Local cheer coach makes history

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Panama City native Natasha Goodman has made history as the first Black woman to cheer and coach at Florida State University.

Goodman began cheering at Florida State in 2010 and four years later she joined the team as the cheerleading coach. She said achieving the accomplishment was not easy.

I had to overcome the stereotypical thing that colored girls don’t cheer at prestige universities,” said Goodman. “If you would’ve asked me where I saw myself cheering, I would’ve said Gulf Coast, which I did, but I would’ve never in a million years said that I would’ve been cheering at the Florida State University let alone coaching.”

Throughout Goodman’s coaching career with Florida State, she said she would return to her alma mater Bay High in Panama City to offer tips and critiques to cheerleaders preparing for competition.

Goodman said she graduated from Bay High School in 2007, and now she’s back as the new head cheerleading coach.

“Well, I went to Bay High. Class of 2007,” Goodman said. “Here while I was at Bay High, I was a varsity cheerleader, I was on the women’s weightlifting team, and I was also inducted into the class of 2007 hall of fame. So, my picture will forever hang in the halls of Bay High School. So, being back at Bay means everything to me.”

The head coach said she is honored to make history and to be a role model for other young girls.

“My advice to them is to take a leap of faith. Don’t let your past poison your future.”

Bay High School will be hosting cheerleading tryouts in April.

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