Two Decades of Heart: How Kara Winter and Lori Zawiski Built a Cheer Family
By: Fran Durso | SportzWire | March 2, 2026 | Photo courtesy Coach Fran
It was supposed to be just another competition day. All Blue Ridge levels were there, Triplet Littles, Middles, Bigs, and Raiders Varsity, lining the mats with nerves, pride, and months of preparation behind them. But by the end of the night, it became something much bigger. It became a farewell. An emotional closing chapter for two women who didn’t just coach cheer, they built it.
Stepping Up When It Mattered Most
Kara Winter never signed her daughter up with plans to become a coach. When the initial coach stepped down just before the season began, Kara was asked to consider stepping in. She didn’t rush the decision. She took a week. Then she said yes and that yes changed the trajectory of Blue Ridge cheer. She coached Triplets through football season, shared a squad with Susquehanna, navigated competitions, secured practice spaces, coordinated travel, stayed in hotels, and in the end found herself guiding multiple levels of the program. What began as stepping in to help became more than a decade of service, leadership, and heart.
Lori Zawiski’s journey started just as unexpectedly. Her husband took their daughter to sign up for C Team cheer. He returned home not only with paperwork, but with the news that Lori was now the coach. Already raising five children, she embraced the opportunity with gratitude and determination. Twenty years later, Lori closes her cheer legacy as a Raiders Varsity coach standing alongside her daughter, who now coaches as well. In between, she led Triplets, Faith Mountain, Junior High Raiders, and Varsity squads with and without her own child on the team. Her commitment was never conditional. It was rooted in community.
Building More Than Teams
Together, Kara and Lori were instrumental in transforming Triplets from a sideline football squad into a competitive force. What once centered on Friday night lights evolved into travel competitions. The program expanded. Athletes from multiple towns joined the ranks. Standards rose. Expectations grew. Confidence followed. For 11 years, Kara poured into the program. For two decades, Lori did the same. Through practices, fundraisers, long bus rides, hotel stays, early mornings, and late nights, they stayed. Not for recognition. Not for titles. For the athletes. They mentored beyond the mat. They modeled commitment. They created accountability. They built resilience. They shaped young women in sport and in life.
An Emotional Final Bow
The final competition day in Williamsport carried weight. There were tears. There were hugs. There were long looks exchanged between athletes and the women who helped shape them. And then….there were trophies. Medals. Banners. Hardware earned by every Blue Ridge squad in attendance. It felt fitting. A sweet reward for years of unseen work. A tangible symbol of a legacy measured not just in wins, but in growth. Especially for the seniors, the group that has felt the full force of both Kara and Lori’s leadership, the moment was deeply personal. They were the first to benefit from the foundation. They are now the standard bearers moving forward.
Passing the Torch
The decision to step away was not taken lightly. Both women have been deeply invested emotionally, physically, and spiritually, the well being of their athletes. But legacies are not meant to end quietly. They are meant to be carried forward. The torch has been passed. And if the program’s growth over the last 10 to 20 years is any indication, Blue Ridge cheer is positioned to continue thriving, fueled by the culture Kara and Lori built from the ground up. To Kara Winter and Lori Zawiski….Thank you. Congratulations. And from an entire community, especially this senior class, your impact will echo far beyond the mat.
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter / X
YouTube
