Kids in the Hall (of Fame)

Check out this year’s USASF Hall of Fame inductees

By Kathleen Hager
CBN June/July 2010

Each year, the United States All-Star Federation (USASF) inducts the industry’s most influential individuals into its Hall of Fame to recognize them for their outstanding achievements in advancing all-star cheer. The organization’s website states, “The USASF Hall of Fame is a prestigious group of individuals who have made a profound impact on the all-star cheerleading and dance community. We cherish the members who have been inducted as they have made great the lives of so many cheerleaders and dancers in the world.”
This year, two very well-known all-star veterans have been honored with inductions into the Hall of Fame—Justin Carrier and Debbie Love. Keep reading to find out about their contributions to our sport and why they truly deserve the recognition.

Justin Carrier, VP for Varsity/NCA All-Star

Justin is one of the most knowledgeable individuals involved in all-star cheerleading today. Through his dedication to improve all-stars and his passion for the cheer industry, he’s been one of the most influential company leaders to shape all-star cheer during the last 10 years.” —Kevin Jones, president of Spirit Innovations, who presented Carrier’s award

After 16 years of devotion to the cheer industry, Carrier’s induction comes as no surprise. He’s been involved with the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) in some capacity during most of that time, and is now playing a vital role in NCA/Varsity All-Star as vice president. Although he’s had an obvious impact on the all-star world, the cheer veteran wasn’t expecting the Hall of Fame honor. “I was absolutely shocked,” he says. “I never would have considered the opportunity to be recognized, but I’m definitely honored that it’s happened. I think a lot of people don’t realize that everyone’s involvement in [the USASF] is [on a volunteer basis]. We do it because of our passion and our love for the sport. I really appreciate the recognition from the USASF.”
Through his many years of contribution, Carrier’s biggest impact has no doubt been in helping establish uniformity to the all-star rules and score sheets. In short, he’s helped make the sport safer and more fair. “I’ve worked hard with Les Stella and the [USASF] rules committee to establish consistent, safe rules,” he says. “It took many years, but the safety rules are in a good place, which allows the USASF to focus on newer, more long-term goals.” Carrier says Varsity is about to begin year two of its rules cycle, and he “still hopes everyone reaps the benefits of safety rules that don’t change.”
He’s also given athletes the chance to get the most out of their efforts. “I’ve always tried to be an open door to coaches and gym owners when it come to understanding scoring, safety updates and education,” Carrier continues. “Because I’ve been there as a coach, I know how important it is to give your athletes the best opportunity for success. It can be frustrating when your kids nail their routine at competition, but they’re not successful because you aren’t armed with accurate and complete information, like a recent clarification to a safety rule or understanding required elements in pyramids to max out the pyramid score.”
Besides the standardized score sheets, Carrier has aimed for the best possible competition experience by perfecting the competition itself. Since he began working with NCA’s competitive division in 2005, he’s seen NCA All-Star Nationals double in size. “I’ve poured my heart and soul into All-Star Nationals, trying to produce the perfect competition and constantly upgrade the coaches’ and athletes’ experience,” he says. “NCA Nationals is an emotional time for me, as it’s very important to me that coaches and teams feel like they’re getting a fair shake by the judges. I’m proud that I’ve been an instrumental part of NCA’s growth and success.”
Sure, Carrier’s helped NCA’s all-star competitions flourish, but to him it’s more than numbers. “What keeps me passionate is knowing that the events we produce mean the [ital: world] to these athletes,” he says. “I love getting to announce the awards at Nationals and break the great news to the first-place team that they’re the NCA National Champion. Watching their emotional reaction reminds me how special my job is.”
While he’s in it for the kids, Carrier’s specific goals change every season. This year, he’s been focused on his role with Varsity All-Star to coordinate the efforts of its various competition brands. “Every brand brings something unique to the industry,” he says. “One of my biggest goals is to find ways for the brands to benefit from their Varsity affiliation, while still retaining the individuality that makes them the successful brands they are.”

Debbie Love, international tumbling coach and trainer

If there was such a thing, [Debbie Love] would be called Silent Thunder. Her expertise goes beyond what anyone could expect, and she’s a master of her craft with the deepest humility. Her names fits well.” —Elaine Pascale

Debbie Love has been an asset to the all-star industry for decades. She’s competed, coached and judged both gymnastics and cheer for the past 40 years, and during that time she’s also helped countless athletes perfect their skills through her expert training. While acting as the strength and conditioning chair on the USASF’s National Advisory Board (NAB) and directing the tumbling program at Showtime Spirit in Lexington, KY, Love spends much of her time traveling the country and, more recently, the world, training cheer gyms in skills like tumbling, injury prevention, flexibility, and sports psychology, to name only a few.
Love has also imparted her tumbling and sports psychology wisdom through her new books—For the Love of Tumbling, which also comes with a DVD supplement, and The “We” in Team. She’s also in the process of writing a book focusing on flexibility and runs her own website that’s filled with helpful coaching information (fortheloveoftumbling.com). Some may wonder how she has time for it all, and more surprisingly how she’s never grown tired of her busy schedule. “My passion is continuously fed by the sparkle in those kids’ eyes that says, ‘I understand,’ and by seeing coaches understand a problem and confidently be able to fix it,” Love says. “My favorite part about what I do is seeing the excitement in a child’s face that says, ‘Yes, I am great. I am very special because I have accomplished a goal for which I have worked very hard.’ ”
Although she works to help athletes develop and improve their skills, Love prides herself on how she’s been able to impact the coaches she’s worked with over the years. “I feel I’m a role model for successful coaches,” she says. “Our job is so hard and requires so much of its leaders. A never-ending work ethic must be observed in any leader, and I feel I’ve worked extremely hard to demonstrate that. Realizing and becoming who we really are, rather than being who others want us to be, is a discipline of enormous magnitude.”
Even after devoting so many years to improving the industry and building relationships, the USASF Hall of Fame induction still threw Love for a loop. “I was totally shocked by this honor,” she says. “I never dreamed I’d be included with people I hold in such high esteem. It’s such a pleasure to serve this industry. I’ve been so blessed to work with people who truly love their athletes and want them to become stronger athletes and better people. To be honored by my fellow coaches is the greatest respect [they could show me].”
The great thing about Love, as humble as she is, is that she knows why she deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Four decades of accomplishment have made it pretty clear. “I’ve studied and researched new and creative ways for teaching our skill sets,” she says. “I’ve been vocal about my values and ethics, cried with fellow coaches over problems or the frustration of dealing with a child struggling with a mental block, had the opportunity to love and guide many athletes through those frustrating mental issues and had the wonderful opportunities to work with the National All-Star Cheerleading Coaches Congress (NACCC) and NAB and speak at numerous conferences.”
Even after making it into the Hall of Fame, Love has no plans to stop anytime soon—or even to plateau. “My goals are to continue studying and researching new and innovative means of teaching children, and to help every child and coach become the best they can be,” she says. “I wish to continue helping to raise our industry standards so we become a fully developed sport with a very disciplined approach to training the precious children with whom we’ve been entrusted.”

Catherine Morris, Universal Dancers Association

Catherine Morris has been working her way up the ranks of Universal Dance Association (UDA) since 1992. During her days at the University of Alabama, she worked part-time as a UDA dance camp staffer and as a state director.  As a camp instructor, Morris traveled the U.S. and even made her way overseas to London, Paris, Japan and Australia.
After graduation, Morris made the move to Memphis to work in the UDA office as the Midwest and Northeast regional manager. Since then, she’s “done a little bit of everything for UDA,” she says. “The family I’ve had at UDA, specifically Melanie Berry and Kris Shepherd, have pushed me to constantly try to make things better. I don’t think I’d be where I am without their guidance and support.”
Her biggest accomplishments have been with the USASF, where she sits on the Board of Directors and chairs the Dance Committee.  “I was one of the starting members of the dance committee,” Morris says. “We put together the first Dance Worlds. That’s something I will remember forever. It’s been fun to see the growth of the sport over the past few years, and how Worlds has encouraged more teams to start up and has given more teams the opportunity to compete.”
Being a dancer since she was 3 years old, Morris has come to be quite proud of the sport, and was honored by her USASF Hall of Fame induction. “I was honored since a lot of times, dance gets put on the back burner,” she says.

Ross Morreale, Owner of Ross Athletic Supply, Inc.

Ross Morreale began his athletic supply career approximately 20 years ago when he opened a business selling gymnastics equipment. It was after meeting with Lance Wagers at a cheer competition in 1991 that he became involved in the cheer industry. At that point, seeing as cheerleaders were tumbling on simple carpets, there was a need for something better.  “I asked Lance, ‘Is that what you want?’” says Morreale. “He said, ‘Well, no. Can you come up with something better?’” And he did.
Morreale introduced carpet-bonded foam, which is used in spring floors, to cheerleading for the first time. In 1997, he opened Ross Athletic Supply, Inc., and it’s now the leading supplier for events like The Cheerleading Worlds and UCA/NCA Nationals.
Once the spring floor had been incorporated into cheer competitions, the industry saw a reduction in injuries. “We strive to make [the floor] easier and safer for the kids to compete on,” he says. They’ve also made it easier for cheer programs and event producers. “We introduced a new one-layer floor, previously a two-layer. It’s easier to take apart and set up, and it lowered the price by [a couple thousand dollars],” he says. “That’s important because people are struggling. If we can make a better product and lower the price, we can help this industry.”