The Champagne cheerleading team’s new coaching staff includes graduate assistant coach Brandi Wright and head coach LaTasha Bynum.
After holding the titles of both Assistant Coach and Associate Head Coach, LaTasha Bynum is now the Head Coach of the NC Central University Champagne Cheerleading Team. She replaces LuAnn Edmonds-Harris, who stepped down after 30 years in the post.
“Taking over as head cheer coach has definitely had a big impact on me, in that I’m stepping into the shoes of someone who previously coached me during my time on the team and someone I really admire,” said Bynum, whose position as a graduate assistant coach fills Brandi Wright, 2020 psychology graduate and former Champagne captain.
Bynum captained Champagne from the fall of 2004, her junior year, to the spring of 2006, her senior year. She returned in 2012 and joined Edmonds-Harris as an assistant coach. Bynum was named associate head coach in 2017.
Bynum says she was shocked to be offered the position of head cheerleading coach,
“Lou laid a very strong foundation,” Bynum said. “She created a legacy not only for herself but for the program. It was an easy transition for me because she always gave me the tools to be successful, both as her cheerleader and her assistant coach.”
Bynum says her new position as head cheerleading coach is, in many ways, similar to the one she held at Champagne as a student. As a former captain, and knowing how captains are held to a certain standard, she carried the knowledge she gained during that time into becoming first an assistant coach and now a head coach. In both positions, she said, you are somewhat like the spokesperson for the team.
Wright, Bynum’s replacement, is in his second year of graduate school. She also said the transition to her current position was seamless.
“My transition from the captaincy of Champagne to the coaching position was quite a smooth transition. Being a team captain before, it really prepared me for my coaching position,” Wright said, adding that it was good to see her work and dedication as a captain led the university to offer her a graduate position. assistant coach.
“It feels good to see my previous work being recognized,” Wright said.
Bynum says NCCU sees cheerleaders as ambassadors for the university. They serve as school spirit and increase fan engagement.
“Being part of a team is bigger than cheering. It is bigger than a regular uniform. It’s about what you do off campus, what you do in the community to make sure the legacy of the program continues,” Bynum said.
