Cheerleading has always been in Sally Ward’s blood. From first learning the sport as a 7th-grader to a coaching career that included two stints at her alma mater, Daviess County High School, the sport has been a constant presence in her life.
After dedicating nearly three decades to cheer, Ward recently announced her retirement from Daviess County as the team’s assistant cheer coach, bringing her time in the cheer world — at least for now — to a close.
“I have always enjoyed the challenge of cheer,” Ward said. “It is kind of like putting puzzle pieces together to make things work. What person is going to be good at this spot, how can I make all of these ideas work together, and how can I be more creative than another person? It is an adrenaline rush for two and a half to three minutes, not only as an athlete but as a coach, that you can’t explain unless you’ve ever done it.”
Ward ended her tenure with DCHS cheer on a high note, with the squad winning both the Region 2 and state championship titles in Game Day Large and finishing runner-up at UCA Nationals.
Starting the journey at an early age
At just four years old, she entered the world of gymnastics, competing until seventh grade. Wanting a team environment rather than the individual focus of gymnastics, she transitioned to cheerleading when she arrived at Daviess County Middle School.
During Ward’s first two years as a student at Daviess County High School, the cheer team performed strictly at sporting events. That changed in 1989, during her junior season. Encouraged by her team’s summer camp performance, then-head coach Kaye Yeizer urged the Lady Panthers to compete in their first cheer competition, which they won.
That same year, Ward and her teammates became the first team from Daviess County High School to compete at UCA Nationals.
“We went with a small team because there were only 11 of us,” Ward said. “We finished strong, and I believe we ended up ninth in the nation. Back in those days, there weren’t any divisions — everybody competed against everybody. You were either coed or all-girl. It was a pretty big deal, and from there I caught the competition bug.”
After graduating from Daviess County, Ward attended Western Kentucky University while also working for the Universal Cheerleaders Association as an instructor. During summers and college breaks, she traveled the country teaching camps, coaching future stars along the way — including then-8-year-old Miley Cyrus and Jenny Gill, the daughter of Vince Gill.
When Ward was 19, Pam Blackstone became Daviess County’s new cheer coach and invited Ward to assist the team as a choreographer for summer camp. After two years in that role, Ward joined the coaching staff full-time as an assistant coach, serving from 1995 to 2001.
“We really kick-started the competition team back at Daviess County again,” Ward said. “At that time, I was still working for UCA, but I also took a job with one of their sister companies, Varsity, selling cheer uniforms. I was very wrapped up in the cheer world.”
From her first days as a choreographer through her initial stint as assistant coach, Ward and the Lady Panthers reached Nationals every year. After stepping down following the 2001 season, Ward shifted her focus to raising her family.
A return to Daviess County
The opportunity to coach her own daughter brought Ward back to Daviess County in 2018, this time as an assistant coach under Kitty Jones. Though she initially planned to stay only until her daughter graduated, another family connection kept her on the sidelines.
“After my daughter graduated, I really intended to leave, but my son was playing football there, so I opted to stay on and continue to coach the cheerleaders until he graduated,” Ward said. “He’s a senior this year, so I have decided to graduate with him.”
Since joining Jones’ coaching staff, Ward helped lead the program to six regional titles and two state championships, along with three state runner-up finishes and national placements of second and fourth.
As her time with the program winds down, Ward recently took to Facebook to reflect on her career and express her gratitude.
“What has been amazing to me is watching all these girls I have coached over the years become amazing women,” Ward wrote. “The friendships and memories I have built with the girls and the parents are far more important. As I step away and finally graduate from Daviess County this year with my son, Garrison Barker, I just want to say thank you to all my athletes, their parents, and my sidekicks. Thank you for trusting me to be a part of your children’s lives and sharing them with me.”
