Cheer’s Monica Aldama announces plan to RETIRE from coaching after 30 years… a month after lawsuit accusing her of covering up a cheerleader’s sexual assault was dismissed

By William On Dec 5, 2023

Monica Aldama, the head coach of an elite cheerleading squad featured in Netflix's hit docuseries Cheer, announced her plans to retire on Sunday.

After coaching the Navarro Cheer team for 30 years and taking home 17 national championship trophies since 2000, the 51-year-old revealed in a lengthy Instagram post that this would be her last semester coaching.

“If you had asked me 30 years ago where my life was going, I never would have thought I would be coaching cheerleading, especially for three decades,” she began in a lengthy post on Instagram.

'As a young, naive 22-year-old I had big plans for my future. I just knew that one day I would make it to Wall Street and build my business empire. Still, it's funny how life works. God knew what He had in store for me and what my purpose would be. I took what I thought would be temporary job coaching, but here we are 30 seasons later.”

End of an era: Monica Aldama, the head coach of an elite cheer squad from Netflix's hit docuseries Cheer, announced her plans to retire on Sunday

Coach: After coaching the Navarro Cheer team for 30 years and taking home 17 national championship trophies since 2000, the 51-year-old revealed that this would be her final semester coaching in a lengthy Instagram post (seen in 2020)

“God knew exactly what my passion was, and He opened the door for me to share that passion with others in sports – and ultimately, the world. Wow! What a run! It's incredible what these amazing athletes have accomplished. From day one, my entire world revolved around the Navarro College program and every cheerleader that came through those doors. Every athlete has made me who I am and has made me a better person, a better coach, a better friend and a better person. They have taught me lessons that I would never have learned if I had chosen a different career path,” the mother of two continued.

'I have been given the gift of spending most of my life with people from all over the world, from different cultures, with different personalities, with different quirks, with different backgrounds and different beliefs. It has taught me a much greater kind of love and empathy than I could ever have imagined. For that I will be forever grateful.'

“I always knew that my time coaching would eventually end and that I would pursue other opportunities,” Aldama wrote.

“I prayed a lot about the direction God was leading me in, and through that prayer I felt the tug of God pushing me into a different role and a different purpose. I know I can still help bring about the changes we need in the world, especially in the sport of cheerleading. I felt His calling and I knew the timing was right for this to be my last season as a coach. He has big plans for me, and I will faithfully follow where He leads. I'm excited about the opportunities and projects ahead and can't wait to share where life takes me. Thank you all for the outpouring of love and support. I felt every bit of it! All my love, Monica

Her comments section was flooded with sweet responses from her former students and mentee, who flocked to sing her praises.

'I love you so much! I could never thank you enough for everything you have done! So proud of you! Enjoy and enjoy every second of this new chapter!' former cheerleader Morgan Simianer wrote under Aldama's post.

Meanwhile, Lexis “Lexi” Marie Brumback wrote, “You have changed so many lives for the better, I love you so much and I am so happy to have been blessed to be coached by someone so strong, intelligent and caring.”

Maddy Brum, who appeared on the second season of Cheer, said: “I love Monica Aldama so much! I couldn't have asked for a better mentor in my life and I appreciate everything you have done for me! I love you so much!!'

“If you had asked me 30 years ago where my life was going, I never would have thought I would be coaching cheerleading, especially for 30 years,” she began in a lengthy post on Instagram.

Beloved: Her comments section was flooded with sweet responses from her former students and mentee, who flocked to sing her praises

The coach's retirement comes just a month after she was dismissed from a lawsuit accusing her of covering up the sexual assault of a cheerleader.

In November, the author told her more than 799,000 Instagram followers that she was relieved, but also “somewhat consumed with sadness and anger.”

“I was broken, a shell of myself,” she wrote about the investigation. “Navarro Cheer members were constantly attacked online. I was constantly attacked. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, and most of the time it was hard to even breathe.”

She then expressed the feeling that “USA Cheer had failed her.”

Talented: In 2020, Aldama competed on the 29th season of Dancing with the Stars, alongside Val Chmerkovskiy (seen in October 2020 on DWTS)

The reality star rose to fame in the Netflix docuseries, which debuted in January 2020 and captured her elite cheerleaders at Navarro College in Texas.

In 2020, her student Jerry Harris was arrested for “enticing an underage boy to make sexually explicit videos and photos of himself.”

Aldama, who worked closely with Harris on Cheer, said her heart was “broken into a million pieces” by the scandal.

“Our children must be protected from abuse and exploitation, and I pray hard for the victims and all those affected,” she said on social media. 'I am devastated by this shocking, unexpected news,

Last year, Harris was sentenced to 12 years behind bars for crimes related to child pornography and soliciting sex from minors.

The Texas resident was 19 years old at the time of his arrest.