East Elite

Learn how this rising New England–based program has been paving the road to success.

By Kara Hardman

CBN Dec/Jan 2009

Linda and I are kind of old-school—we’re big on respect, we’re big on attendance; we stick to the rules.”—Cheryl Pasinato, co-owner

This past year has been good to the East Elite All-Stars out of Tewksbury, MA. Not only is the gym celebrating its 10th anniversary, but the program recently nabbed two NCA All-Star National Titles (senior gold and junior white) as well as the honor of being named one of the top 25 programs in AC’s annual All-Star Insider. The East Elite program has been growing steadily through the past decade, not with flash or an explosive start, but in the good old-fashioned way—with consistency and hard work. According to Cheryl Pasinato, co-founder of East Elite, the secret of their success is actually very simple: “I think that our morals and ethics are really there,” she says. “We try to do things the right way.”

Ten years ago, Pasinato and East Elite co-founder Linda Bernis were coaching area high school cheerleading teams, Medford HS and Someville HS, respectively. Despite the fact that their schools were rivals, Pasinato and Bernis were close friends, and each admired the talent of the cheerleaders the other was coaching. They often found themselves saying, “Gee, imagine if we could put our two teams together…” Flash-forward to the present and their dream has been realized with the East Elite All-Stars. Pasinato feels that the solid reputation they’ve built as a leading cheer program in New England is due to East Elite’s philosophy of teaching its athletes to always give 100 percent.

A Family Affair

Pasinato and Bernis knew that to build a quality cheer program, they’d need a strong foundation, and they started East Elite with just one team, using a local high school for practice space. The two coaches focused on nurturing their athletes, getting the parents involved and handpicking their coaching staff as they grew. “We’ve always said that our gym is only as good as our coaches,” Pasinato says, “And we’re very, very blessed to have a great coaching staff: people that we’ve known for many years who have either cheered for us or who we knew from going up the ranks in high school and are dedicated and loyal to the program.”

Now, with a total of 11 teams and numerous squad accomplishments on record, East Elite has established a real presence within the industry. Pasinato chalks their success up to the fundamentally family-oriented environment of the gym, which is not only heavy on parental involvement, but also on setting clear expectations for the athletes.

“Linda and I are kind of old-school—we’re big on respect; we’re big on attendance; we stick to the rules,” Pasinato explains. “All of the athletes are treated the same, no matter what team they happen to be on, and the focus is as much on discipline and consideration for each other as it is on mastering routines. We try to teach our kids to be proud of who they are and to act in appropriate ways. We want them to have good sportsmanship, we want them to cheer for everybody—it’s not just about the win.”

With cheerleaders as young as five on their teams, East Elite reinforces the importance of role models by awarding an annual scholarship to one graduating senior. The scholarship is applied towards college tuition and is awarded to an athlete who has set an excellent example and consistently contributed 100 percent to the East Elite program.

Friendly Competition

East Elite embraces competition—literally. The program’s athletes represent 28 cities between Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire, and many of East Elite’s team members cheer on rival school teams. Pasinato is proud of her athletes’ sportsmanship. “They’re competing against one another in high school or on youth teams, but they’re hugging before competitions, cheering for each other while they’re on the mat, and that’s what I like to see,” Pasinato says. “More important than the trophies is that the kids have a camaraderie.”

East Elite’s philosophy of giving 100 percent extends to competition preparation. The teams get ready for each competition by duplicating the atmosphere of the actual event as much as possible. If a competition is going to start at 7 am, then an exhibition will be held at the same time, in full uniform, for family and friends at East Elite. And although she says her teams thrive on the energy, Pasinato admits that the mother hen in her often makes a cameo appearance (or disappearance, rather) during the competitions. “I don’t watch any of my teams compete,” she says, citing nerves as the chief reason. “I want them to do so well and when I see something that doesn’t go well, my heart just breaks. The kids all know that, too. Last year I stayed for one [performance] and they had a really bad day. Now they’ve banned me!”

Despite her squeamishness during competitions, Pasinato maintains that for East Elite, it’s really not just about the win. “Last year, winning two [NCA National All-Star] divisions in Dallas for the first time was great,” she says. “That’s always been a goal, but it’s really all about the kids developing friendships, feeling good about themselves and being proud to get on the mat and perform to the best of their ability.”

Looking forward to the next 10 years, Pasinato hesitates to throw out any lofty goals for East Elite, saying that bigger is not always better, and that they’re still reveling in what the program has accomplished so far.

“Ten years ago we never expected to be where we are right now,” she says, “We started this as a passion. We just feel like we’ve been so successful that anything else that happens in the future is just a bonus for us.”

For more info on the East Elite program and to track their progress throughout the 2008-09 season, visit eastelite.com.

EE Fun Facts

• Co-owners Pasinato and Bernis could start a letter-answering service with the amount of feedback they receive from parents and former athletes. Read samples of their favorite “fan mail” at eastelite.com.
• The first national titles the program earned were in the large and small senior divisions at All-Star Challenge’s King of the Jungle in 2004.
• Staff coach Scotty Bouchard appeared on MTV as a coach on the reality series “MADE” in 2005.
• A number of their athletes have had the best seats at recent Super Bowls—as New England Patriots’ cheerleaders.
• They’re thrillseekers: Each year, the program spends a day of bonding at a local amusement park.