IF YOU'VE BEEN to a Tamalpais High School sporting event, you've most likely seen an energetic man on the sidelines with pom-poms and cheering, "T-High, U know!"

Deion, the 35-year-old Mill Valley resident whose real name is Michael Baird, has been the school's self-described "spirit director" for the past seven years after cheering at San Marin High, his alma mater, and Terra Linda High.

When he's not cheering at Tam's sporting events — he cheers for every sport except swimming, track and field, golf and cross-country — Baird works as an administrative assistant for R.A.B. Motors in San Rafael, and in the summers as the mascot for the North Bay FC Wave women's soccer league and an announcer for summer collegiate/semi-pro baseball teams such as the San Francisco Seagulls and the Healdsburg Prune Packers.

Q: Why cheerleading?

A: When I was the scorekeeper for San Marin's varsity baseball team, I just got that natural drive in me to get the fans around the game. I'd be dancing before them between innings. Then somebody said, "Hey, you should be a cheerleader."

Q: Why did you start cheerleading at Tam?

A: Tamalpais was the best school as far as support, as far as accepting me and no criticism and no rejection. I felt like Tamalpais is just like a second home to me. People are very nice; nice staff, nice students.

Q: How many games do you go to a week?

A: It depends what my work schedule allows. I normally go to between five and 10 games a week.

Q: Do you think your cheers contribute to Tam's wins?

A: I know I have no control over what goes on on the field, but my energy seems to encourage and inspire them to play harder.

Q: Why do you call yourself Deion?

A: It's a name I've had since I was in high school. When I was about 17, I got a Deion Sanders 49ers jersey for Christmas and I wore it to school. I got up in front of the students and did an absolutely perfect impersonation of Deion Sanders' touchdown celebration, and people just started calling me Deion and the name stuck.

Vicki Larson can be reached at vlarson@marinij.com; follow her on Twitter at @OMGchronicles, fan her on Facebook at Vicki-Larson-OMG-Chronicles