A CLYDEBANK cheerleading coach admits she is “amazed” to be nominated for an award alongside England women’s soccer coach and tennis star’s mental coach Ash Barty.
Lisa Tausney, who led her dance team Senior Black to international fame over the summer when they returned with a gold medal from the World Cheerleading and Dance Championships, insists she still has no idea how she’ll even win for Coach of the Year 2022 was nominated within the framework of the Women’s Sports Alliance (WSA) at the end of the year.
It’s a striking nod to the hard work and dedication Lisa has put into her cheerleading school, revealing that April’s win in Florida was the result of 20 years of chasing the world championship.
The other names nominated for the award are Sarina Wiegman, who led England’s women footballers to the Euros in the summer, and Ben Crowe, who led Ash Barty’s triumph at the Australian Open.
READ ALSO: Clydebank Cheerleading Squad Wins World Championship Gold
And speaking to the Post, Lisa described how strange it felt to see her name among these other, more famous people.
She said: “Obviously I’m really honored to be even shortlisted with these really inspiring fellow coaches who have done great work.
“They all had amazing years, especially the manager of the England football team.
“I don’t actually know how I got shortlisted or how it came about.
“It’s not something I applied for, it’s something they just decided as an organization.
“For cheerleading to be recognized on the world stage with all these other more established sports, that’s what I’m most proud of, that we’re fitting our sport into what people would say is the real sports mix.”
Lisa, who founded Champion Dance and Cheer in Whitecrook in 2000 at the age of 18, said the WSA nomination was the culmination of a “roller coaster ride” year that she will not soon forget.
She added, “I think we’re all still in shock from Florida’s win.
“It’s a nice way to end a really successful year.”
This is the WSA’s second celebration of women’s sport after the 2021 awards planned for Old Trafford had to be conducted online.
Last year’s winners included Emma Raducanu, Sue Barker, Simone Biles, Charlotte Worthington, Sky Brown, Tom Daley and last year’s Instructor of the Year was dive instructor Jane Figueiredo.
WSA Founder Jordan Guard said: “It is a great achievement for any athlete, coach or team to be shortlisted for the WSA Women’s Sports Awards.
“Not only does the candidate need to be recognized by someone who knows them, they also need to impress our elite group of athletes.
“Lisa impressed from the start and received a lot of public votes.
“Lisa had a phenomenal year with the Clydebank cheerleading team and being shortlisted is a testament to that.
“The cheer team was also nominated for Squad of the Year.”
Voting is open until December 17th and you can vote for Lisa as Coach of the Year right here: https://www.wsportsalliance.com/coach-oty-22
