Cheer Athletics

Cheer Athletics
Founded	1994
Located in	Dallas, Texas
Team colors	Royal Blue, Black and White
Owner(s)	Jody Melton Angela Rogers Brad Habermel
Championships	10 IASF World Championships, 23 Worlds Medals, 65 NCA National Titles
No. of teams	20

Cheer Athletics, located in Dallas, TX is one of the largest all-star cheerleading program in the United States, with over 500 athletes competing on 20 teams. They have won 10 World Championships at The Cheerleading Worlds sponsored by the USASF, and hundreds of local and national competitions making them arguably the most accomplished program as well.^[1] In 2007, their owner/coaches were ranked #1 in the country by American Cheerleader Magazine's list of the 25 Most Influential People in All-Star Cheerleading. They have won a total of 65 National Titles from the National Cheerleaders Association and have 23 medals from the USASF Worlds, both of which lead all other programs.

History

1994-1995

Cheer Athletics began in the spring of 1994 when co-founders Jody Melton and Angela Rogers began their first practice with 2 athletes at a local park in Plano, TX. While their beginnings may have been small, the goal was huge - build the largest, most prestigious all-star program in the country. Within weeks they had added new athletes, rented space at a "real" gym (the now-defunct Cheerobics Center in Richardson, TX), and started entering competitions. Things began to pick up by the spring of 1995 as Cheer Athletics had won its first national title in the NCA Open Division. Coached and choreographed by Jody, with help from Angela and future CA coaches, the Texas All-Stars (later known as the Cheetahs) was the first NCA Open Division National Champion. Not only was this their first national title, it was the first victory for Cheer Athletics at any competition.

1995-1996 The 1995-¬96 season brought many new challenges. CA was growing in leaps and bounds, and had more than tripled in size since nationals. Kristi Schimpf and Brandon Brock joined the staff as lead choreographer and tumbling coach for CA's 3 main teams ¬ Panthers, Tigers, Jags. CA now had a total of 58 athletes and was tasting its first success at local and regional competitions. In an effort to further the image and increase their name recognition, CA needed a logo that was recognizable around the country. "When people see their logo, I want them to immediately think of Cheer Athletics and associate us with being the absolute best," Jody explained. After hours of work on the computer, the original CA Claw was born.

1996-1997

Brad Habermel and Gianni DeNegri joined the CA coaching staff in 1996 and brought a winning experience and coaching knowledge that was needed with CA's five teams: Cats, Jags, Tigers, Panthers, and Wildcats. CA was becoming more and more well known and imitated. The traditional CA cheer debuted at the 1997 NCA All-Star Nationals and has become a part of the legacy of Cheer Athletics.

1997-1998

By now, CA was the largest program in the country with 8 teams: Cats, Jags, Tigers, Sabres, Cougars, Panthers, Wildcats, and Cheetahs. Despite their size and growing reputation, they still had no place to call their own. They had been renting out space in various gyms in the area: Cheerobics, Southwest Gymnastics, and the NCA SuperCenter. Plans were made in 1997 to begin looking for the CA gym. By the spring of 1998, Cheer Athletics moved into its own practice facility; a former baseball training center just down the street from NCA's main offices. After moving mounds of dirt and painting over the lime green walls, Cheer Athletics finally had its own 14,000-square-foot (1,300 m²) home.

1998-1999

As Cheer Athletics expanded, there were now 13 teams in the CA Family: KittyKats, Cats, Jags, Bengals, Bobcats, Tigers, Thundercats, Sabres, Bearcats, Panthers, Pumas, Wildcats, and Cheetahs. Interested in this up-and-coming program, the New York Times Production Company sent a film crew to feature two Cheer Athletics teams in a documentary, "On the Inside: Cheerleading" which aired the Discovery Channel.

1999-2000

Cheer Athletics continued to grow at a startling pace. Soon, they had outgrown their gym and were looking for another. After months of searching, Cheer Athletics moved into its current facility in April 2000. They now had the largest state-of-the-art cheerleading training center in the country. The facility would be large enough to hold all 4 gyms that CA had trained in previously. CA also added 2 more teams to the rosters: KittyKubs and Cubs. Through continued hard work by athletes and coaches, Cheer Athletics had claimed over 30 team titles by the conclusion of the 1999-2000 season.

2000-2001

The 2000-2001 season began with a bang. 350 athletes participated in tryouts for the all-star teams. Two more teams were born into the CA family: Kittens and FierceKatz. Not only was the CA family still growing, but also the skill level of each athlete was improving even faster than before. This was largely due to the strong coaching staff and the equipment that was available for every athlete to utilize. The 2000-2001 season was their strongest ever and they brought their team national championship total to 53, which included wins in many of the toughest divisions at the toughest nationals.

2001-2002

This season was the strongest year in their program's history. With a great tryout and camp (again at sunny Galveston) they were off and running. They had actually made the tough decision to cut down the number of teams this year in order to better be able to focus on the athletes and the performances. This really helped us throughout the year at the various competitions. They had planned to compete across the country, with trips to both the east coast and west coast. That changed with the tragic events of September 11. They decided to take a year off from flying and traveling and focus on the competitions in Texas. This paid off in a big way, as they won more national titles than any other program has ever won in a single year. They won 7 divisions at NCA - beating their own record of 4 in a single season. They also won the NCA Grand Championship for the third year in a row. With titles at ACA, American Championships, Cheer America, and Cheer Power, they brought home a staggering 33 team national championship titles during this single season, bringing their overall total to 86. (Team championships only, this does not reflect a large number of individual, partner stunt, and group stunt titles)

2002-2003 02-03 was another incredible year for the athletes at Cheer Athletics. As the world of All-Star Cheerleading grows and grows, they have to work even harder to stay on top. An amazing season with 30 national championships helped CA retain its crown as the top program in the world. They take their overall title count to 116 - despite going to fewer national competitions than the year before. They set several marks for excellence this year. The Jags won their 6th NCA National Championship in a row - the first cheerleading program in history to reach that mark. The Panthers won the NCA Grand Championship with a 9.77, giving CA the coveted Grand Champion trophy. (CA has won each year of the award's ftheir year history.) Bengals also won NCA for the second year in a row and Wildcats win for the 3rd time - giving them the Large Coed title more times than any current program. Their two open teams each placed second with amazing routines. It is interesting to note that EACH coed open team had at least one former CA athlete on it. There were also CA Alumson the top 3 All-Girl open teams. CA Athletes continue to excel even after their days with us.

2003-2004

This year was the most successful year to date, with a record 39 National Titles in a single year. Every regular team came away with at least one national championship during this amazing season. Jags continued their amazing streak by winning their 7th NCA National Championship in a row. Bengals also extended their streak to an impressive 3 in a row. This year also marked a historic event in cheerleading. CA was invited to the inaugural USASF World Championships. This competition was open to top finishers in major national competitions during the season. The athletes competed against the top teams in the country and won the first-ever World Championship. The addition of 2 strong coaches had a huge impact on the success of the athletes. Joe O'Toole and Jason McMahan had each been the directors of their respective all-star programs prior to coming to Cheer Athletics and each brought with them a wealth of knowledge and experience. Their strong coaching staff, combined with the great facility, really helps their athletes achieve their true potential

2004-2005

After the 03-04 season, CA finally outgrew the Hillguard location. They searched for months to find the perfect combination of location and facility and finally settled on the 1st Street complex. With 40,000 square feet (3,700 m²) of "pure" gym space, plus a spacious office area and lobby they had found the perfect spot. Moving and setting up all of equipment took hundreds of man hours, but the result was fantastic - the largest, most state-of-the-art cheer facility in the world!

2005-2006

Their largest and most successful tryout to date yielded a fantastic set of teams for the 05-06 season. New athletes and even some new coaches helped CA achieve the top season in history. A boatload of national titles and an unprecedented 3 World Championships at the USASF Worlds in April put Cheer Athletics alone at the top of the All-Star world. No program has had more National or World Championships in the toughest divisions at the toughest competitions.

Teams

They currently have 17 teams, ranging in age from 5 to adult. They have 4 coed teams, and 6 level 5 teams, the highest level allowed for athletes under 18. They also have 9 teams who have taken home gold medals at the Cheerleading Worlds.
Teams for the 2010-2011:
Itty Bitty Kitties Tiny Level 1
Bobcats Mini Level 1
Bearkatz Junior Level 1
Leopards Youth Level 2
Katz Junior Level 2
Lions Youth Level 3
Lynx Junior Level 3
Cougars Senior Co-ed Level 3
Thundercats Junior Level 4
Tigers Senior Level 4
Pumas- Level 5
Wondercats Youth Level 5
Jags Junior Co-ed Level 5
Panthers Small Senior Level 5
Fiercekatz Senior International All-Girl Level 5
Cheetahs Senior Medium Co-ed Level 5
Wildcats Senior International Co-ed Level 5
Superkatz Senior Level 6


Some of teams from the past:
Kitty Kats Mini Level 2
Sabers Senior Level 2
Prowlers Small Senior Level 4
Bengals Small Junior Level 5 (7 time Back-To-Back NCA Champions)
JungleCats Senior Co-ed Level 5

Alumni

Alumni from Cheer Athletics have gone to cheer for many colleges.

Cirque Du Soleil

• Tye Hill
• Travis Schumaker

University of Arizona

• Irazmi Perez

University of Arkansas

• Brittany Hubbard

Baylor University

• Stefani Crabtree
• John Gillis (coach)
• Katie Kampen
• Jody Melton
• Kip Sanders (coach)
• Troy Steakley (mascot)

University of Central Arkansas

• Marissa Shultz

University of Central Oklahoma

• Rachel Wysong

Dallas Cowboys

• Bobbi Claar
• Stefani Crabtree
• Heather Dunn
• Audrea Ulmer

Dallas Desperados

• Bobbi Claar
• Brooke Dallafior
• Heather Fuller
• Brittany George
• Kindle Martin
• Brittany Smith
• Dallas Desperados
• Kindle Martin
• Bri Menard

Florida Atlantic University

• Anita Pluto

Georgia Tech University

• Louis Darrouzet
• Oliver Mullin

Grambling University

• Victoria Allen

University of Hawaii

• Darren McCoy
• Joni Oehlerking

Hawaii Pacific University

• Sierra Jenkins
• Beka Johnson
• Amber Loeffler
• Joni Oehlerking
• Matt Parkey (coach)
• Brittney Segars
• T Thomason (coach)

Hofstra University

• Krisler Bailey

University of Houston

• Hosea Bassey
• Whitney Foster
• Rachel Mason
• Christian Muniz
• Dusty Windsor

Howard Payne University

• Nancy Lockhart

Iowa State University

• DeShaun Carter

Jacksonville College

• Brandon Brock
• Chris McNabb

University of Kansas

• Lizzie Bellinger
• Lauren Carlen
• DeShaun Carter (coach)
• Jason Dollar
• Beth Schnieders

University of Kentucky

• Kristy Vaughan

Liberty University

• Charlee Daniell

Long Beach Statev

• Eric Little
• Taylon Richards
• Shannon Stotz

Lon Morris College

• Jason Stickney

University of Louisville

• Trey Beatty
• Lea Botter
• Thomas Boudreaux
• Hillary Bridges
• Gianni DeNegri
• Julie Dunn
• Demo Garrett
• Delisa Gonzales
• Brad Habermel
• Dusty Lee
• Matt McGrath
• Alexis Mooney
• Emily Reed
• Matt Parkey
• Shannon Stotz
• Craig Tatum
• Dusty Windsor
• April Weaver

University of Missouri

• Corey Jones

Mississippi College

• Charlee Daniell

Navarro College

• Stephanie Allen
• Dennis Beeman
• Lea Botter
• Jamie Brierton
• Chess Britt
• Krystle Brown
• Matt Brown
• Thomas Boudreaux
• Guy Burkett
• Whitney Burton
• Michael Curtis
• Rachel Dodd
• Kyle Eades
• Brian Goldberg
• Joseph Gonzales
• Jesse Guajardo
• Amber Gore
• Jeremy Gunter
• Bill Harp
• Sierra Jenkins
• Ryan Johnson
• Parker Jones
• Tyler Keith
• Matt Larson
• Angela Lee
• Adrianna Mendo
• Darren McCoy
• Levi Mott
• Josh Newman
• Richard Oaxaca
• Matt Parkey
• Shawn Perry
• Kristen Powers
• Emily Reed
• Angela Rotondo
• Doug Samples
• Lars Sampson
• Jacob Shew
• Lisa Smith
• Matt Sturko
• Matt Sipko
• Ashley Tucker
• Brian Williams

University of Nebraska

• Corey Jones
• Frank Koch
• Adrianna Mendo
• Shawn Perry
• Katie Potts
• Josh Rangel
• Shealea Skoog
• Tommy Stockton
• Shannon Young

New Orleans/OKC Hornets (NBA)

• Crystal Celsur

North Carolina State University

• Annette Ramirez
• Harold Short

Northeastern University

• Craig LeMay

University of North Texas

• Krisler Bailey
• Blair Bryant
• Shannon Cajayon
• Justin Carrier
• Charlee Daniel
• Brent DeRussett
• Rachel Dodd
• Chelsie Futrell
• Brooke Gregory
• Gerald Ladner
• Rishard Landers
• Michael McCray
• Ashlie Mills
• Jenny Niezgoda
• Annette Ramirez
• Scott Rosen
• J.P. Schnitzius
• Lisa Satagaj
• Terri Schureman
• Crystal Solis
• Erin Turner
• Lauren Vasquez
• Kristy Vaughan
• Kristen Ware
• Bryan Williams
• Lindsay Willis
• Zach Woodlee
• Karen Youngblood
• Ashleigh Zamora

University of Oklahoma

• Zac Brannon
• Amy Budd
• Stephanie Burgess
• Guy Burkett
• Michele Crosby
• Lindsay Crabbe
• Aaron Cox
• Gianni DeNegri
• Lauren Faulkner
• Ashley Fulks
• Justin Gelso
• Brittany George
• Hermes Gil
• Nicole Grazier
• Jeb Harris
• Ashley Howard
• Lindsay Itz
• Dusty Lee
• John Luce
• Courtney Lutz
• Kara Magee
• Jarid McLaughlin
• Telisha Mooney
• Mandy Myers
• Joe O'Toole
• David Owens
• Anita Pluto
• Nathan Ramsey
• David Roberts
• Randy Royse
• Katie Seikel
• Mandy Shaw
• Shannon Six
• Sara Spiegler
• Nick Smith
• Starr Smith
• Kyle Sparks
• Madison Swicegood
• Melissa Tucker
• David Urmi
• OJ Williams
• Ashley Windham
• Kimi Winkler
• Rachel Wysong
• Christy Youngblood

Oklahoma State University

• Breann Loep
• Jerry Mauldin
• Adam Maheney
• Heath Miller
• Jamie Mitcham
• Emily Murrell
• Brandy Nelson
• Whitney Ryon
• Travis Schumacher
• Matt Skorcz
• Joe O'Toole
• Mandy Wideman

Palomar Junior College

• Kristy Von Runnen
• Shannon Stotz

Paris Junior College

• Tara Hill
• Mark Skembo

Rose State College

• Gianni DeNegri
• Nita Pluto

Sam Houston State University

• Sarah Nicholson
• Brandi Norris

Southern Methodist University

• Zach Brannon (coach)
• Piper Chollar (coach)
• Jodi Galperin
• Darren McCoy (coach)
• Bri Menard
• Ambrel Mitchell
• Sarah Rabjohns (coach)
• Brett Ritter
• Angela Rogers
• Kristen Smith
• Stephanie Spurgeon
• Brittney Stovall
• Jason Stickney
• Amanda Yarussi

UC-San Diego
Irazmi Perez (coach)

University of South Carolina

• Joe O'Toole
• Pat Wedge

Stephen F. Austin State University

• Tamrah Boren
• Misty Brown
• Cami Chandler
• Lonnie Coates
• Brandon Cruz
• Eric Cruz
• Doug Daigle
• Jeff Dickerson (coach)
• Craig Dickerson (coach)
• Krystle Dodson
• Kyle Eades
• Amber Gore
• Brooke Gregory
• David Griffin
• Aubrey Hale
• Shawna Harding
• Heather Harrington
• Kim Johnson
• Scott Johnson
• Emily Jones
• Jennifer Kadura
• Aaron Kuhn
• Kerenina Nelson
• Matt Nelson
• Jessica Nicely
• April Nix
• Meagan O'Conner
• Trisha O'Conner
• Melissa Orr
• Jamie Osburn
• Sara Rabjohns
• Doug Samples
• Morgan Savage
• Jacob Shew
• Matt Sipko
• Jason Stickney
• Dustin Stevens
• Matthew Sturko (coach)
• John Von Runnen

Erykah Ward

• April Weaver
• Hayley Williams

Texas A&M Commerce

• Krystle Brown
• Bill Harp
• Tyra Ogle

Texas Christian University

• Melissa Brown
• Charlee Daniell (coach)
• Candace Tribe
• Karen Youngblood

University of Texas (Austin)

• Sarah Bearden
• Tollie Bernard
• Laura Bingelli
• Nicole Callen
• Summer Chase
• Matt Cherry
• Jason Coel
• Chris Dauwe
• Philip Dauwe
• Halea Freeman
• John Gillis
• Lindsey Gorton
• Hannah McDow
• Russell Miller
• Jamie Osburn
• Candace Powers
• Anita Pluto
• Kip Sanders
• Craig Tatum
• Pat Wedge (coach)
• Rychelle Works

A.J. Zelinski

University of Texas (Dallas)

• Heather Ely

Texas State

• Lindsey Jones
• Angie Rabal
• Jenny Williams

Texas Tech University

• Jordan Feucht
• Kelly Floyd
• Laureen Hutchins
• Kelly Jones
• Anne Lowe
• Casey Martin
• Jerry Mauldin
• Scott Rosen
• Jana Seibold
• Tiffany Young

Trinity Valley Community College

• Amy Budd
• Cami Chandler
• Megan Centeno
• Josh Cordell
• Craig Dickerson
• Jeff Dickerson
• Rob Flebbe
• Shaun Hanlin
• Matt Hood
• Sonya Kongdara
• Adam Mahaney
• Desiree Matchen
• Brandy Nelson
• Polly Newell
• Andrew Rodriguez
• Matt Salcedo
• Kim Thornton
• Erykah Ward
• Allison Wells

University of Tulsa

• Pete Brennan

Vanderbilt University

• Sarah Jenkins
• Mary Shumake

Weber State University

• Taylon Richards

Wayland Baptist University

• Dustin Stephens

West Texas A&M
Dustin Stephens

Cheerleading Worlds Results

	year	team	score	place	division
	2004	Cheer Athletics Supercats	455.5	1st place	Senior All Girl
	2005	Cheer Athletics Supercats	89.2	2nd place	Large Senior All Girl
	2005	Cheer Athletics Wildcats	92.7	2nd place	Large Senior Coed
	2006	Cheer Athletics Jags	86.44	1st place	Small Senior All Girl
	2006	Cheer Athletics Panthers	87.83	1st place	Large Senior All Girl
	2006	Cheer Athletics Wonder Cats	83.33	8th place	Small Senior Coed
	2006	Cheer Athletics Wildcats	93.06	1st place	Large Senior Coed
	2007	Cheer Athletics Jags	80.80	6th place	Small Senior All Girl
	2007	Cheer Athletics Panthers	90.47	2nd place	Large Senior All Girl
	2007	Cheer Athletics Wildcats	93.25	2nd place	Large Senior Coed
	2008	Cheer Athletics Fiercekatz	93.25	1st place	International Open All Girl
	2008	Cheer Athletics Pumas	U/K	1st place	International Small Open Coed
	2008	Cheer Athletics Jungle Cats	U/K	3rd place	International Large Open Coed
		Cheer Athletics Wildcats	U/K	4th Place	Large Senior Unlimited Coed
	2008	Cheer Athletics Panthers	U/K	7th place	Large Senior All Girl
	2009	Cheer Athletics Wildcats	U/K	1st place	International Open Coed
	2009	Cheer Athletics Fiercekatz	U/K	1st place	International Open All Girl
	2009	Cheer Athletics Jags	U/K	1st place	International Junior Coed
	2009	Cheer Athletics Panthers	U/K	2nd place	Large Senior All-Girl

Publicity

They have received much publicity, and have been in various documentaries such as Discovery Channel Documentary, Discovery Health Channel Documentary, ESPN Cheerleading Documentary, and HBO Inside Sports. They have also been featured in American Cheerleader magazine, All-star Cheer Magazine, Inside Cheerleading Magazine, Texas Cheerleader Magazine, and Cheer Dance Drill Magazine 2004.

References

1. ^ "25 Most Influential #1:Jody Melton, Brad Habermel and Angela Rogers Cheer Athletics Owners & coaches", 2007 All Star Insider 5: 23, 2007