After eight years, Patti Mitch resigned as the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s head cheerleading coach and former squad captain and assistant coach Suraya Mattoon stepped into place.

Mattoon, a 2012 graduate and four-year letter winner, appreciates Mitch’s work throughout the program but has already grown to appreciate her new role and the athletes, whom she has been coaching for the past several months.

“For regular squad, its been going well. It has it’s ups and down, but we work through it and we’re doing fairly well. I absolutely love it,” Mattoon said. “I cheered for the university for the four years while I was here. When I was asked to be assistant coach, I took it on. It’s been a really great learning experience to watch them grow.”

Former coach Mitch enhanced the program from a disorganized, lower-level club to a group of athletes, comprised of talented young men and women, with their own studio for practice at their own designated time period.

In the past, the athletes practiced in racquetball courts.

As a former athlete of Mitch, Mattoon respects Mitch’s accomplishments throughout the program.

“She has gotten us to be part of the athletic department. When she started, the cheerleaders were kind of brushed aside,” Mattoon said. “She brought us a long way, but it got to the point where she didn’t know how much she could do for the squad, at least stunting-wise.”

Similarly, Mitch recognizes Mattoon’s strength as a leader.

“Suraya [Mattoon] is well aware of the challenges the team has faced over the years, and I believe that adds to her commitment to its success,” Mitch said. “She has a great deal of energy and fresh ideas to bring to the group. Having known and worked with her for the past six years, I have no doubt that she is going to be a very strong and successful leader of this team.”

Players and coaches agree that the transition was a difficult, yet smooth process.

Mattoon has high expectations for the program in the upcoming years for the regular squad, which performs at nearly every home athletic event in the fall and winter seasons.

Sophomore squad leader Amanda Webb reminisces on prior seasons with Mitch.

“All transitions are hard, but I was close with Patti, so it was hard to see her go. They definitely have different coaching styles; it just takes some getting used to.”

As the season progresses and the athletes grow accustomed to Mattoon’s progressive style of coaching, the squad looks to expand the program even further and begin to compete against other universities.

“I plan to make the squad a more recognized squad, not only at the university but in the cheer world in general, so we can actually compete against teams at the division three level. Right now, we’re not at the level we should be,” Mattoon said.

Mattoon has a plan for the growing squad’s future, as well as a firm understanding of the responsibilities of replacing a veteran coach.

She has accepted her new role with optimism and joy, particularly due to the athletes that comprise the cheer and stunt team.

“She really wants us to compete and get our name out there so that people will want to be prospective towards our program; I think this will really benefit us in the long run,” Webb said.

Mattoon brings experience, organization and a goal-oriented mindset to the table in order to make the cheer and stunt team more than it has ever been: a competitive athletic program.

“I think Suraya [Mattoon] is doing a lot of great things for our program, [such as] challenging us to really push ourselves to do better. A lot of us are really grateful to have her experience and love for the program because she was a part of it for so long,” Webb said.

All good things take time and with the off-season approaching for the UW-Platteville cheerleading program, Mattoon has taken her leadership role as an opportunity to present this university with a program that can be recognized and respected in a way it has never been before.

“My hopes for the team are the same as they have always been: to provide a special and memorable experience for the athletes,” Mitch said. “I would hope that when they look back upon their years as a Pioneer, they can do so with added pride and positive memories because they were involved in the Cheer & Stunt program.”

The Patti Mitch era of cheerleading was a legitimate foundation for the program, but with Suraya Mattoon, now at the head of an optimistic group of young athletes, the sky is the limit for the UW-Platteville cheerleading program.