Layci Norton is a mother, a business owner and now a coach.
The stay-at-home mom of a 20-month-old and a 5-year-old has not only rebuilt the Mingus Union High School spiritline into a performance team — with over 20 members since her hire as new head coach in June — but, in only her second year as a Cottonwood resident, she also runs her own photography and design business out of her home.
“I stay busy,” she said. “I’ve always been a very driven and determined person.”
The former cheerleading captain and state champion at Page and St. Johns high schools is also pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business management and entrepreneurship through Yavapai College in whatever spare time she manages to set aside.
“It was a little unexpected to get this position, but it’s something I’ve wanted to do my whole life,” she said. “It really changed a lot of things for me in my life, getting involved — it was a very character-building experience.”
Norton is giving back primarily by coaching MUHS girls dance, competition, sideline cheer, stunting and gymnastics, in which they will be attending one mandatory night per week of extra tumbling and stunting practice at a local gymnastics business under new management.
“They are all-star competitors themselves — a husband and wife team, experts in stunting, tumbling [and] cheerleading,” she said. “They’re going to be offering extra training just to help with the technical part of cheering.”
That will be in addition to morning practices from 5:50 to 7:40 a.m. weekdays following the conclusion of summer tryouts Thursday, Aug. 14.
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Aug. 13, issue of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
