For 14 successful years, Amy Diforti has been a passionate cheerleading coach beginning as a volunteer assistant instructor at Marist High School during her college years and was promoted to Head Coach midway through the year at the age of 19. All six years she coached at Marist, the team qualified for State Finals, taking third place in 2004 and in 2005 the team was the ICCA State Champions. After becoming the coach for Joliet Township in 2005 when cheerleading became an IHSA recognized sport, Diforti explains that it became more of a challenge to make it past a sectional due to the many additional rules and changes.

“Placing in the top ten at a State Final is really an amazing accomplishment in cheerleading and what we did in 2012, I would say, are my most significant accomplishments,” says Diforti, reflecting on the team’s achievements. Her goals for the future include growth at all levels and helping athletes to gain new skills, something that she loves about competitive cheer, “We are constantly reinventing ourselves each year and pushing the limits in both stunting and tumbling.”

After graduating from UIC with a degree in marketing, she found that her true desire was to work with high school students. Deciding to pursue a career in teaching, she went back to school at St. Xavier to obtain a teaching certification and degree in mathematics and Masters in Secondary Education.

The opportunity to work with outstanding students is one of the many rewards Diforti describes, admiring the bond and dedication of a hard working team. She explains her passion for coaching, saying, “I love having a place that they can call home when they are away from home. I love what I do and I wouldn’t change it for anything.”