Koch selected to lead cheer team at UWA
Gulf Coast native brings team and coaching experience
The University of West Alabama has announced that Kylee Koch will lead the varsity cheerleading team, filling the vacancy as the team prepares for summer cheer camp in July. Koch is a 2019 graduate of UWA and will continue her studies in pursuit of a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications. She brings to the role seven years of cheer and tumbling coaching and instruction, as well as a career focus in communications.
Koch, a native of Gulf Shores, Ala., is an alumna of the UWA cheerleading program and says that her experience on the team gives her confidence in her ability to make a substantial and positive impact in the role.
“I am excited to continue my work in leading active and healthy practice sessions, delivering positive and constructive feedback to improve cheerleaders’ performances, and managing operations for the cheerleading team at UWA,” Koch said. “I am a strongly motivated and personable coach, and I know that our team has great potential.”
Koch will be responsible for scheduling, practices, community involvement, and other logistics for the team. She will combine her experience as a past member of the team with previous experience as a coach at another organization.
“I have known Kylee for four years and love the passion she has for UWA and cheerleading, so I am excited to see where she leads our team,” said Libba Baker, staff advisor for UWA Cheerleading and interim director of admissions. “She is a great fit because she understands the culture of our program and will incorporate her coaching and cheering experience to take our team to the next level.”
In Baldwin County, Koch has worked with countless youth and students over the last decade through Gulf Coast Tumbling, where she has taught cheer and tumbling group classes. In this capacity, Koch has taught students ranging from ages three to 18 the skills of stunts and tumbling. As an instructor at Gulf Coast Tumbling, Koch also recruited students for classes and for COAST Elite Allstars, and she helped promote cheer events and secured corporate sponsorships.
As an undergraduate at UWA, Koch worked in several student leadership capacities that allowed her to hone her marketing and communications skills. She was marketing director for the Campus Activities Board, a director and field reporter for the student newscast of Studio 96, an event chair for IMC3, and she participated in fundraising activities for Phi Mu Fraternity. She was part of a team that helped raise nearly $150k during a 24-hour call-a-thon on campus.
Koch received a prestigious media internship to work during the Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores in 2015, working with MTV productions to film for television and livestream and offering photography and interviews.
In her new role at UWA, Koch will serve the Office of Student Affairs, where she will also support recruiting efforts and other special projects.
For more than 180 years, the University of West Alabama has served the educational needs of state, and particularly the Black Belt region of Alabama. The University values a diverse student enrollment, with students from throughout the U.S. and abroad. To learn more about UWA, visit www.uwa.edu.