Small Gym, Huge Heart

Meet Ohio Extreme, the winner of the Top U.S. Small Gym Award.

CBN Jun/Jul 2010

We always tell our families that five years from now they aren’t going to remember if they got first, second or third in a particular competition. They’ll remember the first time they threw a tumbling skill, hit a stunt or simply performed in front of a crowd.” —Heather Zidek, head coach and owner

Tumbles & Cheers, home of Ohio Extreme

1502 Lear Industrial Pkwy #3
Avon, OH 44011
www.tumblesandcheers.net

The editorial staff of Cheer Biz News and American Cheerleader had the honor of selecting the winners of the Top U.S. Small Gym Award, presented at the United States All-Star Federation (USASF) Cheerleading Worlds VIP Reception.
The 2010 winner is Ohio Extreme, housed in Tumbles & Cheers in Avon, OH. We interviewed owner and head coach Heather Zidek to learn what makes her gym a place to call home.

CBN: You founded Tumbles & Cheers in 2002. Tell us about your first year in business: What inspired you to open a cheer gym, and what was that first season like?
Zidek: I’ve heard the saying a million times “if it was meant to be it will be.” This is very true in the case of how Ohio Extreme came to be. I’ve always believed that being involved in cheerleading has changed my life. It made me more outgoing, confident and assertive—characteristics that I believe not only made me successful in college but as I built my career. I always knew that I wanted to coach and give the next generation the same opportunities that I was given. Never could I have imagined this is where I would end up.
Shortly after graduating college I decided to coach at my alma mater, Elyria Catholic High School. After a few years, some of the girls came up to me and asked if I would sponsor an all-star team so they could get the opportunity to learn to stunt. They were beginning to look into college programs and felt they were at a disadvantage since most Ohio schools are ground bound. I figured that I could rent a small hall, room, etc and “sponsor” a team. Once word got out, I found I needed more space then originally planned. Word spread fast, as there was not another all-star program in our immediate area. One thing led to another, and within two months I’d signed a lease for a 6,000-square-foot facility and had three teams anxious to start their new all-star season.

CBN: How has your program changed since that first season, and what has remained true and consistent?
Zidek: Most of the changes within our program are a direct reflection of how much the all-star industry has evolved. During those first years, skill levels were defined as beginner, intermediate or advanced. In our very first year we had one girl who could do a back handspring. She was it! Today, a back handspring is viewed as a basic skill. The athletes are in better shape both mentally and physically than I’ve ever seen and are eager to try to achieve that next skill in order to stand out in the cheerleading community.
[As coaches,] we’ve remained true to our basic belief that it’s not the trophy that counts but how the athletes feel about the team’s performance. While we do discuss the score sheets and how the judges think we did, we stress the importance of our own feeling of accomplishment. We set personal goals within the team. Some of our biggest accomplishments on the mat are individual milestones that the judges are completely unaware of. We always tell our families that five years from now they aren’t going to remember if they got first, second or third in a particular competition. They’ll remember the first time they threw a tumbling skill, hit a stunt or simply performed in front of a crowd.

CBN: I love the coaching philosophy you’ve posted on your website, including this line: “every child should be allowed the dignity of achieving.” How do you maintain this philosophy of inclusiveness in an industry that is based on competitiveness?
Zidek: Each of us is different. That doesn’t mean one is better or worse than the other, just different. It’s the coach’s responsibility to create an environment where all these differences work to complement one another and build a team. What I love about all-star cheerleading is there is truly a place for everyone. One athlete may excel in dance, while the next is strong and can be an amazing base. If everyone had the same skill level, it would be pretty boring. I love finding the hidden talent in each athlete, bringing it out in them and creating an environment that overlooks all the differences and unifies them as one team.
This past summer, we were approached by a mother who had a child with a desire to be a cheerleader. She’d contacted her daughter’s school to see how they could get her involved in a cheer program. Unfortunately, the family was told that the school wouldn’t make any accommodations; she’d need to try out and make the team based on her performance. The family understood that but also was very realistic that she couldn’t score high in all the categories, as she’s confined to a wheelchair. I was outraged but also very realistic that a typical all-star routine could not encompass a wheelchair either. True to our mission statement of total inclusion, we started a special needs team. Within this team each athlete is given the opportunity of achieving anything they want. We, as coaches, just need to figure out how to do it. We also had an athlete that needs the assistance of a walker. By the end of the year she learned to jump when it was time to do a toe touch and actually go up in a thigh stand during the stunt sequence. The end of the routine featured this athlete being lifted out of her wheel chair and become the top girl in the final stunt. I’m sure no one in our gym can remember who threw which stunts and who stuck which landings at that competition, but I can assure you every member of the Ohio Extreme family remembers the tears that were shed as these individuals accomplished things they never believed were possible while the whole crowd stood and applauded.

CBN: You also mention a contract with your athletes/parents. Can you explain this contract?
Zidek: The contract is an agreement between the coaching staff and the athletes’ families. We recognize the fact that all-star cheerleading is not only a huge investment of time and money but also requires a commitment from the entire family. The contract outlines what the families can expect from the coaching staff. It also outlines all the expectations that we have for anyone that would like to be in our family. As with any family everyone has guidelines of what is acceptable and these vary among different families. By being open and upfront both the gym and the perspective family can determine if it will be a good fit based upon the expectations set forth in the contract. These expectations cover such topics as commitment, loyalty, responsibility, and attitude. The expectations are not only set for the athlete, but the coaches and parents as well. If we are one family we must all abide by the same standards.

CBN: What are the advantages of being a small gym?
Zidek: The main advantage of being a small gym is the personal relationships that are built within our gym. We see each member as an individual. We get to know each on a personal level, not just as a client. We celebrate everything from doing well on a test, a parent getting a new job, or a family getting a new pet (and yes, they must bring it in so everyone can meet it). We are truly a family, not simply a gym.

CBN: What are the disadvantages?
Zidek: The main disadvantages of being a small gym are probably profitability and flexibility. We rely so heavily on each athlete’s income in order to cover the expenses. While a large gym might not feel the impact of a handful of kids leaving in a month, a small gym will start planning how to recover the lost revenue. In terms of flexibility, every athlete’s attendance is crucial to not only practices but performances as well. Typically if one person is unable to show up, it’s devastating to the routine. Very rarely do you have extra athletes to pull from in times of need.

CBN: It seems like you’ve found innovative ways to weather the recession, including corporate sponsorships. How have you managed to keep your business thriving, all while keeping your tuition rates pretty low?
Zidek: It’s very important to me to keep the tuition as low as possible so not to exclude any students. We have developed a noncompetitive cheer program as a result of the recession. This allows students an opportunity to be involved in a cheerleading team and to perform at a competition without the expense of a uniform or competition fees. We have also implemented a boys’ trampoline and tumbling class, which is growing faster than I could have imagined.

CBN: Ohio is chock-full of cheer gyms. How does Ohio Extreme stand out?
Zidek: On the mat our strength is definitely stunting. I’m always asked by other gym owners how we train our athletes in this area. I never know how to answer this because I don’t feel we do anything different when specifically training for these skills. I believe our advantage in stunting (in particular, pyramids) is that it relies on a team effort. The athletes are so dedicated to each other that they excel most when working together. They’re so close that they can anticipate how the others are going to react when something unexpected happens and can recover if needed.
Off the floor, our family environment and standards of excellence are what separate us from some other gyms. We love to meet people wherever we go, whether it’s coaches, athletes or fans. Even at a young age, our tiny team is taught that they need to wish the team in front of them and behind them good luck prior to competing. As our most advanced athletes are preparing for Worlds, they portray a very humble attitude. Never do they go into a competition believing they are better than anyone else. They treat each team as an equal and know that anything can happen on the floor.

CBN: What’s been your proudest moment as a gym owner/coach so far?
Zidek: My proudest moment actually occurred this year at a JAMfest competition in Cleveland. During warm-ups, a top girl on our Level 5 team hurt her leg and couldn’t compete. With this occurring in the beginning of the year, and being a small gym, there was no back up. We were one mat away from performing on the floor, down a top and everyone’s emotions were running high. We took a deep breath as a family and decided that instead of accepting defeat we would rally together and overcome this. We sent out a few athletes into the stands to see who they could find in the next two minutes to make this happen. Within minutes, we had a handful of top girls from our other teams back in the warm-up area insisting they would do whatever we needed. We even had a coach from another Level 5 team we were competing against bring an athlete over to see if we wanted to use her. In the next five minutes we made all the adjustments needed and took the floor. I will never forget my anticipation as I stood in front of the mat waiting for the music to start, feeling the roller coaster of emotions that we as a family just experienced, yet expecting these athletes to put it all behind them for two and a half minutes and act like everything was perfect.
That performance ended up being our strongest of the year. As soon as the music began, the athletes put aside their emotions and knew they owed it not only to their teammates on the floor but to the one that was on her way to the hospital to make it happen. The routine was amazing, and they ended up not only getting first place but grand champs as well. At that moment I thought I could never be more proud of a team, of a family. I was wrong. After the awards the coaches went to the hospital to check on our missing member only to find her teammates had filled her room. All making sure she was OK, showing her the video of the performance, and giving her the medal that all felt she earned. The athlete who replaced her that day went on to train with the team for the next two months giving her an opportunity to recover. After earning a Worlds bid, she handed the position back to the original team member and wished her luck as she stepped down to allow her to begin preparing for Worlds. From that point on, the returning member’s goal was to be able to be strong enough both physically and mentally to do her double at Worlds. This past weekend, she threw her double for the first time ever on a competition floor. Once again, it was a moment that the judges had no idea about, but one that was the highlight of our performance. Her next goal, stick the landing at Worlds!

CBN: What do you consider your gym’s greatest achievements off the mat?
Zidek: This year our focus was on disability awareness as we developed our Superstars special needs team. We asked for athletes on our other teams to volunteer and be a buddy for a member of the Superstars. We ended up having more buddies then Superstars as everyone was so excited about the program. We all learned once again that differences need to be celebrated. This program was embraced by the community and a plethora of appearance requests began rolling in. The team had several appearances including a feature on the morning news, which ended up adding an additional in-studio live segment because of the feedback from viewers. Most recently the team traveled about an hour away to do a performance and clinic for a community of participants with disabilities. It was our way of celebrating Disability Awareness Month.

CBN: Let’s talk about your staff. It’s so important that you require your instructors to be USASF and American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA) certified. Can you explain your motivation for this, as well as your “in house training sessions?”

Ohio Extreme coaching staff, left to right: Scott Neff, Heather Zidek, Derek Sinclair and Courtney Young.

Zidek: My biggest disappointment in the cheerleading industry is the fact that anyone regardless of skill level or knowledge can open a gym or call him or herself a coach. Athletes and parents sometimes assume that if an individual is a “coach” they’ve had the proper training. I am a firm believer in education and training. Injuries will happen as with any sport, however I do have a responsibility to the parents who are entrusting us with their children’s welfare that we’re doing everything to protect them. If an injury does occur, I never want to look back and know I could have prevented it. Ensuring that the coaches are both AACCA certified and USASF credentialed gives me the peace of mind that my athletes and my own children are in the hands of trusted professionals.

CBN: What would you say is the hallmark of Ohio Extreme? What is your program known for?
Zidek: I would answer this question very closely as Question #8. In addition, we stress the importance of family. Our motto: One family, One Dream, We’re Ohio Extreme is what we live by.
As coaches we also stress the importance of athletes feeling better walking out the door then when they walked in. We recognize the fact that for some athletes their class or practice is the highlight of their week due to any family issues in their personal life. We strive to lift their spirits and build their confidence and self esteem.

CBN: In addition to Ohio Extreme, you also coach a high school squad and an arena football cheer squad. I’ve noticed you encourage athletes to cheer in high school and as all-stars. Not all all-star gym owners/coaches are this flexible. Why do you think it’s important that athletes do both?
Zidek: I always tell athletes that while both school and all-star cheerleading are called the same thing, they are entirely different sports. I encourage them to do both to really gain a true “cheerleading” experience. We always laugh about the fact that all-stars are called cheerleaders yet there’s no cheer, no pom, no megaphones and really not much leading. What all-stars can give you is a sense of athleticism, determination and hard work, and it’s probably one of the most challenging physical activities available to kids today. School cheerleading, on the other hand, improves your crowd-leading ability, focuses more on motions, gives the students an opportunity to be more involved in school and to act as leaders within the community. School cheerleading also gives students the opportunity to be more responsible for planning events and working within guidelines of the administration.
Many coaches insist that athletes should not participate in both. That is one of the main reasons I decided to go back and coach high school after establishing the all-star facility. It is completely possible. Does it require more work and communication between the coaches? Yes, but we owe it to the students to give them the most comprehensive experiences we can while they are young. The experiences they gain now are what will carry them into adulthood and make them successful in life.

CBN: On the school note, do you help your all-star athletes prepare for college cheerleading? If so, how?
Zidek: It’s so important to prepare the athletes for college cheerleading. They’ve given so much time, hard work, sweat and tears throughout their childhood that it would be a shame to not continue on. All of my coaches have collegiate experience, which gives our athletes a direct source of information with whom they can discuss experiences, expectations, etc. Typically, once athletes inform us as to where they’re interested in cheering, we research that college program and contact the coaches to gain a better understanding of what they’re looking for at tryouts. We then work with the athletes leading up to tryouts to make sure they are prepared and confident.
In addition to the collegiate experience, we also have an opportunity for the athletes to continue on to become professional cheerleaders through the Cleveland Gladiators, which is the arena football team. [Two years ago,] I took this position because I wanted there to be a “true” professional cheerleading team to again give the athletes in our area yet another cheerleading experience. So many times teams that are called professional cheerleaders resemble more of a dance team. I’m proud to say that we have one of the few teams in the U.S. that are true cheerleaders. It is a coed team comprising eight females and eight males. The majority of them have collegiate experience and are able to build off that experience. The team also practices at Tumbles & Cheers, giving our athletes a feeling of being connected to professional athletes and adults whom they can look up to. Many times [the pros] will step in and partner stunt with the college-bound athletes, giving them more opportunities to prepare for college.
Last week we even had one Gladiator assist with a video that an athlete was sending in for college tryouts since she would be missing them with her Worlds obligations. We were happy to find out that she made the coed team as an incoming freshman without ever having any experience as a top girl during all-stars. This just proved the point that I always tell the athletes that no matter what position they are in a stunt, they’re learning how to do the others simply by their experience and familiarity with stunting.

CBN: Can you tell me a little about your facility?
Zidek: The unique aspect of our facility is the separation of tumbling and all-stars. From a branding standpoint, we struggle with branding two names: Tumbles & Cheers, and Ohio Extreme. My goal in this is to have a place for everyone. Not everyone wants the competitive experience of cheerleading. Some simply want a place to come have fun in a relaxed, recreational environment. We run each program completely separately, and the athletes experience a difference in coaching styles depending on what “side” they’re on.
On the Ohio Extreme side, it’s simply all-stars. There’s no additional equipment—just a floor to run the routines. We rarely work on tumbling since it’s an individual skill. The focus is on team; therefore we only need the one floor. There is a more competitive coaching style and a more serious focus within the athletes.
On the tumbling side, we treat it as though we’re a rec program. It’s more relaxed with lots of stations, trampolines and individual work. Students work at their own pace and can progress as fast or as slow as they are comfortable with. The coaches put aside the competitive coaching style. Our tumbling program is actually triple the size of our all-star program, which I believe is a direct reflection of this coaching philosophy. The athletes that are not in our all-star program can still feel at home and don’t have to feel like they’re missing out on something. We strive to make these athletes feel that they’re equally important and a part of our family.
Safety is the number one factor. Both gyms are air conditioned, just for those few hot days that Ohio has to offer. We do not want to have overly sweaty individuals flying high only to slide through the bases arms. Nor do we want to have to simplify their workout due to changing temperatures outside. All of our training is also done on spring floors hopefully giving their ligaments and joints as much relief as possible while also providing a safer environment should the unexpected happen.
We have a viewing area for each area giving the parents their own experiences as well. The parent room in the all-star gym gives them the opportunity to discuss competitions, team events and bond as a family. The tumbling parent room gives the average parent the opportunity to just relax without hearing “cheer moms” discuss all aspects of competitive cheerleading. In addition, we offer a play area in the waiting area for younger siblings as well to keep them entertained.
For the athletes that tend to spend all evening with us we have a full kitchen that they can keep their dinners in the refrigerator cool and then heat them up in between classes. As they leave after class everyone is encouraged to stop at the front desk to receive their treat as a reward for working hard. If they achieved a new skill that night they are also rewarded with a bracelet to celebrate their victory.

CBN: What’s the biggest obstacle your program has overcome?
Zidek: Unfortunately, our biggest obstacle came last year when our Program Director of four years decided to leave unexpectedly in the middle of the season. This was an individual that both I and the athletes had a very trusting relationship with and many viewed him as a father figure. He not only left but decided to open a gym a mile away from our location and duplicate our entire program. Many of the athletes came to me with a variety of feelings that they were looking for me to help them sort out. Many explained it as a feeling that their parents got divorced and they had to choose who to support. This completely broke my heart. The kids have enough stress in life and many have experienced this type of abandonment in their personal lives that I always wanted the gym to be their safe haven.
It has been a long process in repairing this hurt and something that we still struggle with over a year later. I have been blessed with an amazing coaching staff that the athletes adore. Unfortunately, they still struggle abandonment issues and question each coach’s loyalty. We have stressed upon the fact that the athletes are what make the program, it is their team and no one can take that away from them. We do different bonding activities and many times sing “Lean on Me” when those feelings creep back. This experience has made me a firm believer in the fact that everything happens for a reason. The team has gained a greater bond with having to work through this and it also gave me the opportunity to welcome some new coaches into our family. It turns out they were the missing pieces of the puzzle and have now made the family complete. We have all learned the importance of trusting fate and I hope as these athletes find themselves in a difficult situation they can pull from this experience and know that eventually everything will be okay.

CBN: Does Ohio Extreme have any traditions or mottos?
Zidek: Our motto: One Family, One Dream, We’re Ohio Extreme is the core of our program. We laugh together, cry together, disagree on some things and agree on others. We are truly a family.

CBN: What do you wish the cheerleading community knew about Ohio Extreme? What legacy would you like to leave with the cheer world?
Zidek: Ohio Extreme is a family that is accepting of all athletes, those without any experience, those with advanced experience and even those with special needs. We don’t believe in pulling athletes from other gyms to build our program. We always say our athletes are home grown. They’re loyal to us and uphold the same standards because of the mutual respect we have for one another. We don’t quit when times get tough. We don’t run and “follow the leader.” We don’t encourage a negative atmosphere. We only embrace positive people and positive reinforcement from coaches and teammates. We’re here for the long haul and to see our athletes achieve long after they leave Ohio Extreme.

CBN: What does it mean to you to win the Top U.S. Small Gym Award?
Zidek: To win the Top U.S. Small Gym Award is the ultimate compliment, not just for me, but for the entire Ohio Extreme family of coaches, parents, athletes and alumni, as well as the supporting communities. Tumbles & Cheers started out as just a place for local youth to come and learn basic tumbling techniques and the fundamentals of competitive cheerleading. As the gym grew, so did the skill level of our athletes, along with their passion and perseverance for the sport. That drive carries throughout their academic and social experiences—striving for greatness and the goal of being the best students/friends/role models they can be.
We’ve always taught the athletes (and families) to be the bigger person. Many times we’ve witnessed our athletes walk away from situations when another gym exhibited poor sportsmanship. We’ve stressed the importance of reputation and image and the fact that no one can take that away from them if they hold their head high. Achieving this honor will remind the kids that sometimes the good guys do finish first and just because you are not recognized at a particular point doesn’t mean that people don’t notice the good you’re doing.
Being named Top U.S. Small Gym is an honor shared by all those who’ve played an active or supportive role in giving today’s youth the dignity of achieving through cheerleading.