“Our theme this year is building our legacy.”
That is the goal of North Penn High School’s new head cheerleading coach, Emily Hamon. For Hamon, joining North Penn’s athletic program is a dream come true. Just a little over ten years ago, Hamon was the one on the field, chanting for the Knights as captain of the cheerleading team.
“Coming back to my alma mater and coming back to where I started is like a dream for me, and I’m not going anywhere,” said Hamon. “This is it. This is absolutely what I always wanted to do: to come back to North Penn and coach.”
Hamon previously coached cheerleading at Upper Moreland High School with her sister, Brittney Hamon. Both sisters are now coaching together at North Penn, along with Becca Goodolf and Pam Olewnik. All four coaches are connected through a special bond because they are all North Penn alumni.
“I have a really busy, demanding job, and I do travel for work, so I need someone to be me when I’m not there, and that is Brittney,” said Hamon. “We have been [coaching] for a while now and it is fantastic.”
Goodolf was the coach of the Upper Moreland Middle School cheer team, and both sisters collaborated with Goodolf to build a strong cheer program across the Upper Moreland District. Goodolf and Brittney Hamon also cheered together in high school.
“Unfortunately we did all leave [Upper Moreland], but we are at North Penn,” said Hamon. “There was no way we were letting this opportunity pass us.”
William Bartle, the NPHS Athletic Director, put all three into contact with Pam Olewnik. The connection between them was instant. They all shared the goal of making the North Penn cheerleaders not just a talented team, but also rising role models of the community. Hamon wants to create a collaborative cheer program across the entire district.
“In my mind, I want everyone to have someone to look up to,” said Hamon. “I want the middle school girls to look up to the varsity girls, and I want the varsity girls to look up to the alumni. That means bringing alumni back so they are part of our community as well.”
Hamon believes the North Penn cheerleading team can improve through a strong support network. She aims to strengthen a sense of community by bringing some high school cheerleaders to cheer with underclassmen at middle school sports games. Former North Penn cheerleaders are also part of this network.
“One of the things I want to do is a networking breakfast, so the current cheerleaders can speak to the alumni, find out where they went to college, what internships they did, and any recommendations they have,” said Hamon. “I’m a huge advocate of using your resources. You may not know all the answers to everything, but you should at least know people that do.”
There is more to cheerleading than pom-poms and chants. It also teaches students valuable lessons such as time management, conflict resolution and teamwork. Hamon wants to incorporate community service into the program, as well to truly embody the positive energy of cheerleaders.
“Cheerleading is amazing, but it is more about building good people overall,” said Hamon. “You need to be thinking about college, and you need to be thinking about community service. If we as a program can help student athletes do that, then that is a win for me.”
There are a few changes Hamon plans on bringing to the team, including competing in competitions and splitting up the junior varsity and varsity cheerleaders. The varsity cheerleaders will only cheer for the varsity football team, unlike previous years where both JV and varsity cheered together at games.
Another goal among the new coaching staff is to qualify for the state competition in Hershey, and make it to nationals in Disney World.
“You say ‘North Penn football or North Penn water polo’ and it’s a recognized household name,” said Hamon. “I would love to get cheerleading to that point. There is a whole other competitive aspect of [cheerleading] that is incredible.”
See also:
Hundreds of Students’ Artwork to be Featured in North Penn Gallery of Art
NPHS Students Place in Top Three at SkillsUSA Conference
NPHS Named to U.S. News and World Report Best High Schools Rankings
NPSD Educational Foundation Kicks Off Online Auction
Broncos Kicker Brandon McManus Donates $25,000 In Grants To North Penn School District
