This week, we are highlighting Cheer Athletics Austin for their generous 2023 Girl Flock Party sponsorship. They are the Diamond Sponsor at our April 30th gala event and will give a speech during our Welcome Announcement.

At Cheer Athletics Austin, setting the bar and standard for All-Star Cheer in the Austin area is what they do best. We thank them for their partnership, helping us to achieve our goals in the community.

Q. Tell us about Cheer Athletics Austin!

Cheer Athletics Austin is an All-Star Competitive Cheer Gym for athletes ages three and up. We offer tumbling classes and education opportunities to help create well-rounded cheerleaders who will be physically and mentally prepared for whatever their goals are in the sport of Cheerleading. We have multiple All-Star Cheerleading opportunities available to cheerleaders in every part of their journey, from 5 and older beginners to pre-teens/teens with new goals of making school cheerleaders to elite cheerleaders of all ages that the gym has become their home away from home. Our AllStar teams practice twice a week and compete mostly in Texas with our end-of-the-year event in April/May at Disney World!

In addition to tumbling and cheer instruction, our athletes have access to weekly sports performance training with Kula Sports and access to Helix Physical Therapy and Chiropractic. Our facility embodies an environment similar to a collegiate training facility, and we could not be more excited to extend these resources to our athletes and families!

Q. When did your business begin?

Cheer Athletics has been a well-known name and brand in the cheer industry for over 20 years. The brand has trained some of the best cheerleaders in the world and holds countless titles and champions. Austin was a second location when my daughter started attending, and it soon became the first Cheer Athletics franchise location in 2018.

Q. What are the objectives of your business?

CA exists to create an environment for young athletes looking to be better tumblers and cheerleaders. Our objective is to manifest in these young athletes what it means to set goals, work hard, and achieve them. We empower youth to believe in themselves and provide them with a community and space to thrive. Their journey may start with what looks like just a tumbling class, but it evolves into experiences and relationships that will shape who they are. We take that seriously and are grateful to the parents that share their athletes with us.

Q. Why did you decide to become a business owner?

This is an easy answer for me—my kids. I want my kids to see that they can not only be independently successful, but they can be creative in how they are successful. I want my kids to know they can share their experiences and be bigger than a job or a role in someone else’s dream if they want, as long as they are willing to work hard and endlessly towards a passion. I want them to be proud, and I want them to chase their visions, not without fears, but with the confidence, their will supersedes their very valid fears.

Q. What is your background?

I grew up in Arlington, TX, with a mom I watched work tirelessly to provide and make sure my brother and I could have specific experiences. I cheered for school and competitively thru college at Oklahoma State. I graduated with a degree in Chemistry, determined to be in medical sales, and planned to retire as a pharmacist. Oh, to be young and feel so committed to a plan that you are naive to live! I had a 10-year career in Aesthetics Sales, working with Dermatologists and Plastic Surgeons. After I had my oldest daughter, I thought I would try to drink brunch and be a stay-at-home mom. After a few years of volunteering at the school and flipping houses on the side, I took my daughter to her first tumbling class. I looked around and thought, I have something to offer these athletes and this industry … 5 years later. Here we are.

Q. Tell us about your staff.

If anyone knows anything about the cheer industry, and probably every other youth sport, a quality staff that makes good life choices and is not just qualified BUT DESERVES to work with children is hard to find. People are imperfect, and by nature, we can be selfish. Staffing for CA Austin was a huge obstacle for me last year. I could not be more proud to stay after putting so much time, work, and effort into ensuring who teaches these kids how to be great; my staff of 15 is everything. We are by no means a perfect crew, but we are a new family of people that care about kids and are connected by an unexplainable impact of what this sport has had on each of us. Cheer is life, but that means more to everyone in our building than anyone on the outside could imagine.

Q. Do you have advice for other business owners?

HANG IN THERE! It is hard, and no one has it all figured out, so you are not alone. Standing in front of staff and being the person in charge is STRESSFUL. Waking up every morning wondering what we are doing is oddly normal. Hating it on Tuesdays is valid ...take a nap! We are human and imperfect, and we also have much to learn. Remain open-minded to your staff feedback, show yourself grace, and always be ready to learn and grow from experiences. It is the only way to survive and thrive.

Q. Anything exciting coming up for Cheer Athletics Austin?

Always! We are cheerleaders! Our teams have been working since July on routines that they will compete for a final time in April/May at Cheerleading Worlds for our worlds team, Allstar Summit for our Junior and Senior teams, and Allstar Worlds for our Youth teams at Disney in Orlando. Unfortunately, it is why I cannot attend the 2023 Girl Flock Party, so please forgive me. I cannot wait to meet everyone soon.

Q. Where do you see your business in 5 years?

We want to continue to be where we are, doing what we are doing, and changing lives one eight count at a time. If you know, you know.