Over the weekend, Gladstone coaches attended the annual Oregon Cheerleading Coaches Association conference and came back with several statewide awards.
Please join us in congratulating Gladstone Athletic Director Cody Aker for being named the OCCA Administrator of the Year. Coaches nominated Aker for his continued commitment to growing the cheerleading program at GHS, his willingness to share athletes and his solution-focused leadership.
Additional prestigious recognition went to GHS Cheer Coach Shelby Crystal, who was named a finalist for Coach of the Year Award, and GHS Coach Chelsea Benedict was named a finalist for the Assistant Coach of the Year Award.
According to Crystal, “Cody is the type of athletic director who moves cheer mats himself before a competition. The one who shows up within minutes when a bathroom floods mid-event. The one who finds a way to make space—literally and figuratively—for every program, even when there’s no space to give. That’s who Cody is. A problem-solver. A protector. A champion for every coach, every athlete and every program—no matter how big or small.”
Out of many incredible nominations, Aker was selected as the winner of this award by the OCCA membership and recognized at the statewide conference. GHS cheer coaches thanked Aker for reminding us what it means to have the “heart of a Gladiator” or who exemplifies what it means to lead with heart, integrity and, as we like to say, “Gladiator DNA.”