Gina Damato took over the Chiefs’ Co-ed Cheerleading program in September of 2021. She has coached at various levels throughout her career from youth and beginner levels, to middle school, high school and college. Damato has been a United States All-Star Federation certified cheer coach since 2010. In the last decade she has led teams to multiple regional and national cheer titles.

Damato started out coaching recreational cheer teams at Spirit All-Stars in Yorkville. The last 12 years she has helped guide the organization’s All-Star Competitive Cheer squads to multiple successes. Her 2016 team finished third at the Summit National Championships and the 2019 squad placed in the top-10 as well. In 2021 Damato’s crew won the national title at the D2 Summit in the Senior Medium Level 2 Division at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida. Damato’s squads have also earned trophies at JAMfest Cheer Super Nationals, Champion Spirit Group (CSG) and Great Lakes Championship Company (GLCC) competitions, Cheersport Cheer Nationals, the American Classic Championships, National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) National Championship and The Spirit Network (TSN).

Damato grew up in Westmont, Illinois and started cheering for football and basketball in middle school. In high school she was the captain of the Westmont Sentinels’ cheer squad and went on to cheer at the College of DuPage where she majored in Business. Coach Damato has lived in Yorkville for the last 30 years. She has served as a volunteer coach for the Yorkville High School Foxes’ cheer team, and coached cheer teams for the Yorkville Youth Tackle Football league for four year. Damato also taught tumbling classes for six years. Damato’s daughter Sami was a member of the Chiefs’ Cheer squad in 2021-22, while son Joey also attended Waubonsee.