Meet Lucresha Murphy – October’s Phenomenal Woman!
As the current cheerleading coach for T.C. Williams High School, Lucresha enjoys sharing her experiences and mentoring the teens in a community that gave a jump start to her success. In an article printed in the Washington Post Magazine, October 11, 2009, titled ‘First Person Singular’, an interview by Amanda Long, Lucresha describes attending a football game to watch her brother play and how she looked over at the cheerleaders and thought: “Wow. Those girls need some help.” Lucresha seized the moment, applied for the position, and almost immediately you could see a big difference in the girls.. They have learned the importance of leadership, communication, diversity, a since of belonging, determination, sacrifice and perseverance. Under Lucresha’s leadership the girls have set a new bar and surprised fans, students and faculty as well as other cheerleaders in the Patriot District with not just their physical capabilities but their positive and outgoing attitudes. They now cheer with confidence and have self discipline on and off the track and court. As a Physical Education major and a Wellness Director she trained the team with sports conditioning and weight training. Overtime the team’s strength improved and they placed fourth and fifth during the district semi-competitions in the fall 2007 and 2008.
Lucresha has also been able to connect the team to her full-time career and encourage them to participate in volunteer work at the local YMCA so that they will have more appreciation for their community. They have also cheered at an elementary school in Arlington County by request to set an example for young children. It has done Lucresha great pleasure in using herself as a role model to the girls by showing them they can do and achieve anything as long as they put their minds to it. She has displayed this type of attitude by working a full-time job at the YMCA, studying and earning a Master’s of Business Administration degree while making it to practices and games and by coping with the typical struggles of teenagers. Lucresha’s leadership has empowered “her girls” with creativity by incorporating their ideas into routines, growth through team building exercises, freedom by learning to express themselves with courtesy, independence by learning to achieve their goals, honor through respect, high self-esteem through accomplishments, commitment by working together and trust through their cheer stunts.
Majic 102.3 salutes Lucresha Murphy, a phenomenal woman, for making a difference in the lives of others!
