By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Ratina Rose, a sideline coach for the Benson Bruins Cheer team, has built a lasting legacy in her community through her dedication to youth sports and mentorship. With a deep love for cheerleading and a passion for guiding young athletes, Rose has spent over a decade helping shape the lives of the children she coaches, both on and off the field.
For the past three years, Rose has worked with the Benson Bruins, a youth football and cheer organization, and says that her approach to coaching is one of mentorship, and treating the children under her care like family.
“The kids can come and talk to me about anything they may need,” Rose explains. “Safety, school, whatever the case may be. I am kind of like a second mom to the kids, and I am there to be a mentor to them outside of coaching.”
Rose’s role extends far beyond teaching cheerleading techniques. She believes that youth sports provide a critical outlet for young people, helping them avoid dangerous situations by offering a structured, nurturing environment.
“Youth sports is a way to keep our kids out of trouble,” she says. “There is a lot of stuff currently going on in the world that kids may get involved with. Whether that may be drug involvement or trouble with gangs, youth sports are a way to provide a positive alternative to that.”
Rose’s coaching career began in 2010 with the Beacon Hill Cowboys, a well-known local team, but her passion for cheerleading predates that. She served as the “team mom” before stepping into a coaching role when the team needed her.
“My son was playing for Beacon at the time, and with me being the team mom and seeing that they needed a coach, I stepped up to help and became their head coach,” she recalls.
Darryl Gant, the former founder and president of the Beacon Hill Cowboys, recognized Rose’s potential early on, and convinced her to try her hand at coaching.
“I’ve known Ratina for many years now; she raised a son in little league football. And when my cheer squad became available, I said to her, ‘I need a cheer coach, do you want to be my cheer coach?’ And she looked at me like a deer in the headlights,” says Gant. “But she said yes, and I told her, ‘I need you because you are actually a good coach, and you just don’t know it yet.’ So, she took the reins and has done an excellent job since then.”
“She told me she was scared to go out on a limb, and then I put her out there, and she just went from 0 to 100 once she got it, and she has been going full throttle ever since,” added Gant. “She is really competitive, she is really good with the girls, and she really likes to prove to folks that she can do it.”
Rose’s influence has extended well beyond the sidelines. Over the years, she has become a lifeline for many of the children she coaches, helping them through difficult times.
“A lot of the kids that I see that are older now and have graduated from high school, they see me, and they smile,” she says. “They tell me things like I am their favorite coach and that I have really helped them a lot. To me, I am not just their coach. There have been times when some of the kids were homeless, and I was there to help them out. I would bring them clothes, I would feed them, and I have always just made good decisions to where they will remember me years down the road.”
Rose believes that the joy she receives from these relationships is what keeps her coming back year after year.
“I truly feel that I have made a difference in a lot of the children’s lives that I have had the pleasure to be a part of,” she reflects. “Seeing the kids smile, seeing them grow, and seeing them progress into great people brings me the greatest feeling of joy.”
From her humble beginnings at Beacon Hill to her current role with the Benson Bruins, Rose’s journey has been marked by dedication and growth. In addition to coaching at the youth league level, Rose has also coached at Cleveland High School and now works with cheer teams on a national level. Her work has been recognized not only in her local community but across the country.
“There have been plenty of times where I said, ‘Oh, I am not going to do this next year,’ but I don’t follow through with that because of the love that I have,” Rose admits. “When it comes around to the football season, I just start to miss it and realize that I can’t put my pom-poms down just yet. And Coach Darryl gave me my first chance to work with kids, and that completely changed my life.”
Gant, who had Rose under his wing for seven years at Beacon Hill, is proud of her continued success.
“I had her for about seven years at the Beacon Hill Cowboys, and then Beacon Hill folded, so now she is over at Benson doing great things,” he says. “She was a coach at Cleveland High School for a year or two, and now she is national. She coaches cheer across the country, and it just shows how far she has come in 10 years.”
Reflecting on her journey, Rose sees coaching as more than just a role—it’s a calling.
“Seeing how much youth sports changes kids in more ways than one has helped my drive remain the same to continue to come back year after year as a coach and mentor,” say Rose. “Some of the kids, when they first come to me, are shy and very quiet, but now a lot of my girls have grown into loud leaders and have stepped into leadership roles on the team and have developed great skills.”
Gant shares in Rose’s pride.
“To coaching her first year in little league football, winning first-place competitions around here for Northwest Premiere, coaching high school cheer, and now coaching and helping coach cheer nationally, Ratina has really come a long way,” Gant says, underscoring her remarkable journey.