After considerable thought, Courtney Tortarella has decided to step away from her position as Head Cheerleading Coach to dedicate more time to her young family. Throughout her 17 years as the Head Cheerleading coach, Tortarella's teams have achieved 10 League Titles, 9 Sectional Championships, the Winter 2018 NYSPHSAA Championship, and numerous scholar-athlete achievements. She was also awarded Coach of the Year 5 times! As impressive as these titles are, VCS is most appreciative of Coach Tortarella's enthusiasm, dedication to the sport of competitive cheerleading and life-long personal connections she's made with all of her student-athletes during her tenure. Thank you Coach for placing Victor Cheerleading on the Map, advancing the sport, being a positive role-model to your student-athletes. Enjoy your time with your family and see you in the stands!
Over the next two months, the Victor Athletic Department will be conducting an extensive search for our new head coach, including an interview committee composed of Student Athletes, Coaches, Administrators and Community Members. We will update the community as needed.
Letter from Coach Tortarella to the Community:
Hello Victor Cheerleading Community,
It is with a very heavy heart that I announce I have chosen to discontinue my role as Head Cheerleading Coach here at Victor. I have held this position since the fall season of 2004, and have coached both fall and winter seasons each year. I look forward to helping make this transition smooth for the new leadership, but I am confident that the cheerleading program will continue on its successful path in the future.
In my tenure as head coach at Victor, I have witnessed such growth in our cheer community over the years. We have accomplished a great deal moving this sport in the direction it deserves. I am humble to have been a part of the journey and I thank all of my fellow coaches for their collaboration and friendship over the years. It truly does take a village.
There are far too many people to thank for their unwavering dedication to Victor Cheerleading. To the parents and booster clubs that I have worked with over the years, I truly thank you for the extra time spent planning and running a very successful cheerleading tournament each season and the countless fundraisers that have been organized and executed. Thank you for the numerous hours spent shuffling kids to and from, practices, games, fundraisers, and competitions, and for being their biggest fans.
To all of the coaches I have had the pleasure of working with at Victor. You have inspired me, mentored me and accepted me. Thank you.
To my administrators who I have had the great pleasure of working with, I have always told anyone who would listen, how lucky I was to have the administrators that Victor does. From Tim McElheran who hired me, Dawn Santiago-Marullo, Yvonne O’Shea, Brian Siesto and Ron Whitcomb who have always gone above and beyond to support and teach me, and now Duey Weimer who has valued me as an experienced coach, thank you for taking the chance on a kid fresh out of college and helping her grow and learn, in both failures and successes. You all have been true teachers and friends in all of it.
To my cheer staff, past and present, you are my family. You have laughed with me, cried with me, supported me, strategized with me, fought alongside of me, and not only made me a better coach, but a better human being. The connections we have made will last us a lifetime and more. I am forever grateful for you, you are the true heroes.
To the athletes I have coached, thank you for letting me be a small part of your lives. Thank you for trusting me in the process and allowing me the opportunity to share my love and passion for cheerleading. I have watched you all grow up through the hardest phase of life and I am truly grateful to have been along for the ride. I am beyond proud of the people you have become and I take such joy in watching you pursue your dreams and achieve goals after graduating. Witnessing you head off to college, get married, have kids of your own, coach cheerleading, or become rock stars in the business world has been a highlight. YOU are what made coaching so enjoyable.
As sad as I am to be ending this chapter of my life, I am incredibly grateful for it. I am looking forward to spending more time with family and enjoying a slower pace of life. This is not goodbye, this is “see ya in the stands,” forever wearing blue and gold.
With much love and gratitude,
Coach