SURPRISE, Ariz. – OUAZ Assistant Director of Athletics Brittney Kellar is pleased to announce the hiring of Kari Kratchman as the next head coach of the OUAZ Cheer & Dance programs. Kratchman will bring 25-plus years of cheer & dance coaching experience to the Spirit programs.
 
"It is with great delight that we welcome Kari to our OUAZ coaching family. She has already had a positive impact on young people throughout the valley with her successful coaching career at the high school and college level," Kellar commented. "Her background in both cheer and dance make her uniquely qualified to lead our two programs and will aid her in making a significant impact on our young university. I have no doubt she will be an excellent mentor to the student-athletes in the OUAZ cheer and dance programs."
 
Kratchman will take over at OUAZ after a decorated career at the high school level. She comes to OUAZ from Shadow Mountain High School where she built the program to over 60 team members. Her teams won two Varsity Pom state championships (2017 & 2018) and the 2019 Varsity Co-Ed state title.
 
"I am thrilled to be the head coach of the cheer and dance programs at Ottawa University Arizona," Kratchman said when asked about accepting the position. "I feel genuinely blessed to be a part of the OUAZ family and look forward coaching our amazing athletes. I look forward to our successes on the field, in the gym, in competition, and in the classroom."
 
Along with leading the Shadow Mountain program, Kratchman is a regional and national championship judge for the American Championships & Spirit Team, USA, NCA, JAMZ, and local Arizona competitions. She has also worked as a National Cheerleading Association instructor for three years. In that role she was able to work and teach at various NCA events and competitions.
 
Her 25-plus years of experience includes time as the head coach at Glendale Community College where she tripled the program's size in the first year and helped them to a third-place finish at USA College Nationals.
 
Kratchman has also worked on the Choreography Pros event staff for NBA, NFL, WNBA, Arena Football League, and College Teams. That includes handling event registration, event schedule, merchandise, coaches/athlete check-in, and more.
 
A gymnast for 15 years, Kratchman was a dance team member in high school and college. She also spent two seasons as a Phoenix Mercury Hip Hop Dancer and was a Super Bowl XXX Pregame Show performer.