WHS cheerleaders have a pep in their step with the return of Coach Jennifer

You know most of the people in your school. You know the students, teachers, but what about the coaches of your school sports team? Some coaches work at the school, but what about the ones that don’t?

Jennifer Ryan is one of these people that few know of. She is the coach of the Watertown High School cheer team.

Her full name is Jennifer Kelly Ryan. She was born and raised here in Watertown, and attended Watertown High School. Fun fact, both her siblings and mom graduated from Watertown High. She graduated in 2009, being a Varsity Cheerleader for Watertown. After attending Watertown High she went to Middlesex Community College, later transferring to Framingham State University. She graduated with a Bachelors in Science, and a concentration in finance.

When she’s not coaching she’s has a full time job at CarGurus, which is located in Cambridge. When Coach Jennifer was asked how Watertown High School has changed since she went there. She said, “WHS has definitely changed … It is only natural for things to change.

“I would say the biggest difference I have seen is the school spirit. When I first started as a coach that was the biggest thing that we both noticed, as we used to see the gym packed for basketball games or even Victory Field.

“However, the school spirit has definitely evolved more and more each year, which is great to see that school spirit coming back a little more and little more each year.”

Coach Jennifer decided to coach cheer because about six months ago she and her friend, Samantha Margolis — another WHS graduate and cheerleader — were asked by Jennifer’s younger sister to coach the team, as they didn’t have a coach at the time. Both Coach Jennifer, and Samantha coached at Cambridge Rindge Latin, along with the Pop Warner teams. They both already had experience coaching, but the idea of coaching in their home town is something they both really wanted to do.

When they were students at Watertown High and doing cheer, some of their biggest role models were the past high school cheerleaders that coached them. Coach Jennifer always said to herself that she wants to give back to the community just like they did for them. During her sophomore year of high school, she she started to coach Waltham-Belmont Pop Warner, which lead her to where she is now.

–March 7, 2016–