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She's only 21 years old and in her rookie year as Murray High's cheerleading coach, but Courtney Thomas recently guided the squad to unprecedented success: a first-place finish at nationals.
Murray won the Small Varsity Co-ed category at the Universal Cheerleaders Association's West Coast Championship in California earlier this month after performing its most flawless routine of the year.
"This is the first year Murray has ever won nationals," said Thomas, a Murray alum (Class of 2008) and a Salt Lake Community College student. "It gave me chills. It was the coolest feeling ever."
The road to the championship wasn't a smooth one. After the previous coach quit during the summer, Thomas, who had no coaching experience, was tapped to take the reins of Murray cheerleading.
Then the squad faced a devastating setback when Murray School District denied the cheerleaders' request to participate in nationals, saying students weren't allowed to travel out of state.
"We had to have a meeting with the superintendent and a meeting with the administration," said senior cheerleader Ana Bentz. "We kind of all sat down and pleaded our case."
The district relented. Murray, which qualified by placing in the top two in a local competition, was headed to California.
Once there, the team used the adversity as motivation. Just before Murray's turn to perform, senior captain Dylan Sorensen, one of three boys on the team, gathered the cheerleaders around him.
"Think about how hard we had to fight to get here," Sorensen told his teammates. "Don't let it go to waste. Let's go back and show them we deserved to go to nationals."
Sure enough, Murray nailed it.
"Everything was hitting," Bentz said. "Everyone in the crowd was cheering, even people from other schools. It was crazy."
"Everyone just did their best in that one moment," Sorensen said.
Thomas said the routine stood out because "people had never seen anything like it before."
Typically, male cheerleaders are there for the heavy lifting and stunts. But Murray's boys didn't show off just their muscles but their dance moves. The boys led the girls in a hip-hop style dance.
"We stayed completely away from traditional cheer," Thomas said. "I think it was risky trying it that way."
It paid off.
"As soon as I heard them pronounce the M, I jumped up," said Bentz of hearing her school announced as the winner. "In our heads, we proved to so many people that we are as good as we know we are."
The team celebrated the same way champions of the Super Bowl and World Series bask in their victories: They went to Disneyland.
When the triumphant bus returned to Murray High, the cheerleaders were met by a crowd of students and athletes.
"Basketball players were there waiting for us," said captain Taylor Richmond. "It was really cute because we spend all year going everywhere for everyone else. It was really cool that they came out and supported us."
One person held a sign aimed at the first-year coach. "Rookie of the Year," it said. Thomas laughed when she saw it.
"Winning nationals in the first year set the standard so high I'm going to have to keep pushing myself to be a better coach," Thomas said. "It is definitely the most fulfilling job I've ever had, and it doesn't feel like a job for me. This year has taught me that I'm good at it, and it's a good feeling doing what you love."