Coaches play a big role in the lives of the athletes that they coach. Not only do they teach them the specifics of the sport and how to compete better, but they also serve as a role model and someone for their athletes to look up to in order to be a better person.

Daisha Blation, who is a senior at Sapulpa High School, says that she has had a couple of people that have played a big part in her life, one of them being her cheer coach.

“Coach Lindsay Hurst has had a big influence on my life,” she said. “She has taught me to love myself and that I can get whatever I want in life as long as I am willing to work for it. There are other people that have impacted my life along the way. My mother, Remisha Blation, my seventh-grade art teacher, Mrs. Ruth, and my current teacher, Candance McClanahan are all role models for me and people that I look up to and want to model myself after.”

As a member of the Sapulpa cheer team, Daisha is a backspot. She has been in cheer for about eight years and says that getting to where she is has required a lot of work but has also been worth it.

“I have put in a lot of work in order to get where I am today,” she said. “It has also taken a lot of patience and optimism. But because of my hard work and dedication, I have been able to reach a couple of goals. I was named captain of the cheer squad and I was also homecoming queen.”

Coach Hurst says that Daisha is an outstanding cheerleader and an all-around great kid.

“Daisha is a hardworking, kind, and always positive young lady,” she said. “She is the varsity team’s senior captain and does everything she can to keep her team on the right track. She is a true asset to the team.”