Minutes before taking the floor, an athlete crumbles: her heart rate spikes and her breath comes in quick, shallow gulps. While backstage is chaotic, her panic is centered on something else: what will happen next, performing in front of the crowd. As her coach, you’re not sure what to do before she walks onstage—calm her, convince her it’s just like practice or remind her to have fun. Sound familiar?
Number eight on our “Starting a Gym 101” list: Decide on any financing you will need and how you will get it. In other words…show me the money!
For startup businesses, this can be one of the biggest obstacles in getting off the ground. Funding is a challenge for almost every small business, and this especially includes cheer/gymnastics facilities. The space and ceiling height requirements for a gym make the start-up cost even more than a regular new business.
As family and friends filed into the bleachers, the young cheerleaders of Fairfield, NJ-based JuST Cheer All Stars waited patiently for their turn on the rented spring floor in the clean space of the local high school gymnasium. Outside the gym, the chilly December air permeated the hallway, where a handful of vendors had set up tables. The schedule for the day’s event was tight: “First Tinys, then Minis and levels building up to the fives,” says Karen Potucek, co-owner and president of JuST Cheer All Stars, noting that, for many of the athletes, it was their first time performing in front of a crowd.
Ever since the Georgia Heat opened its doors six years ago, Samiha Alexander has been at its nucleus—coaching winning teams in almost every level. As one of this year’s USASF Coach of the Year nominees, she knows the importance of coaching safely in tandem with grooming top-notch teams. We asked Samiha to share her hard-earned insights on safety and success.
At Kernersville, NC-based Cheer Extreme Allstars, team placements are no longer simply announced online, but have now become a festive affair with much more fanfare. This spring, owner Courtney Smith-Pope introduced the “Teal Reveal,” a gala event held at a local church. Smith-Pope spent the morning with her team moms stuffing personalized invites for each athlete, and when she yelled “Go!” later that night, the athletes eagerly ran to each decorated table to see which team held their fate.
In July, the findings of the United States Cheer Officials Survey were released. Get a snapshot of the judges’ responses in this recap, from conditions and compensation to judges’ qualifications to scoresheets and rubrics.
Six years ago, Jon and Tammy Estes, co-owners of Miss Tammy’s All-Star Company in Cleburne, Texas, sought a way to make a difference in their community. As satisfying as it was for them to work with local youth in the gym environment, the couple wanted to do more. When a local boy developed neuroblastoma (the most common form of cancer in children), they knew they’d found their cause.
Research has shown that volunteering can provide a number of physical and emotional benefits. Estes and his wife discovered this firsthand when they designed T-shirts bearing a “Children’s Cancer Arm Bands” logo to help fight pediatric cancer.
Thanks so much to all who entered our Young Entrepreneur contest sponsored by Nfinity, and congratulations to our winner Madelyn Mize and finalists Cheer 360 and Muddy Cheer Challenge! Get to know these enterprising young cheer professionals and find out what’s coming down the pike.
If you love TLC’s “Cheer Perfection,” get ready for more of fiery Alisha Dunlap and her cast of characters at Cheer Time Revolution. Season Two has hit the airwaves! Get to know this opinionated gym owner and find out how “Cheer Perfection” has changed her life.
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