LSU Gold

Pauline Zernott

LSU
Pauline Zernott
Title
Director of Community Relations
Email
pzernott@lsu.edu
Hometown
New Orleans, La.
Alma Mater
LSU (1990)

Pauline Zernott currently conducts coaching seminars through Varsity University and is entering her 34th year with the LSU Spirit Program, currently serving as the LSU Spirit Director/Head Coach for the past 19 years.

In 2017, Zernott was inducted into the Varsity Legend Hall of Fame.

She has coached the Spirit Squads at dozens of Football Bowl games including 4 National College Football Championship Games, multiple SEC Championship football and basketball games, as well as a Final 4 Basketball Championship.

Zernott was a competitive gymnast throughout junior high and high school. She was a walk on gymnast at LSU however due to a career ending injury was not able to continue. As she had a strong background in dance and acro-gymnastics she turned her focus to cheerleading. As a sophomore, at Louisiana State University, she began her cheerleading career and in just two short years was a member of the 1989 Collegiate National Championship cheer team. Pauline was also a cheerleader for the New Orleans Saints and began her collegiate coaching career at LSU upon graduation.

She was a head instructor for Universal Cheerleaders Association, teaching high school and collegiate camps throughout the U.S. She specialized in elite partner stunts and basket tosses, many of which she was the first athlete to perform and teach. She has taught throughout Japan, China, Sweden, France and England. She has served as a UCA High School National cheerleading judge at competitions, since 1989. She participated in multiple NYC, Paris and London’s New Year’s Day parades and has appeared in the “Tiger Flight” Converse cheer shoe commercial, named after the LSU championship cheer team. Pauline has served as a consultant for multiple television commercials including Capitol One and ESPN. The LSU Spirit Squads were expanded in 1998 to include the Tiger Girls. The Tiger Girls Dance team is one of the nation’s premiere college dance teams in America. In 2010, she traveled to Hong Kong with the LSU Tiger Girls, as they were chosen to represent the US in the Hong Kong, New Year’s Day parade. In 2012, she coached the LSU Cheerleaders in Wuxi, China as they were invited to participate in the Chinese National Championship as an exhibition team, representing USA collegiate cheerleading.

She resides in Baton Rouge with her husband Jamie Zernott and their two children Colby and Caroline.