Introducing the incredible new tribe cheerleading coach, Coach Ashley Ferguson! She graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2003 and now has a wonderful husband, Waverley, and beautiful daughter, Claire. Coach Ferg is passionate about the tribe, cheerleading, patriotism, mini corndogs & bringing joy to others! She is a beautiful person inside and out and we are incredibly lucky to have her! She is constantly pushing us to not only be better cheerleaders but also be outstanding citizens in general. She has quickly become my role model and is the face behind tribe cheer, Coach Ashley Ferguson!
Name: Ashley Baer Ferguson
Hometown: Lynchburg, VA
Occupation: Stay at home mom to Claire (4), W&M Cheer Coach, High School Social Studies Teacher, Macaroni Kid Publisher
Activities: My hobbies are reading, watching Bravo, traveling with my family, going out to eat (especially La Tolteca) and of course, Cheer! When I was at W&M, I was in The Intonations, Delta Delta Delta, and I worked for The Annual Fund.
What is it like coaching at your alma mater? I am thrilled to be coaching at my alma mater. I’ve been a Tribe Fanatic since I was a child, and now it’s so exciting to be right on the sidelines with my squad cheering on the players! I’ve been able to pull out my “vintage” W&M gear that I’ve had since college, and I’ve been stocking up on tons more since I’ve become the cheer coach!
What is your favorite memory from college? One of my favorite things about W&M is the family atmosphere. You really get to know people on campus, and they become your friends for life. I lived with the same three girls for all four years. We had a little house on Lafayette Street close to campus, and we made memories there that I will treasure forever. I met my best friend from W&M, ToniAnne Cipriano, on freshman move in day in Gooch Hall, and we bonded because we were both cheerleaders in high school. We were in Tri Delt together and lived together until graduation. We are still extremely close today.
How did you meet assistant coach, Brandie Weiler? How long have you two been coaching together? Brandie and I met when she became the JV Coach at Lafayette High School where I was already the head coach of the Varsity Competition Squad. We instantly hit it off. Two years later, she became my assistant coach. Now we are “peanut butter and jelly”. I feel like our coaching styles really compliment each other, and we always stand as a united front. I feel like I’ve known her my entire life and she is family to me.
How long have you been involved with cheerleading? I started cheering when I was four years old and I joined the local little league cheerleading team, the Timberlake Lions. I instantly realized that being a performer was my calling. I cheered with the Timberlake Lions for many years, then cheered all through middle school and high school. Cheerleading has always been my passion, and the performance skills I learned through the sport gave me the confidence to do other activities such as theatre and singing in an acapella group (The Intonations) at W&M.
Who is your greatest idol and why? Being a history nerd, I’ve always loved Queen Elizabeth I. I even wrote my college admission essay about her! She was the epitome of a Renaissance woman. She was kind, but fierce, incredibly intelligent and a great leader. She also was extremely talented and of course, I loved her dresses. :)
If you could choose any song to be your personal theme song what would it be? It may be cliche, but my theme song would be “Everthing’s Gonna Be Alright” by Bob Marley. I really believe in the power of positive energy, and I believe that if you put positivity out there, it will come back to you. So I see each day as a new beginning, and I try to roll with the punches and keep moving forward no matter what.
What is your coaching philosophy? With my cheer teams, I stress the importance of flexibility and resilience. Cheerleaders always need to be ready for anything on the field and no how to keep everyone’s spirits up no matter what’s happening in the game! Also, cheerleading is truly a team sport. Each individual is an asset to the overall success of the team. Thus, a united family atmosphere is crucial to the success of the squad.
What are your goals for the cheerleading team this season? This year, I hope to take Tribe Cheer to an even higher level of excellence! I want the team to be well known and respected on campus and throughout the community. I hope to prove that cheerleaders truly are athletes who are an integral part of the game day experience. I know this squad is going to do just that! We have a great group who are very hard working and enthusiastic! As the cheer program continues to grow, I hope that we will be able to start competing against other College Squads in the future as well.