Inside Cheerleading April 2016 Preview

April 2016

The Cheer Athletics A.L.L.S.T.A.R. Icons Are...

Giving Back! +PLUS

U.S. $4.95 CAN $6.95

InsideCheer.com Display until May 31, 2016

|

April 2016

THE 2016 iC ULTIMATE UNIFORM CHALLENGE!1

april

32

Be Iconic

BY CHRISTY SANDMAIER

Cheer Athletics is well know on the competition mat, but did you know the program also makes huge moves off the mat? Get a glimpse into Cheer Athletics’ rise to the top of the All Star World, and their iconic A.L.L.S.T.A.R. program, which is sparking a new spirit across the industry.

58 42

STEEL-ing The Show

Awesomeness TV’s newest series, Cheerleaders - Steel Rays, follows The Stingray Allstars Large Coed Level 5 team throughout the 2015-2016 competition season. Check out what two of the Steel Rays athletes (and stunt partners), Shelly Lynch and Blase Rhine, had to say about this AWESOME opportunity.

44

Athlete To Artist With Cody Tengler

We catch up with former Cheer Central Suns athlete, now Le Rêve performer, Cody Tengler.

Here, he discusses how he got his start in the All Star industry and his transition to the stage!

48

Team iC Presents: The 2016 Ultimate Uniform Challenge

The guys and gals of Team iC strike a pose and show off the one-of-a-kind designs created for this year’s Annual Ultimate Uniform Challenge!

Cheering For a Cause

It was another successful year for CHEERSPORT Nationals! Here, we recap the opening night festivities and congratulate the winners of Friday Night Live!

70

ON THE COVER REAGAN WEST, POSITIVE P, LEXI GOODMAN, KENNEDY HUTCHINS, MADISON THOMPSON, DILLON BRANDT, MADI DAVIS & AMBER PICKENS PHOTOGRAPHED BY AJK IMAGES

Finding the Right Camp for You!

Are you thinking of attending camp this summer?

With so many options out there, it can be a tough decision choosing the right one. Check out our tips that you should consider when picking the perfect camp!

74

Gear Up for Camp!

Summer camp is just around the corner and nothing brings a squad together better than a clean, fresh, unified look! Check out some of these great options that will have your team heading to ‘Cheer Camp 2016’ in STYLE!

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE PUBLISHER’S PAGE THE BUZZ LATEST AND GREATEST FASHION FORWARD COSMETICS CORNER READY TO ROCK iC’S MVCS JUNIOR CHEER TODAY’S CHEERLEADER SPREADING GOOD CHEER PARTING SHOT

14 20 22 24 26 28 30 76 78 80 83

Fashion FORWARD

Looks We! Love

iC is loving all of the recent uniform trends that have been making a splash this season. Here are just a few of our favorites...

Rhinestone Collars

Bold Statements

Unique Details

24

e Playing Off the Team Nam

Belted looks

Asymmetrical Styles

Strappy Backs

Shoulder Cutouts

Open Backs

Mesh Panels

April 2016

|

InsideCheer.com

FEATURE PHOTOS COURTESY AJK IMAGES

By Christy Sandmaier

One year and 2 ½ minutes to a National or World All Star cheerleading title translates into a lifetime of dedication. It’s way more than just being at the top of the pyramid, it’s about being at the top of your game and giving back in every part of life. Get a glimpse now, into Cheer Athletics’ rise to the top of the All Star world and iconic A.L.L.S.T.A.R. program sparking a new spirit across the industry.

W

alking into an All Star cheerleading competition has a larger than life feel. Pressure packed, loud, intense, it’s a serious sport and serious business. In All Star circles, Cheer Athletics is known as the best of the best. Framed for victory, everyone knows you go to Cheer Athletics to win. It’s expected. So often their presence is felt from the moment they step into an arena, and they compete with an aura of confidence. With team names such as Cheetahs, Panthers and Wildcats, an iconic logo and legendary team cheer, this gym has got it going on. They’re giants on the floor and growing all the time.

No other program has won more championships or had as many medalists. Sixty-one CA teams performed at the recent NCA competition in Dallas and they brought home at least one division title in every level.

Twelve new banners adorn the walls, serving as both congratulations for an amazing job and motivation for amazing things to come. Throughout the season, all four gyms have received multiple bids to The Summit.

With so many titles and trophies, Cheer Athletics could easily sit back and rest on their laurels, victories, and wait for their next crop of national champions to arrive. Instead, CA has recommitted themselves to not only producing champions at all levels, but producing strong people with strong character, focus and integrity. Their athletes understand giving back and paying it forward. Building strong children and young adults is a must. It’s the first thing you see on their website. For this gym, people and teamwork come first.

InsideCheer.com

|

April 2016

Homecoming

Cheer Athletics began in May of 1994 when co-founders Jody Melton and Angela Rogers ran their first practice with two athletes at a local park in Plano, Texas. Within weeks they added new athletes, rented space at a “real” gym and started entering competitions. While their beginnings may have been small, their goal was huge: to build the largest, most prestigious All Star program in the country.

Coached and choreographed by Melton and Rogers the Texas All Stars, now known as the Cheetahs, won the first NCA Open Division National Champion title in 1995. Not only was this their first national title, it was the first victory for Cheer Athletics at any competition. By 1998, CA was the largest program in the country with eight teams, but despite their size and growing reputation, they still had no place to call their own. That spring they moved to their own 14,000 square-foot practice facility home.

Their largest and most successful tryout to date yielded a fantastic set of teams for the 2005-06 season. A boatload of national titles to boot and an unprecedented three World Championships at the USASF Cheerleading Worlds that April, put CA alone at the top of the All Star world.

Now, 22 years and many growing pains later, they boast four locations and 76 different competitive teams. In 2013, CA Austin opened its doors, followed by CA Frisco and CA Charlotte in 2014.

What drives the Cheer Athletics brand is certainly victory and tradition, but the focus is on the athletes as people and a community.

33

2016

E T A M I T uL

e g n e l l a h c m r o f uni Ph ot os by AJ K Im ag es

/A nd re w Kn ow le s

It’s time again for our Annual iC Ultimate Uniform Challenge. We asked uniform companies to come up with unique and one-of-a-kind looks with the pink, black and white color scheme. The companies represented in this feature created some fabulous designs! We hope you enjoy this installment of the iC Ultimate Uniform Challenge, modeled by members of TEAM iC.

48

April 2016

|

InsideCheer.com

Cheerleading.com

CS-Athletic.com

Modeled By Tayler Figo

Modeled By Hayden Ashley Ward

GTM Sportswear

InsideCheer.com

|

April 2016

CS Athletic

Cheerleading.com

GTM Sportswear

GTMSportswear.com

GTMSportswear.com

Modeled By Kennedy Thames

Modeled By Constantine Madeckas

49

This past February, over 20,000 athletes, representing 35 different states and 140 divisions, competed at CHEERSPORT Nationals in Atlanta. The weekend kicked off Friday evening with Friday Night LIVE showcasing three events; So You Think You Can Stunt, So You Think You Can Tumble and CHEERSPORT’s Fan Favorite. Congratulations to this year’s winners!

Friday Night LIVE raised

OVER $43,000

for St. JudeTM Children’s Research Hospital!

SMALL DIVISION FAN FAVORITE WINNER Heat Athletics Firestorm

FEMALE JUNIOR Macie Dickey - ACX FEMALE SENIOR Angel Rice - The Stingray Allstars

58

MEDIUM DIVISION FAN FAVORITE WINNER CEA Ladies of Teal

MALE JUNIOR Duncan Jordan - One United MALE SENIOR Jackson Payne - ACX

LARGE DIVISION FAN FAVORITE WINNER Top Gun Large Coed

ALL GIRL Mia’s Group - Cheer Fusion COED Kealani and Tyler - Florida Top Dog

April 2016

|

InsideCheer.com

Find The Right Camp for

You!

ns out there, it can can have, but with so many optio kid a es enc eri exp st ate gre t are the Summer camp is one of p for you, make a list of things tha cam t fec per the d fin To e. on gle be daunting to look into every sin d... are a few ideas to get you starte re He . per cam a as u yo to ant import

It’s All About Timing

When you think of camp, do you envision yourself at a residential camp, or a day camp? This is one of the most important questions to ask yourself, and it can definitely help narrow down your options. Ask yourself if you’re ready for residential camp. Residential camp usually consists of a full week of overnight camp. If you’re not quite ready to take that plunge, consider a day camp, which typically lasts a few hours each day for a week.

Choose Your Focus

Do you want a cheer camp primarily focused on tumbling? Or do you want to learn everything there is to know about cheer? Narrowing your focus on what you’d really like to learn while at camp will be beneficial.

70

All For Fun, and Fun For All

It’s no secret that you’re attending camp to help improve your cheer skills, but do you want your camp to have other activities too? If so, there are tons of camps out there that offer other activities so you get a well-rounded camp experience! Maybe you want to spend some free-time in the great outdoors, or go horseback riding, whatever you choose, there’s a camp out there right for you!

The More the Merrier

Sure, you’ll meet a TON of new friends at camp, but it’s always nice to have someone by your side that you’re familiar with. Planning your camp adventure with a buddy will definitely help with any jitters you may have going into the first few days.

April 2016

|

InsideCheer.com

DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE ISSUE AND JOIN THE

#INSIDENATION

TODAY! 1. SEARCH “INSIDE CHEERLEADING” IN THE APP STORE. 2. DOWNLOAD THE APP! 3. PLACE YOUR ORDER. 4. THE CURRENT ISSUE WILL DOWNLOAD INTO YOUR NEWSSTAND.