GALT, CA (MPG) - When Barbara Welch first helped bring STUNT to Liberty Ranch High School in 2014, the sport was still new to many athletes, coaches and administrators. More than a decade later, Welch retires from coaching after building one of the school’s most successful programs from the ground up.

The idea, Welch said, actually started with her daughter, Alexis Welch, who competed in STUNT and cheer at Cal Poly.

“Alexis was the one who wanted to start a STUNT program at Liberty Ranch,” Welch said. “She was in her first year doing STUNT and cheer at Cal Poly, and she thought it was the greatest thing. She helped me get the program started here.”

With support from principal Joe Saramago, Welch helped launch a program that would grow steadily each season.

“I remember talking to Joe and asking, ‘Can we start a STUNT team?’” Welch said. “He told me he didn’t know much about it, but he knew it was going to be big. He supported us, gave us what we needed and we made it happen.”

That phrase – “make it happen” – became one of Welch’s favorite sayings and a guiding principle for the Liberty Ranch program.

At first, the Hawks had a small team and were still learning the sport. Welch said the early years were about building interest, teaching athletes the structure of STUNT and creating a foundation. Alexis Welch helped coach during the first few seasons, and the program continued to grow in both numbers and skill.

“We started small, but every year we got bigger and better,” Welch said. “We went from barely scoring points in the beginning to winning games 24-0. The progress this program has made has been amazing.”

That progress eventually turned Liberty Ranch into a dominant program. The Hawks have won league every year they have competed, and this season they reached the furthest point in program history.

For Welch, the proudest moment came when Liberty Ranch defeated Roseville in the Section Championship, earning an automatic qualification to the state tournament.

“My proudest moment was beating Roseville at the Section Championship,” Welch said. “To be able to say, ‘We’re going to state’ was incredible. That was the furthest Liberty Ranch has ever gone.”

Liberty Ranch competed at the Division II level during sections, but the CIF placed the Hawks in Division I for the state tournament. Welch said the team that went on to win the Division II state championship was a team Liberty Ranch had already beaten earlier in the season.

“We knew we could compete with the Division II teams,” Welch said. “But it was also an honor to be considered a Division I team and go against schools with 3,000 or 4,000 students, teams with tumblers from the Bay Area, Northern California and Southern California. That was a huge accomplishment for Liberty Ranch.”

Welch leaves coaching after being selected Coach of the Year by her fellow coaches, adding to the honors she has received throughout her career. But her impact goes beyond wins, titles and awards. She helped to mentor many coaches as STUNT programs began forming across Northern California, helping the sport become more competitive and established in the region.

She also helped to create a college pathway for Liberty Ranch athletes. Welch said 10 to 15 former Hawks have gone on to compete in STUNT at the college level. This year alone, five Liberty Ranch athletes are moving on to college STUNT programs, including two to Cal Poly, one to University of the Pacific, one to Jessup University and one to Northwest Nazarene University.

“STUNT has sent more Liberty Ranch athletes on to compete at the college level than any other sport at the school,” Welch said.

As competitive as Welch is, she said her favorite athletes were not only the most talented ones, but the ones who showed up every day ready to work.

“My favorite STUNT athletes are the ones who come to practice every day, work hard, have drive and motivation, and want to learn their routines,” Welch said. “I’m very competitive. I like to win, and I want them to want it as much as I do. But I also want them to learn through the process, keep up their grades and understand that all of it matters.”

That approach left an impression on athletes from the very beginning of the program. Lauren Cole, who was on Liberty Ranch’s first STUNT team, said she was drawn to the sport because of its structure and focus on skill.

“When I first heard about STUNT, I didn’t really know what it was,” Cole said. “But I liked the structure of the game and the way it worked. It wasn’t about choreography. It was based on skill, and that’s what drew me to it.”

Cole said one of her favorite memories came during a section playoff game against Roseville that went into overtime, when she was an assistant coach.

“My favorite memory was our last game at sections when we beat Roseville in overtime,” Cole said. “I sobbed.”

Cole remembers when she was an athlete on the team, “Back then, all of our games were at Sac State. That day, I competed in a STUNT game, got in the car, went to Stockton for a UCF cheer competition, competed with two teams, got back in the car, returned to Sac State, tore a muscle, still landed my handsprings … and we won.”

For Welch, stories like that show the commitment and toughness that helped define the program.

Now, as she steps away from coaching at Liberty Ranch, Welch is looking forward to a new chapter centered around family. Her daughter coaches STUNT at Jessup University, and Welch said she hopes to spend more time traveling, watching games and caring for her grandbaby.

“I want to be able to pack up the baby, travel and watch every STUNT game my daughter coaches,” Welch said. “I want to spend time taking care of my grandbaby and see what this next chapter holds.”

Still, Welch may not be completely finished with the sport. She serves on the CIF board for STUNT and said she may consider becoming an official.

Welch leaves behind a Liberty Ranch legacy built on commitment, competitiveness and the belief that preparation turns possibility into reality.

Her message to future athletes is the same one she used to build the program from the beginning.

“Make it happen,” Welch said. “Show up every day ready to work, take care of your grades, practice with the same intensity you bring to games, support the people beside you and keep a positive attitude. If you commit to those things, you give yourself and your team a chance to be successful.”

And after more than a decade of building Liberty Ranch STUNT into a winning program, Welch leaves behind more than championships: She leaves a standard of commitment, toughness and belief for future Hawks to follow.