University of St. Thomas-Houston Athletics is excited to announce the hiring of Ceirra Bonds as the new Spirit Head Coach. After a comprehensive search, Bonds will be responsible for guiding the newly activated cheer and dance programs into their first year of competition. 

“I am super excited to have accepted this position and start Spirit across the UST campus,” Coach Bonds said. “Being in Houston presents opportunities for potential recruits with many arts developing on campus and in the city.”

Bonds’ Background

Bonds is a native of Kileen, Texas, and brings a plethora of experience to the position. Collegiately, she danced at Blinn College and Sam Houston State. While at Blinn, she served as the Treasurers' dance captain in the 2017-2018 competition season. She then transferred to Sam Houston State to complete her degree in finance and banking, where she was also team captain for the Orange Pride. 

After college, Bonds immediately found herself in the dancing world. She started with the National Dance Alliance, where the company saw immediate success with her teaching. While with NDA, Bonds’ team won six national titles. She also was an assistant director at Dancin’ Bluebonnets where she taught various dance styles including jazz, pom, hip hop, contemporary and lyrical. Furthermore, Bonds was Assistant Dance Coach for St. Agnes Academy. While directing the Tigers she helped choreograph routines that helped lead them to nationals. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Ceirra Bonds to the Celt athletic family,” said Athletic Director Coach Todd Smith. "Coach Bonds will be a great addition to our entire St. Thomas community.  Her experience at Blinn, Sam Houston, and St. Agnes has prepared her well for this position. Our coaches, student athletes, Cheer, and Dance teams are all very excited for Coach Bonds to put her stamp on our department and the entire campus!"

Spirit Kickstarts Competition This Year

In 2021, cheer and dance were announced as the latest sports to be added to UST Athletics. During the 2021-2022 year, under the name UST Spirit, the team took the time to recruit and build their roster prior to beginning competition in 2022-2023. The teams will practice at the Jerabeck Activity and Athletics Center, while preparing for competitions and leading spirit across campus events. Now with Bonds at the Helm, the teams have a coach to guide them into the future. 

“Now that I'm leading my own program, I'm excited to encourage spirit on campus at social and sporting events,” Coach Bonds added. “I would like to take a moment to thank my student athletes for being patient on this journey, and I’m excited to get to work!”