MHSA(Q&)A: Gibraltar Carlson cheer coach Christina Wilson
February 17, 2012
After cheering through middle and high school, Gibraltar Carlson competitive cheer coach Christina Wilson started coaching the Marauders’ middle school team the season after she graduated from Carlson High in 2001. She took over the varsity team in 2007 – and has accomplished in a short time what many coaches hope for over decades.
Carlson has won three of the last four MHSAA Division 2 championships – also finishing runner-up in 2010 – and is ranked No. 1 in its division heading into District competition this weekend. The Marauders have had a strong program throughout the history of competitive cheer as an MHSAA sport – they won the Class B championship in 1995 under Pat Christiansen and finished runners-up three straight seasons after that – but are on a run unequaled over the last five seasons.
Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan and Oakland’s cheer teams now boast former Carlson athletes, and all of this success could be just the start – Wilson may have accomplished a lot early in her career, but she said she hopes to keep the Marauders rolling for years to come.
What kind of things did you learn from your high school coach that you still teach today?
As soon as I started coaching middle school – we also got a new coach at the varsity level as well, so we had new coaching throughout the program at that time – I took and got the resources from our former coach in ’95 (Pat Christiansen) and started using all her resources. Everything she implemented and used for her teams, I took and continue to use today
Her daughter (Tami) coached with her in ’95 when we won the state championship, and she recently came back in 2010 as one of our assistants. She brought back that mentality of ’95 of working hard … the harder the practices the more successful you’ll be … make practices count enough so on Saturdays you can be as prepared as you can be … and the importance of making of making good decisions, in practice and outside sports as well.
Your program had success previously. But what happened to take Gibraltar Carlson to the next level?
I started coaching middle school, and by the time I moved up to varsity all (my) rules and procedures, the kids were used to it and it was (the same) throughout the program. It was becoming a program-wide thing to become excellent. It wasn’t just team by team, and I think that helped. We hold our kids to really high standards, and we’re expected to reach our goals and expectations.
What is the one big thing your athletes take away after four years of being part of your program?
We have the mementos and the championship rings and those things. But I think it’s a sense of pride. It gives them a sense of self. They know they can have goals, and if they work hard they can achieve those goals. If they put their minds to something, it’s something they can grasp if they work hard. I think that whole mentality of working hard, pursuing goals and teamwork is instilled right from the get-go, and something they take with them when they leave the program.
How do you stay ahead of the competition?
It’s not easy. We go to several camps; there’s a champion cheerleading camp we go to every summer. We work with college teams too; they come and show us things they do and teach us things. We take some kids every once in a while to out-of-state clinics (Kentucky, Bowling Green, etc.). We really try a diversity of things to get the girls out there and experiencing things. The techniques and ideas, it’s all about seeing something and then adding that to imagination to come up with whatever knows what.
Why are your teams so consistent?
We hold them to high expectations. We have gymnastics classes that they regularly attend, and on their own they go to the gymnastics facility once or twice a week extra on top of that to stay on top of their skills stay among the best athletes in state. One thing we do every year is we create a huge goal board. What we do after we start competing, is every Monday we check off what we’ve completed on the goal board. It’s not just a mental aspect, but it’s visual. Every week focus on something we try to achieve.
What do you enjoy most about coaching?
I love working with the kids. They’re funny. Practice is something new every day; you never know what you’re going to get. It’s so much fun. (And) competing is fun. I like the aspect of competition, the intensity of it. That’s lots of fun too. Winning is fun.
This is the sport Gibraltar Carlson has become known for, the one in which it’s had the most success lately.
It’s starting to grow. People look at cheerleading like, “Oh, it’s cheerleading.” We are definitely gaining the respect of other coaches and other programs, other sports and teachers and the student body. The really cool thing is when people start to look at the sport and realize how physically demanding it is. It makes us feel good to hear when other coaches say they think maybe the cheerleaders might be some of the best athletes in this school.
PHOTO from last season's MHSAA Division 2 Final at the Grand Rapids DeltaPlex.
'Scott Hancock Court' Celebrates JV Coach's 50 Years Building Up Cheboygan Hoops
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
December 19, 2025
It’s been a remarkable season so far for the Cheboygan boys basketball players and coaches.
The undefeated varsity Chiefs are looking ahead to the new calendar year and their next opponent, Northern Shores Conference rival Elk Rapids. They also have the District tournament they’ll be hosting in February in their sights.
But Scott Hancock is already looking ahead to the classes of 2035, 2036, 2037 and 2038. And nobody can blame him.
Hancock, a 1976 graduate of Cheboygan, has no intentions of ending his coaching career soon. He’d like to make it long enough to coach his youngest grandson Lincoln Hancock, who is already playing youth basketball in Cheboygan.
And while the Chiefs are finding success this year with the foundation Hancock helped build, the veteran coach can’t help but dream about his youngest grandson playing at Cheboygan High School.
“As a kindergartner he’s in Saturday basketball, and he loves the game,” Hancock said. “God willing, I plan to be there for him.”
Hancock is his 50th season in Cheboygan program. He enjoyed the opportunity to coach his two sons Nick and Brian, both school record holders. He’s also enjoyed coaching his grandson, Landon Gahn, the Chiefs’ junior point guard. Gahn played junior varsity for Hancock his freshman year and moved up to the varsity his sophomore season.
All but two of Hancock’s season were spent as the JV coach. He took the varsity job on an interim basis when current Cheboygan varsity coach, Jason Friday, was playing for the Chiefs in the late 1990s.
On Dec. 9, the Chiefs officially named their home court the Scott Hancock Court. His family was on hand as well as current and former Northern Michigan coaches.
Hancock’s JV team lost that night to Alpena in overtime. The score was 50-50 when the fourth quarter buzzer sounded.
“Looking back, we should have just called the game at the end of regulation,” Hancock admitted. “I got a bunch of great kids this year. and it was a tough loss because it was an overtime loss.”
It was the only loss the Chiefs’ JV team has encountered so far this year. But wins and losses are not the focus of Hancock’s level of the program.
“I don't get too carried away with the wins and losses — I know what I'm there for,” Hancock explained. “I'm there to teach the kids to get them ready for the varsity.”
Hancock is considered by many to be the best coach in Cheboygan history. No counter argument can be found among the current varsity players and their head coach.
“He's the best coach that I've ever had — no bias because he's my grandfather,” acknowledged Gahn, who was found cheering from the bench as the Chiefs secured the victory earlier this week at Kingsley. “He teaches everything about basketball, but he doesn't really preach as much as he demonstrates being a good person. Just looking at him and what he does every day, you can just tell he's the guy that's doing everything right, even though nobody's watching.”
Senior Carson Kiefer helped lead the way for Cheboygan's varsity at Kingsley. He scored 12 points, with two 3-pointers. Kiefer credits Hancock for helping him improve his confidence on the court.
“I think he cares more about the person individually outside of sports,” said Kiefer, who is averaging 16 points per game. “It's fitting that he's a JV basketball coach, helping build players’ skills and confidence.”
Kiefer’s twin brother, Andrew, singled out Hancock’s commitment to the school.
“He's not just a school figure,” said Andrew Kiefer, who is averaging just under 12 points per game. “He is not just the coach. He is a community guy all-around.”
The Chiefs varsity is getting strong contributions from their juniors this season. Nolan Schley is averaging 12 points per game, and he’s second on the team in rebounding. And Gavin Smith is leading the team in rebounds and assists, collecting almost 10 boards and four dishes per game.
The Kiefers, Smith and Schley are part of the reason Friday is not surprised by the 6-0 start and seeking a District title for the first time since 2015. The last time Cheboygan won a conference championship was 2020, playing in the Straits Area Conference during Friday’s first season as boys head coach after previously coaching the girls varsity.
“We knew that our junior and senior classes had some talent in there,” Friday noted. “The boys really want to win a District championship, as well as a conference championship. The boys put a ton of time in the offseason to do everything they can to get over that hump and get both a conference and District championship.”
Cheboygan will host a Division 2 District tournament this season after falling 50-48 in last year’s Division 3 District Final – also at home. The Chiefs face a field including league foes Grayling, Kalkaska and Kingsley as well as Ogemaw Heights and Sault Ste. Marie. Cheboygan topped the Sault 67-43 earlier this year and will play a home-and-home series with Grayling in January.
For now, though, the Chiefs are thinking only about Elk Rapids. Cheboygan started 7-0 last year before falling to the Elks to start the new year.
“We're approaching 7-0 again, so having them coming up here on the schedule, we’re definitely going to be practicing a little harder and watching maybe a little more film and just preparing for the game more seriously,” Gahn said. “Coach Friday was saying last year that he can't remember the last time the team started off 8-0, and it was our eighth game that we lost to Elks. So we're hoping to beat them next time we play.”
The court naming did not come as a surprise to Hancock. He was informed in a meeting with Marty Mix, Cheboygan principal. He thought he had some papers to sign and was surprised his family was waiting in the office.
“He was completely shocked, and Coach Hancock doesn't like attention,” said Friday, who is also the school’s athletic director and was in the notification meeting. “Scott always likes to be in the background, and he handled it quite well.”
And while his signature was placed on the court opening day this year, he points out the Hancock legacy started way before him.
“I'm more proud of the Hancock name on there more than the Scott part of it,” said Hancock, who also serves as the city’s as the parks and recreation director. “Believe me, my dad was a Chief through and through. He passed in 2006. I know he was there in spirit with us looking down.”
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Longtime Cheboygan boys basketball JV coach Scott Hancock sends a starter onto the floor during introductions before a game against Kingsley. (Middle) The Hancock family takes a photo with Scott’s newly-added signature on the floor. From left: Landon Gahn, Brian Hancock, Olwyn Hancock, Scott Hancock, Marjean Hancock, Lincoln Hancock and Nick Hancock. (Below) Scott Hancock shakes hands with a Kingsley assistant coach. (Family photo courtesy of Chris Murdick. Other photos by Tom Spencer.)