| Shona Whiddon shona@taylorelitecheerleading.com Shona began her cheerleading career as a cheerleader at Taylor County Junior High. She cheered on both the Junior Varsity and Varsity teams at Taylor County High School (TCHS). After college she returned home and coached the TCHS Varsity Cheerleaders for 8 years. Under her direction they were camp champions in cheer and/or dance divisions every year. She joined the staff at Taylor Gymnastics, Cheerleading & Dance (TGC&D) as a cheerleading coach in June 2000. She started the Taylor Elite All-Stars in May 2001 with Mandy Cornelius. Shona is a nationally certified cheer and dance judge. She has received training from Eastern Cheerleaders Association (ECA), Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) and Cheerleader Technique Camps. She is also a certified member of the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors (AACCA), an organization that educates cheerleading coaches in all aspects of cheerleading safety. Shona is married to Stan, our "unofficial assistant coach." Their two daughters, Kate and Ginger, cheer for Taylor Elite. They also have a son named Ben. Shona holds an Associate of Arts degree from North Florida Junior College and a Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Florida. She was a teacher for the Taylor County School District for 8 years before taking a leave-of-absence to be a stay-at-home mom. She is now teaching at Aucilla Christian Academy. Nicole Bain nicole@taylorelitecheerleading.com Nicole rounds out the coaching staff for Taylor Elite All-Stars. She has an extensive cheerleading background. It includes cheering on the TCMS squad in 8th grade, cheering on the TCHS Junior Varsity cheerleading squad in 9th and 10th grades, and cheering on Varsity in 11th and 12th grades under the direction of Mrs. Shona. She was awarded the UCA All-Star award at cheerleading camp in the 12th grade which included an invitation to cheer in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Nicole is a 2001 Magna Cum Laude graduate of TCHS. She then received an A.A. degree from NFCC in May 2003. Nicole also attended FSU and graduated in December 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education. For the past 12 years, Nicole has been a staff member of TGC&D where she is a gymnastics instructor to children 2 to 16 years old, a tumbling coach for ages 8-16, as well as recreational cheerleading for ages 2-16. She was a member of the ECA staff where along with many other tasks, she judged school, recreational and all-star cheerleading competitions. Currently, she is a member of the American Championships judging panel which judges regional, state and national cheer and dance competitions. She is also AACCA safety certified. Mrs. Nicole has been a part of the Taylor Elite All-Stars coaching staff for 9 years, specializing in tumbling, and plans to continue for as long as possible. Nicole lives in Perry with her husband Jeremy and their son Jared. Alicia Poole alicia@taylorelitecheerleading.com Alicia joined our staff in August 2008. She has been part of the Taylor Elite family since her daughter, Hannah, joined the Twinkle Stars team in 2005. Alicia graduated from Lafayette High School in 1991. During her high school and college years she taught jazz, tap, ballet, and baton to girls ages 3-18 at Patrice's School of Dance. She was also a cheerleader for 3 years and captain and choreographer for the majorette squad for 5 years. Upon graduation, she attended Santa Fe Community College and the University of Florida. From 1992-1994, she was a member of the Dance Theatre of Santa Fe, where she performed jazz and modern dance, and took master and advanced classes in jazz, tap, and ballet. From 1992-1997, she continued to teach dance, choreograph, and teach private lessons at Patrice's School of Dance. Alicia holds a Bachelor's Degree in Education and a Master's Degree in School Guidance and Counseling from the University of Florida. She is scheduled to receive her PhD is Psychology in November 2009. Since college graduation she has been a school teacher and guidance counselor. She was Teacher of the Year for Chiefland High School in 2003 and has been a National Board Certified Teacher since 2004. She currently teaches in Lafayette County. Alicia lives in Mayo with her husband Dwight and their children Hannah, Christian, and Micah. Taylor Brooks taylor@taylorelitecheerleading.com Taylor is a charter member of Taylor Elite from 2001, and cheered for 6 years. She also cheered 7th-8th at TCMS and was a Varsity cheerleader her senior year at TCHS. Taylor began coaching at TGC&D in 2004. She graduated with honors from TCHS in 2008. She is currently pursuing her AA at TCC, and plans to transfer to FSU to pursue a degree in Exercise Science. |
| L to R: Nicole, Shona, Taylor, Alicia |
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| Co-founders, Shona and Mandy at 2009 Cheerleading Worlds |