With heavy hearts, Coconino cheer team ready to honor coach

February 1, 2013 by Jose Garcia, AZPreps365


Tanya Macias pushed her cheer team at Coconino High to excel.

She did so enthusiastically, and her team fed off it. Macias wanted to get the best from her squad so it could enjoy participating in events such as Saturday’s cheer state championships in Prescott.

Coconino’s efforts were rewarded in November when the team qualified for state. But the cheer team will make the journey to Prescott without its leader.

Macias passed away a couple of weeks after her team qualified and five days after she turned 40. She died of natural causes.

Her daughter, Shea, a junior, is a member of Coconino’s cheer team. The emotions are still raw, but Coconino is prepared to give its best effort.

It’s what Macias would have wanted. The team will perform a routine Macias choreographed.

(Tanya Macias)

“They (cheerleaders) have all been really good and pretty strong,” Coconino assistant Eileen Stubbs said. “They are going into this saying they want to do it for Tanya. But they say they want to do it for themselves as well.”

The state final also will serve as part of the healing process for Coconino.

“I think a lot of them (cheerleaders) haven’t felt closure yet,” Stubbs said. “Saturday will help them. But we also want to honor Tanya.”

Macias was in her second season as cheer coach, but it didn’t take her long to turn the program around.  

Coconino athletic director Eric Freas hired Macias, and he said his cheer coach immediately stood out during the interview process.

“Tanya had an unquestionable passion for the sport and incredible desire to increase and build the program,” Freas said.

Macias dedicated a lot of time year-round to her program, becoming a mother figure to a lot of her girls in the process.

Whether they needed advice or a ride home, Macias was ready to offer anything her team wanted. Macias was held in high esteem outside of Coconino High as well.

When she passed away on Dec. 3, Coconino’s sister school, Flagstaff High, and Northern Arizona University’s cheer squad stepped in to help Coconino’s team move forward. Flagstaff High allowed Coconino’s team to practice at its facility when there wasn’t a place to practice, and NAU’s cheer team offered to mentor Coconino’s girls.

Macias was also a hairdresser in Flagstaff with a long list of clients who adored her. On Monday, Coconino learned that its cheer squad qualified for nationals for the second consecutive year.

On Saturday, before the state finals at Tim’s Toyota Center, a moment of silence will be observed to honor Macias.

“No matter how hard the day was for the girls, Tanya just came and pushed and pushed and kept moving her team forward,” Stubbs said. “Even through everything that has happened (this season), they (team) have never given up.”