Good Sports: Valley native performs at Super Bowl, returns home to be cheer coach

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Out in Visalia, the Mount Whitney cheer team is loving its new head coach.

"She really knows what she's doing," says cheerleader Mia Escarsega.

Porterville native Isis Peralta is as experienced as they come.

"They were just sponges ready to absorb whatever I said, whatever I told them we needed to do," she said.

From Strathmore to College of the Sequoias, and UNLV, Peralta eventually took her dance and cheer talents to the NFL.

"Everything I did just was worth it in getting told I made the team," she said.

In 2020, she became a member of the Los Angeles Rams' cheer team.

"When I was growing up, I always envisioned myself performing at a Super Bowl halftime," Peralta said.

Two years later, that vision would become a reality, with Peralta performing during Super Bowl 56.

She even got a ring after the Rams beat the Bengals to become Super Bowl champs.

"When I see my ring, I see how it's so shiny and it's just huge," Peralta said. "It really does make me emotional because it was hard making this valid for people."

Feeling validated in her career path, Peralta was inspired to give back to the place she calls home.

"This cheer team is about family," Escarsega said.

Peralta took that message to heart, even recruiting her former COD teammate and Raiderette cheerleader finalist, Cecilia Gomez.

With friends and family by her side, Peralta is focused on doing more than just coaching.

"You need to surround yourself with other successful like-minded women," Peralta said.

For Peralta, it's about learning skills beyond just the mat.

"She wants to build our professionalism," says cheer captain Kyla Custodio.

Whether it's cheering on the Pioneers or making it to the sports world's biggest stage, Peralta wants to open a door of possibilities.

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