While we’ve detailed many stories in these pages about father/son coach and player combinations (and even a sister/sister combination), this one is about a mother/daughter combo. Meet Angela and Britain Reich who are involved with the cheer program at Sasakwa High School. Angela is the mom who has coached cheer for five years and Britain is a junior who has been cheering under her mother’s watchful eye for three years. There is also an older sister Georgia who plays into this.

So, from the mother’s point of view how has all of this worked out?

“It can get heated,” laughed Angela. “I’m also a teacher and have had both of my daughters in cheer and in the classroom. I know I’m harder on them because my expectations for them are higher. That may not always be fair, but I don’t ever want anyone to feel they were treated unfairly because of my girls. On the plus side, I get to have more mother/daughter time with her and see a side of her with her friends that I might not have otherwise. Britain really didn’t want to cheer but I made her get into it her freshman year and I think now she enjoys it quite a bit. She can be hard-headed, but she works hard and this last year we got to go to Hawaii because she made the UCA All-American cheer team, so she’s come a long way.”

 Britain, who also plays second base for the Lady Vikings in softball, acknowledges the realities of the mother/daughter dynamic.

“It’s different having mom as my cheer coach. She is a little harder on me and sometimes I’m not sure that’s fair but sometimes I do. As far as cheer, I like getting involved with the crowd and getting them pumped up.”

Britain says she didn’t have to look far for a role model in her life.

“My sister is the role model that I’ve looked up to because she has accomplished so much. She was in cheer, softball and basketball and was her class salutatorian in high school and is now in nursing school.”

Britain’s first three years at Sasakwa High have not been without some adversity. She suffered a shoulder injury her freshman year that kept her sidelined most of sophomore season 

“I’m still rehabbing and am a little limited on what I have been able to do this year, but I hope to get fully cleared for this spring’s slow pitch season,” said the junior who describes herself as comical, hardworking and tenacious. She is a member of the National Honor Society and the gifted and talented program.