FOR THE KIDS Legacy Rebels

Cheer & Tumbling

When most people think of cheerleading, people cheering on the sidelines of sporting events is the first image that comes to mind. Legacy Rebels Cheer & Tumble of Flatonia exists because there is so much more to being a competitive cheerleader than just cheering on other people. Participants spend hours consistently working to perfect this routine before competing with it. Hours of practice, multiple days a week for months at a time to get it just right for competition season.

“It’s an actual sport,” said Emily Garza, founder and owner of Legacy Rebels. “They compete and it’s really vigorous. We’ve already started making their routine for this year and it’s a whole year commitment. They’re in the gym about four to six hours a week.

“We have one team this year, our competition team, which is a group of eight. They’re going to go to San Antonio, Dallas and Galveston for competitions this year.”

The idea for Legacy Rebels developed as a result of Emily’s lifelong passion for cheer.

“I have had a love for cheer my whole life,” Emily shared. “I started in fifth grade with tumbling at a gym in my hometown of Victoria. I cheered throughout middle school and high school. I was always at the gym and it’s just something that I really loved. My teaching career started in Schulenberg. I was in high school, I believe I was 15, and I was asked to come help with classes at the fitness center. Eventually I was given classes to teach on my own. Today, I employ 15 people here at Legacy Rebels. The youngest students we have are two-years-old and the oldest we take are 18.”

Although Legacy Rebels spends a lot of time on the road, Emily and her students find time to be a part of their local community.

“We attend all of the local events like 90 Miles on 90 and Czhilipiel,” Emily added. “It’s a big thing for us. There’s also the talent show. We put together a routine and do it free of charge. It’s something really fun for them and that definitely gets our name out there by showing people what we do. Last year, we won first place at the talent show so they were really excited about that. We also hold camps for the public, host clinics and do free events as well. Last Friday, we had a family game night here. We had a few new kids come in; they got to see the gym and learn what we’re about.”

And including absolutely everyone is the ultimate goal at Legacy Rebels.

“It’s not just a girl thing,” Emily said. “We have classes for little boys and dads, like jujitsu, that we call ‘ninja class.’ We also hope to reach more boys when we grow our competition cheer team because they’re a great asset to have on board.”

Being a part of the community is vital to the success of Legacy Rebels. After all, Emily believes that she’s simply repaying a community that continues to support her venture in every way possible.

“The people of Flatonia have supported me beyond measure,” Emily added. “I’ve really grown to love Flatonia. The town has definitely invited me with welcoming arms. I’ve had help from so many people. I’ve made really good connections with the kids’ parents, even to the point where they invite me to their extra things like ballet recitals and softball games.

“I would say the most important thing about us here is that we try to be super inclusive and a good thing for the youth in our community. We really love having the kids and they’re what makes the gym. I think we’ve built a great thing here … I hope to continue it for them and leave a legacy.”

Legacy Rebels Cheer & Tumble is located at 618 North Grange Street and online on Facebook.