Update: This story was updated Jan. 29 to include Janes’ interest in sports and entertainment law and the Cheer Team being her motivation to pursue a career in that field.
The Pepperdine Cheer team has a new lead this year, as Daphne Janes, a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, has found her way to Malibu to become the new Cheer Head Coach, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Janes brings in three seasons of experience as a member of the DCC Team, and members of the Pepperdine Cheer team said her arrival is making an immediate impact on the team.
“I get comments from outsiders saying that our team has improved immensely from prior years, so it’s great to hear that she’s making a change to this team,” junior Cheer Captain Paige Porter said.
Other members say it’s her enthusiasm and passion for cheerleading that’s made the most impact.
“She’s extremely passionate and just really driven,” junior first-year member Tatum Lopez said. “She has a strong focus on where she wants this team to be in the future.”
Janes said she began dancing at the age of 3, but it didn’t immediately click with her. It was only in second grade that her passion began.
“In second grade, there was a local group — it wasn’t really a competition team and nothing too serious — but they came into our school and taught us a dance,” Janes said. “I fell in love with it and decided that was the sport I really wanted to go for and dedicated all my time to from second grade up to college.”
College is where Janes said she began her cheerleading career. She became a member of the UCLA Spirit Squad her junior year, promptly finding herself as the UCLA Cheer Captain as a senior. This is where she said she transitioned from dancing on a stage to cheerleading on a field or court.
As the current Cheer Captain, Porter said Janes has helped her in leading the team.
“I have definitely learned a lot about confidence from her,” Porter said. “She’s very confident in what she does — how she speaks, how she dances — and I feel I have improved as a person in my confidence to lead this team.”
In 2018, Janes said she was invited to the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleading training camp, making the team as a first-year invitee. She was an active member until 2021 and developed a deeper understanding of cheer.
“They really teach you performance and connecting and engaging with your audience,” Janes said. “It’s not necessarily about having the craziest tricks or being the most technical on the field but really being approachable and making the fans have a great time — even when the game isn’t in play.”
Janes said those three seasons were a surreal experience and one she wants to bring to Pepperdine.
“I’m trying to adopt that and bring it to Pepperdine and instill in the undergraduate students here that are on the team similar things like performance, engaging with the fans, always being a great ambassador for Pepperdine Athletics,” Janes said.
Bringing that experience to Pepperdine fell into her hands abruptly, as Janes said everything started with a Caruso School of Law acceptance letter. She said once she was accepted, involvement with the Pepperdine community was important, which lead to her desire to contact the cheer department.
“I reached out to the cheer program and really wanted to work with them in any capacity, as a choreographer or as a judge, whatever it may be, and it just turned out that the coaching position was open,” Janes said. “Before I knew it, I was coach, and I was kind of thrown into it, but it was great.”
Janes said her interest is specifically in sports and entertainment law, and her time working with the Cheer Team has only strengthened her motivation to pursue a career in that field.
Now, as a head coach, Janes said her primary goal is to grow the popularity of Pepperdine Cheerleading.
“I want to give them the most opportunities at Pepperdine that there are while exposing them to as many people as possible to kind of gain that respect as a sport here on campus,” Janes said. “I also want to instill in these girls the confidence that they’re able to go after hard things, and they can conquer any obstacle that comes their way.”
For members of the cheer team, Lopez said Janes’ skill in performance and more specifically, her professional experience stand out the most.
“She has a lot of experience being on DCC, and it’s very challenging to get onto,” Lopez said. “I know she’s danced her whole life, so having that as a coach and as a team member — it is very valuable to have her experience.”
Janes is coming on as a firt-time head coach; however, she’s no stranger to coaching, as she said she has coached dance since she was 15. Some of that coaching experience has benefitted members of the cheer team such as Lopez.
“It was a little bit easier to adjust just because I’ve had a background of dancing, so I am very used to having several different coaches and just the style of dance,” Lopez said. “I immediately loved Daphne’s style right away, and I would say, for some other girls, they definitely love it too; they are just trying to adapt to it but are really taking a love for her style.”
For Porter, she said she has benefitted from the dedication Janes displays.
“I had never danced her style or danced in general; I’d always been a cheerleader,” Porter said. “Her skill set is a big takeaway for me, and I learn more and more each practice, but also her dedication to this team and her work ethic stands out. I believe she just cares so much about dancing and especially this team.”
Going into the season, Janes said she’s trying to pair her background and dance experience with the cheerleading skills the team already has.
“I’m making sure they have the musicality, the performance — the things that go along with being the leader of the crowd at all the games,” Janes said. “Also, as a coach, [I’m] just learning what works for a team and what doesn’t along with giving them the feedback and the necessary skills to be successful — not only on the court but as students here at Pepperdine.”
The members of the Cheer team express excitement surrounding the future, as they said the focus is to be ambassadors for Pepperdine and Pepperdine Athletics — which is exactly what Janes wants these girls to become.
“I only see us going up,” Lopez said. “What I really hope for is students to see that we are really trying hard, and we are trying to promote Pepperdine.”
Engagement with the fans is something Janes said she hopes to adopt within these girls, and Porter said school spirit is something the cheer team is looking to bring back to Pepperdine.
“I feel like more students are coming to the basketball games, and that’s really good to see,” Porter said. “It’s good for the basketball team; it’s good for us; it’s just good for the overall morale of the school. So, the hope is just getting more school spirit and seeing that in the stands.”
The future of the season remains uncertain; however, the experience of first-time Head Coach Daphne Janes has been one to remember she said.
“I’ve met some of the most amazing people and gotten to work with such amazingly talented girls, and it’s just been, overall, such a positive experience,” Janes said. “So, hopefully just trying to grow [the experience] throughout this next year, and you know, whatever happens, happens.”
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Email Justin Rodriguez: justin.rodriguez@pepperdine.edu
