The fall sports at De Anza College are here and so are their biggest supporters: De Anza’s very own Cheer and Dance Team! The Cheer and Dance team wouldn’t be where they are today without their stunning coach, Cj Jones.

This season in particular Coach Cj is genuinely excited for. After making the fast recovery from a broken foot injury, Coach Cj is back and better than ever for this season.

“The leadership keeps everyone in high spirits… This team has been very supportive of each other.” When asked about what keeps the team motivated, “we set squad goals and personal goals as well, so I think that helps a lot with the motivation for our team” The cheer and dance squad has built an immense sense of camaraderie and love for each other. So when it comes to keeping the energy alive, the team does an impressive job.

Prioritizing is also one of Coach Cj’s strong suits. When asked about how they balance their cheer life and their lives outside of cheer, Coach Cj expressed the importance of prioritizing and always putting family and school first. “Family always come first, academics comes second… cheer comes after that. We try to make sure that our game schedules are available early on so they can plan ahead.”

During Coach Cj’s foot injury, the team captain Julio Alfaro, 21, music major, took the role of coach for the team. The help was much appreciated by Coach Cj. “Of my favorite memories is Julio. In January, I fractured my foot and Julio just took over. He was captain and the coach… I am just really grateful that I had a student who wouldn’t go overboard, and it’s hard being in that much of a leadership role and being a younger person and not taking it too far. So that’s like fantastic.” Julio the captain of the team said his favorite memory was “Basketball season. I think that’s where most bonds are made. It’s also competition season, so we’re with each other a lot.”

Coach Cj is the heart and soul of De Anza’s Cheer and Dance Team! She plans to hit this season with bang now that she’s back from a fast recovery