Air Force One

Find out how a woman with little experience and no money started one of the largest all-star gyms in the nation.

By Kathleen Hager

CBN Aug/Sept 2009

I have a problem with the industry being all about the win. We want this to be about what the kids get from competing.”

–Nicole Leago-Devall, owner, University Cheer Air Force

She’s always had an intense passion for coaching and a habit of making fearless decisions, so it’s no surprise that Nicole Leago-Devall brought Houston-based University Cheer Air Force as far as she has. The program progressed slowly and business was definitely scary at times, but the rewards she’s reaped from taking a chance and opening her own cheer gym have made the struggles worthwhile, and she’s never stopped believing in the difference she could make.

Inspiration Station

Just like the sport of cheerleading, Leago-Devall found her inspiration in cheer legend Lawrence “Herkie” Herkimer. In 1980, she went to NCA camp with her “Little League” squad (a drill team meant to prepare young cheerleaders for 8^th-grade tryouts). At camp, she learned about being a good person, having great sportsmanship and forming team camaraderie. “Then Lawrence Herkimer showed up,” she says. “He did his Herkie jump, and it was so inspirational. I fell in love with that dream, and what he and the NCA staff represented became what I wanted.” That was all the motivation she needed to take things to the next level.

“Early on, I realized I would rather coach cheerleading than do anything else,” says Leago-Devall. When she became a high school cheerleader, she began to coach that same Little League squad, and something just clicked. “I knew I loved it,” she says. “Making a difference with those kids became so important to me.”

Leago-Devall had big plans for herself after graduation, like attending The University of Texas with her friends and earning a degree. Unfortunately, her parents’ business was having financial troubles, making higher education and a university squad unattainable. Not being a UCA or NCA camp staffer, either, left her with only high school cheer credentials. “I didn’t have the experience, my parents were in financial peril and I was living on my own at 17, but I had passion,” she says. “It’s not like I graduated high school and said, ‘I’m going to open a cheer gym.’ There were no cheer gyms at the time.” But that didn’t stop her from incorporating cheer into everything she did from that point on.

Ground Zero

After high school, Leago-Devall began working at Acro Sports Gym, a gymnastics facility in Houston, TX, where she created her own cheerleading skills class. “Within the first month, all my classes were full,” she says. Before she knew it, she had 150 students, which turned into two all-star teams—something most people hadn’t heard much about. “All-stars was a very new idea,” she says. “Paying for cheerleading was a very new idea.” And in 1991, just like that, University Cheer Air Force (UCAF) was born.

At the time, NCA was opening super centers across the country. When one arrived in Houston, NCA sought out individuals with large local networks. At the time, Leago-Devall was in charge of 450 kids at a summer youth cheer camp for the Little League teams in her area on top of coaching at Acro. NCA took one look at her role in the local cheer community and offered her a job.

NCA offered her many opportunities, but Leago-Devall had her sights set on management. “At first I was out of consideration,” she says. “I wasn’t male, and I didn’t cheer in college or have a degree, so I didn’t fit the bill.” Considering her connection to the community and the hard work she was putting in, it didn’t take long for her supervisors to realize she was the right person for the job. “They went through several people who weren’t putting in the work I did and didn’t have the creativity or pull with the kids,” says Leago-Devall. “They eventually hired me as the acting manager. All the while, I had my own all-star teams that weren’t a part of the NCA Super Center.”

While Leago-Devall was being pulled in different directions, and UCAF was still in its infancy, NCA was about to make a move that would give her program the legs it needed to run. “NCA said they were getting out of the gym business, so I asked if I could take over the lease,” she says. “I went to a bank [to apply for a loan] since I had no money, and it was pretty scary. I thought, ‘Can I really do this? Yes. I know I can’t finance a bag of Cheetos, but I can do this.’ ” And she did. The bank loaned her the money, and she was able to take over the lease and buy all of the gym’s equipment.

Becoming UCAF

Once UCAF got off the ground, it took perseverance to build a reputation in competitive cheerleading. They went to NCA Nationals for the first time in 1993 but didn’t even make it to finals until 1997. “How did I get them to stay in cheerleading when I couldn’t get them to day two?” Devall says. “That was the only reason we got better. The kids worked toward their goal to make finals. Sometimes your failures are what push you.”

One of UCAF’s most memorable wins was their first appearance at UCA Nationals in 2000. Leago-Devall combined two of her squads into one Large Senior All-Girl team, put the routine together in only seven practices, and they took home first place. In 2005, they had their first NCA win with their Youth Level 5 team. “We were the first gym from Houston to win an NCA Level 5 title,” she says. “Other Houston coaches said to us, ‘You broke the glass ceiling. Now we can all move forward.’ ”

When only a few years earlier they were virtually unknown outside Houston, UCAF’s Junior International Coed squad took home first place at the Cheerleading Worlds in 2008. While they’ve earned great wins, they keep in mind that it’s not the most important thing. “I have a problem with the industry being all about the win,” says Leago-Devall. “We want this to be about what the kids [ITAL: get] from competing.”

It took baby steps and a lot of patience, but UCAF is now one of the largest all-star programs in the country, with 17 teams comprising 430 athletes. “I never thought it would be where it is today,” says Leago-Devall. She emphasizes that her program grew because the kids continued to pour in on their own. “I’ve never [ITAL: once] done any advertising,” she says. “Our goal was to create an environment where kids in high school could come in and be judged only on their work ethic. It doesn’t matter what kind of car they drive, how much money their parents have or if they’re valedictorian. It’s not political. It’s not a popularity contest. We wanted to create a place for them to work hard and be rewarded. It just caught on and kept growing.”

UCAF’s stellar reputation was all the advertising the program needed. “People saw our program, the professionalism and drive we had, and they came to our gym from others because we offered a better product,” Leago-Devall says. “For us, it’s a cause; it’s an organization. I never treated it like a business. It’s about these kids getting encouragement and developing into better people. You can’t put a price on that.”

Leago-Devall’s outlook on cheer also contributed to the program’s growth. For example, she’s a fervent supporter of school cheerleading. Her gym trains 14 different schools, totaling 28 squads, each year. “You’re a school cheerleader first, then an all-star cheerleader,” she says. “We have a lot of support from the schools. We train their squads and do their choreography. It’s been huge in getting kids into our all-star facility. You can’t buy that kind of marketing.”

UCAF also tries to branch out from the norm, whether it’s choosing a new one-piece uniform or performing in a foreign country. In 2002, the gym took a trip to China, where they put on 12 performances, and the Chinese government picked up the tab. “Sometimes our program offers experiences that you can’t get just going to a competition,” says Leago-Devall. “It’s not just about what we do at the gym and winning or losing. That gets boring, especially in today’s times. We’re trying to do what no one else is doing.”

Price Check

In an industry where monthly tuitions and fees are steadily rising, UCAF manages to be the exception. Perhaps this is because hitting a big payday was never an issue for Leago-Devall. “I never focused on how much money I would make,” she says. “I just worked really hard.” Seeing her parents go out of business showed her that sacrifice is necessary. “I probably could have made more money in my life if I’d thought about it, but I didn’t. I’m happier with what we developed because I focused on the right things. I paid myself less and employed better people.”

Because she employs a multitalented staff, parents can pay less, too. All of UCAF’s choreography and music is done in-house. “All our money goes into the coaches and keeping prices down,” says Leago-Devall. “We don’t spend a lot of money on outward work. Our gym is ugly, too. We don’t even have a sign.”

UCAF saves its parents money in other ways, too. There are no fees added on to tuition, the same uniforms are kept for years at a time and practices are held as infrequently as possible to save parents on gas.

These money-saving practices have been consistent since the beginning, not just since the economy took a nosedive, which surprisingly has had no effect on the program. “We were scared, but we actually went up in numbers,” says Leago-Devall. “When you’re a part of the kids’ lives and they’re benefiting from the program, parents will do whatever it takes to make it work.”

Team Captain

Leago-Devall attributes the gym’s success mostly to her staff, which is why they’re such a priority to her. She has a very low turnover rate, and no one has ever left the gym to start his or her own company, a unique occurrence in the all-star world. And it’s no coincidence that many of the staff members were once UCAF athletes. “This is the program that was in their hearts as kids,” she says. “It works because they have your work ethic, you know them better than anyone and they’re loyal.”

Leago-Devall manages her employees like she would manage a squad. “I’m the captain, but since we’ve built this all together, it’s not about anyone in particular,” she says. “There are no egos, and everyone has something to say, something to add. That environment makes my staff more creative and inspired.”

One staff member has been Leago-Devall’s right hand longer than any other: Edgar Ruiz. Soon he’ll own half the company. While at press time he wasn’t yet a partner on paper, he and Devall have been 50/50 on everything regarding UCAF. “We share the same ethics and drive,” she says. “He was the manager, but this season he’s stepping up and making those big decisions. He could have worked anywhere, but he’s very loyal, and he’s a way better coach. He’s going to be a great asset to us.”

The Road Ahead

With Ruiz helping to run the gym, Leago-Devall will have more time on her hands to start new projects. She has three acres of property at her disposal in Houston,

which she’s never built on, and that’s where UCAF plans to build its new gym. It will also have separate businesses attached, including a gymnastics or dance training facility or a shopping center. “It could get our staff involved in new things,” she says. “A lot of our people have degrees and want to start their own businesses, and our facility will help them with that.”

She won’t be stopping there. Leago-Devall also plans to start a nonprofit organization providing education and scholarships for kids who want to cheer in college. “We can offer information for 8th grade and high school cheerleaders to guide them in learning about how to become a college cheerleader—what skills and grades they’ll need, which programs are the best, how to get scholarship money, etc.,” she says. “We’ll raise money, get businesses involved for donations, and we’ll make scholarships for any Houston all-star program available through our organization, too. I want to promote cheerleading as a sport. There is nothing like it.”

While coaching is her first love, Leago-Devall wants to put more time into these new ventures to make her gym the best it can be. “You have to have an idea that’s bigger than you,” she says. “I always knew our goal was bigger than me.” No matter what she’s doing, she’ll always be at the heart of UCAF. “One time Edgar said to me, ‘Nicole, if you’re not with this company in 25 years, I want people to be able to say, ‘Look at what Nicole started.’ I want you to be our Lawrence Herkimer.’ ”