheerleading teams as well as softball and soccer,” Sellers stated. “I’m very excited to lead our competitive cheerleading teams this season with the opportunity to rock the sidelines as we cheer on the Lake Nona Jr. Lions football teams.”
The Jr. Lions are part of the Florida Youth Football and Cheer League (FYFCL), with AAU clubs (Amateur Athletic Union) throughout northern and central Florida. The FYFCL-certified coaches work with young athletes all season long to prepare for competitions and the chance to compete for a national title in football and cheer. The Lake Nona High School coaching staff also shares expertise and collaborates with Jr. Lions coaches, building relationships and getting to know the young students.
“I’m so pleased that Lake Nona High School cheerleaders will be serving as mentors for our Jr. Lions cheerleaders this year,” Sellers said. “We’ll be working with the Lake Nona High School coaching staff, too, to help prepare our young athletes for the competitive level when they try out for high school cheer.”
The sport of cheer, like many other sports, gives kids an opportunity to also learn life skills. They learn to develop trust in their teammates, contribute to the success of others, and discover the importance of preparation, developing a positive attitude and having mental toughness. Through sports, they can make strong friendships and enjoy a sense of community with their teammates and their families.
Sellers is already experienced in offering encouragement since she volunteers her time as a mentor for Take Stock in Children in Osceola County, helping students build a solid foundation of values and academic skills and develop their self-esteem and confidence. “Being a part of our future generation is important to me because I’m able to share my knowledge of cheerleading to help young kids gain confidence and recognition that are keys to their success,” said Sellers. “Volunteering my time to help kids set goals and see them accomplish them is so rewarding to me.”
Getting involved in the Lake Nona community is important to Sellers and her family since they decided to move across the country to central Florida three years ago. Sellers’ husband, Jay, retired from the U.S. Air Force, and she is enjoying volunteering her time and investing her expertise with students after spending 13 years working for the Department of Defense and NASA in California. The couple and their three daughters, Haleigh, 18, Presley, 7, and Khloe, 4, couldn’t be happier now that they’re adjusting to civilian life.
“We are looking forward to Brandy’s leadership with our cheer teams this season,” said C.R. Dunnavant, president of Lake Nona Youth Sports. “We know she’ll help us build some great new relationships and partnerships so we can enhance our athletes’ skills.”
And that’s something we can all cheer for.
Visit LakeNonaYouthSports.org for registration information.
Valerie Sisco lives in Lake Nona and is the author of the blog, gracewithsilk.com.
