POULSBO — Over the course of four athletic directors, three principals, two wrestling, two football, and three different head basketball coaches, NKHS cheer coach Denise Nelson has seen a lot of changes.

But her consistency has colored NKHS with spirit in the hues of purple and gold for a decade. Through a myriad of ups, downs and side-to-sides, Nelson has helped stack the North Kitsap sidelines with pride.

Now, she said, it is time to step down and let someone else take over the task of invigorating teams and fans.

“When I didn’t have the energy to put more in, I knew it was time to step back and let someone else step in,” Nelson said of her decision to resign as coach of the NKHS cheer squad. “It takes a lot of personal time. I think in the end that’s part of the reason why I’m stepping down because I want that time.”

Countless hours go into coaching a cheerleading squad. Going from a day job to team practices, attending schoolwide events to providing pep supply, not to mention a full slate of games throughout the school year.

Most school sports run for a few months until the official season ends and the next season begins, but cheerleading encompasses them all. From June to April, the NK cheerleaders are busy, Nelson said.

“It’s a lot of work but the girls make it enjoyable,” Nelson said. “(They) are fantastic, but as a coach, you have to be strong.”

Cheerleaders, by nature, have to be very confident and sure of themselves, Nelson said. That attitude can transfer into a power struggle, but as a coach, she had the strength to draw the line and hold her ground.

In 1996, as a coach who had never been a cheerleader, Nelson’s first expectation was for each member of her pep squad to be physically fit, therefore, her emphasis was conditioning.

Though it was a tough concept for the team to grasp in her first year, Nelson stood behind her principles and the team’s attitude improved over the years, she said.

And as time passed, former cheerleaders would came back to North Kitsap telling stories of post-high school success, and that’s where Nelson found the best part of the job.

“When the girls come back that I’d coached nine years ago and I get to see how they have matured and been successful,” she said was coaching’s most rewarding aspect. “Day to day that part is tough to see but you become almost another parent to them.”

Preparation and instruction are only half of a coach’s gig. The other piece is mentoring, Nelson said. And providing her girls with the necessary skills to be successful in life was always an underlying goal during her tenure.

“(I used to tell them) how you behave in that uniform doesn’t just reflect you or your school, it’s your community,” she said.