Vidalia's Own
Queen of Cheer
Vidalia High School Coach
Ann Michele Toole takes her
girls to the highest level.
ann Michele Toole would have never watched the Netflix documentary series Cheer if
she had not been told by several people in the community that she reminded them of
the show’s Cheer Coach Monica Aldama. The Vidalia High School Head Cheer Coach
wasn’t sure what to think about the comparison, but after watching the series, she
considered it a compliment. Competitive, passionate, and driven by excellence. These
words could describe either woman. Like the “Queen of Cheer” in Corsicana, Texas, Ann Michele
values the relationship the sport enables her to have with those on her team most of all.
Vidalia’s championship cheerleading coach did not grow up chanting to football players and fans
from the sidelines. “I enjoyed collegiate cheerleading, but I was more interested in the football game,
to be honest,” said Ann Michele with a smile.
After graduating from Georgia Southern in 1997, she was offered a job teaching science at Dublin
High School. But there was one stipulation: She had to agree to coach the spirit cheerleading team as
well. “I needed a job, so I thought, I guess that means I'm going to coach cheerleading. I really didn't
realize the commitment I was making for my first year of teaching,” said Ann Michele.
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