TVCC assistant coach, Caylee Odle trades coaching cues for competition mode as she prepares to represent the United Stated in Mexico City.
ATHENS, TX | Most days, Caylee Odle is the one doing the coaching.
Odle is a proud alumnus as she cheered on the Trinity Valley Community College squad from 2018- 2020. Now, she watches, corrects, and encourages the TVCC Cheer Squad. She asks them to be disciplined when nobody is watching, dependable when things get difficult and confident enough to attempt things that scare them. This week, she gets to live those words herself.
Odle is heading to Mexico City as a member of Team USA, stepping away from her usual place as “Coach Odle” and back into the role of elite athlete on an international stage.
And when she puts on USA, she won’t be leaving The Valley behind.
“It’s honestly a very special feeling,” Odle said. “Representing our country is already such a huge honor but now getting to do it while also representing The Valley, the place where it all really started for me, in a way makes it even more meaningful.”
For Odle, the opportunity creates an unusual reversal.
She spends most of her days investing in athletes chasing their own goals. This time, they’ll be the ones watching her chase one of hers.
“I spend most of my time these days trying to do my best to pour into our athletes and support them in what they’re working towards, so knowing that they get to watch me step back into the athletic role, I hope it shows them that they too can do hard things through determination, discipline, and consistency,” Odle said. “Having my athletes, coworkers, and the whole TVCC community cheering me on from home makes me feel like I’m bringing a little piece of The Valley with me to Mexico City.”
There is another side of the story her athletes don’t always get to see.
Before a routine ever looks effortless, Odle says much of the work happens separately and long before Team USA gathers.
“I think people see the finished product and don’t always realize what goes into it behind the scenes,” Odle said. “Something people might not know is that we actually get very few days together as a team to train the routine. Most of the preparation happens before we ever get together.”
Athletes are responsible for their own endurance and strength training leading to team practices. They’re also sent skill challenges that must be recorded and submitted.
Then comes another challenge: taking athletes accustomed to different teammates, environments and systems and quickly turning them into one unit.
“When we finally come together, you have to be able to perform those skills with people you don’t normally train or compete with and make it all work in a really short period of time,” Odle said. “That takes an extremely high level of athleticism, skill, adaptability and trust. I think that’s something people don’t always see when they watch the final routine and see how effortless it looks.”
Head Coach Khris Franklin sees that standard from another perspective.
Odle’s opportunity with Team USA is significant, but Franklin said her commitment to the athletes she coaches at TVCC remains at the forefront.
“Caylee puts her job and time with The Valley athletes above her Team USA opportunities,” Fraklin said. “It’s neat for the current athletes that are part of our program to get to see one of their coaches get to represent USA in a competition though.”
And she won’t be the only Cardinal connection wearing USA.
Current TVCC athlete Asa Ware, who Franklin said received his call-up approximately a month ago, is also part of the team. Five more TVCC alumni: Joseph Harris, Matt Torres, Cyrus Mojollal, Veronica Camacho and Kobe Cottingham, are also competing for Team USA.
For a program built on championship expectations, the international representation adds another chapter to a much larger tradition.
Franklin estimates at least 20 TVCC alumni have made Team USA over the years. He also said nearly 30 former Cardinals competed in the Professional Cheer League across last season and this season, with TVCC represented by at least one current or former athlete in every PCL team currently competing.
Those numbers, Franklin believes, reinforce a standard that applies to more than the athletes.
“We expect our cheerleaders to do great at everything they do—games, class, community service, competition, etc.,” Franklin said. “I expect the same effort from our coaching staff. This is an opportunity to show our cheer program that we as coaches expect a lot from them, but also ourselves.”
Coaching has changed Odle as she understands now how quickly one person’s attitude can spread throughout a team. She recognizes the responsibility of being dependable even when tired, frustrated or simply having an off day.
Those lessons follow her when she becomes the athlete again.
“Coaching has 100% changed my perspective as an athlete,” Odle said. “When you’re only competing, it’s really easy to just think about your skills, your mistakes, and how you’re feeling that day. It’s easy to be in your own bubble and get wrapped in your own head. As a coach, you understand the bigger picture a little bit better. You can see how one person’s attitude can affect the entire team and how important it is to be someone your teammates can rely on, even when you’re tired, frustrated, or having an off day.”
Sometimes, the voice of Coach Odle even follows athlete Odle onto the floor.
“When I’m going into a skill, I can literally hear myself in my head saying all the things I would tell my athletes to do and focus on, and I know I have to hold myself to that same standard,” she said.
That may be the lesson her TVCC athletes remember most. Their coach asks them to push beyond what’s comfortable, she asks them to prepare when nobody is watching and to trust their training as she does the same.
“I think more than anything, coaching has made me a braver and more confident competitor because I’m not just doing it for myself anymore,” Odle said. “I’m doing it them too, and I hope that by continuing to push myself and do things that challenge me, I can inspire them to do the same.”
From September 25 – 28 the roles will be reversed in Mexico City. When Odle takes the floor in with USA across her chest, a little piece of The Valley will be there with her.
We are rooting for you, Coach Odle!