Rookie of the Year

After one year in operation, Pro Athletics has proven it’s on the fast track to cheer stardom.

By Kathleen Hager

CBN Aug/Sept 2010

Considering the difficulty gym owners have faced in keeping their cheer facilities open in this economic climate, let alone opening brand-new programs, Jason Graham is something of an anomaly. At just 24 years old, he’s made it through his first year as the proud owner of Pro Athletics in Leominster, MA, now with a second location in Holbrook, MA. Yes, two locations just a year after opening his doors last June. Perhaps that’s not much of a surprise, as the program started off with nine teams in its first month.

A former gymnast, Graham has become a real cheer go-getter. When he was 18 years old, he opened a program called StarTyme in Sterling, MA, which operated out of a gymnastics facility. After running the program on his own for a year, he decided to join forces with a business partner, a decision which unfortunately took a sour turn, resulting in the dissolution of their partnership and Graham’s leaving the program. “I grew up a lot after I left StarTyme and learned a lot more about the business teaching ends,” he says. “I knew I was still young and could make it through the separation, so I moved to New Jersey to finish some schooling and work full-time at South Jersey Storm.”

Graham coached at South Jersey Storm in Sewell, NJ, for a year and a half until he was ready to build another all-star business of his own. “I learned so much about life, coaching, tumbling and spotting techniques,” he says. “But after a lot of thought, I knew I’d make a better boss than employee, so I had to head back home and starting planning out Pro Athletics.”

Graham attributes his ambitious attitude to his struggles as a child. “Anything is possible as long as you believe and never give up,” he says. “I’m the youngest of seven brothers and one sister, and I had a very rough childhood and was in foster care. But I never used that as an excuse to fail. My drive and willpower come from within, and I’ll always [set] my goals higher than they need to be.” Read on for more on this ambitious new gym owner.

CBN: Last year, you opened your doors during the worst economy since the Great Depression. How did you manage to thrive?

Jason Graham: When I first moved back to Massachusetts to open the gym, I had to give up my apartment and stay with family to save money. I also had to put my social life on hold and place all my focus on the start-up of Pro.

Opening a new business with the economy in such a fragile state made everything about budgeting. We had to think about the key things that would make this [program] work, two of them being affordable prices for clients and having enough wow factors to get and keep athletes interested in being a Pro. As a new gym owner, I always had to have a game plan and make sure I was doing enough to cover rent and pay the bills.

CBN: Was it scary? Was there ever a point when you thought, “We’re not going to make it”?

JG: Opening up a new gym is tough, but not scary. I say that because we gave it a lot of thought and consideration when setting it up. Any stress came from trying to get our facility completed in time for the new season. We cut it close, and I actually can quote myself saying, “We’re not going to have this building done in time,” but it all worked itself out.

CBN: How do you think opening Pro was different for you, than, say, a cheer gym that opened 10 years ago?

JG: For me, the biggest difference was the support I had—from the cheerleaders, parents, family, friends, schools, city mayor, etc. [Locally,] the interest in all-star cheer has grown rapidly over the past 10 years in the area.

CBN: What made you want to open a cheer facility in the first place? Were there other all-star programs you admired that you modeled your program after?

JG: I look at myself as a natural leader and like to succeed. I’ve worked with teams since I was a teenager, and nothing compares to being the boss and running the show! If it weren’t for my extensive background with different programs and coaches, I wouldn’t be the gym owner I am today. My goal for Pro was to prove to myself that I could do this, and to get all the athletes, parents, coaches and other gyms to believe in Pro and me as well. I believe I surpassed all my goals.

Some of the gyms I try to model my business after would be Spirit of Texas for their execution of skills, Top Gun’s overall choreography and GymTyme’s powerhouse teams from Mini to Senior.

CBN: What was your plan for opening the gym? Was it difficult being taken seriously by backers/supporters at 23 years old?

JG: I had a good amount of money put away for me to do something big with, and Pro Athletics seemed like the right thing. So a good amount of my financial backing came from myself. My building was built brand new for free! I was so blessed when one of the athlete’s parents found a building for me and built 8,000 square ft onto it. That was really what made all this work, and I still thank him every day.

As far as getting support, I really had people who knew what I could do this time around and who really wanted me to open up a gym, so the interest was there and it was really just as exciting for everyone else as it was for me. I’m not your typical 23 year old, and I don’t feel that most people look at me as a kid. I really pride myself on being responsible, organized and professional.

CBN: Were you expecting to be so well-equipped with athletes at the beginning of the program?

JG: Pro Athletics was a combination of two small local all-star gyms [MAS All-Stars and Ultimate Cheer], so we had a good number of athletes who stayed. [The owners of] MAS (which was the first all-star gym I’d cheer for back in 2000) decided to sell their business to me, and they all came over—athletes and staff—and became Pros.

My friend Kelly Proctor owned a gym called Ultimate Cheer, which was more for recreation, and it was closing down. She just came and worked for me and promoted Pro Athletics to her athletes. A lot of athletes also returned to me from my former gym, Star Tyme. So I knew Pro would start off strong, but I didn’t think it’d be as big as it is [now].

CBN: How many teams do you have now?

JG: Our Leominster location has 10 teams, three of them Level 5, and our Holbrook location has seven. Both of our locations offer half-year programs, which we expect to generate three to four more teams.

CBN: How did you get involved in cheer, anyway?

JG: I never had any intentions of cheering or having anything to do with it. I remember I had a crush on one of my friends who was trying out for a new all-star team called MAS All Stars, and I began cheering at the age of 13. It’s funny how life worked itself out full circle.

CBN: So how did your debut competition season go?

JG: Our first season was history in the making. A few of our achievements were Spirit Festival Senior Coed National Champs and partial paid bid winner for the USASF Cheerleading Worlds, Spirit Sports Mini National Champions, Athletic Championships Youth Level 2 National Champions, CHEERSPORT (GA) Junior Level 3 National Champions and Worlds Day Two finalists.

CBN: Did you expect to do that well?

JG: Pro Athletics sets its standards high. We train for perfection. So when you ask if we expected to do that well, the answer is that we always expect to do well, and the rest is up to our performances.

CBN: Even though you opened up during a stormy economy, you still work with families to make payments easier. Do you do this through the Booster Club, or do you offer other options to parents as well?

JG: Pro Athletics put a lot of thought into our payment plans and how to keep them affordable. We work with families to make sure we can keep as many athletes in our gym at a low cost. One of the ways we’re able to do this is with our Booster Club. Last season our Booster Club raised over $125,000 for our athletes. And we [provide] scholarships for two athletes every season who are in need of financial assistance.

CBN: Do you think Pro Athletics offers something different for athletes in New England? What did you aim to bring to the table when you were first starting out?

JG: Pro Athletics offers many different things than the other programs in our area, like structure and technique. When you pay money as a customer, it’s our job to ensure your athlete can execute all skills from Level 1 to wherever they are in the program. We don’t bypass progressions. A lot of gyms just focus on their Level 5 program, and here at Pro our Minis are just as important as every other level in our gym. We don’t believe in holding our athletes back in any area of the sport as long as they execute their skills with the proper technique.

We didn’t mess around our first season. When we opened up, we had three male instructors who spotted all the elite-level tumbling in a gym with three spring floors and two tumble tracks. Along with our three tumbling coaches, we offer coaches with backgrounds in all-star, high school and college cheer, competition companies and judging.

CBN: You not only offer all-star cheer at your facility, but gymnastics, hip-hop and karate classes as well. How do you think non-cheer programs have benefited the facility?

JG: When Pro Athletics was created, we wanted to have multiple activities going on in our gym. The non-cheer programs help keep the number of athletes up as well as make Pro more powerful in our area. By that I mean we just have more to offer; it’s like a one-stop shop.

CBN: What have you done to get your name out there in the all-star world? Do you think your program will be more recognizable next season?

JG: Pro has put its name out there by going to the biggest national [competitions] the country has to offer, such as Athletic Championships, CHEERSPORT, NCA in Dallas and The Cheerleading Worlds. In the new season, Pro Athletics won’t only be known, but will be a program people admire and look up to.

CBN: When did you open up your Holbrook facility? How did you manage opening a second location in less than a year in operation?

JG: The Holbrook location was formally Premier Spirit Athletics. Ashley, the former owner of Premier, is still the current owner; the program just uses the name Pro Athletics. I coach its Level 5 team, all teams wear Pro Athletics uniforms and we all attend the same competitions together. Both Ashley and I are young business owners with huge dreams, and we’re going to do whatever it takes to be the biggest gym in New England. What made this merge/new location such an easy process was the communication and organization between [the two of us]. Pro Athletics is only going to get bigger and better ever year.

CBN: The first year of any business can be a rocky one. Did you hit any snags along the way?

JG: During our first year one of our toughest battles was right at the start. We were supposed to hold tryouts in our building, which wasn’t ready yet! So we had to make a Plan B and have our tryouts at a different facility. Other than that, we’re just like every other gym that has its year-to-year struggles.

CBN: What will you do differently in your second year?

JG: I want more family unity. We’re always looking for new ways to cut costs and keep our families happy. We plan to come out in our second year more focused, ready and determined!

CBN: What can we expect to see from your program competitively this season?

JG: This season we plan to set the bar high with our routines and push the score sheet to the max. As far as competition, our teams train to be on top. So I know being in the top three in every division is a must, and it’s our goal. I’d also love to see Pro Athletics with at least three teams at Worlds this season.

CBN: How much has your life changed since opening the gym, both personally and professionally?

JG: It’s taken a toll on my personal life, or should I say kind of diminished it. But as the gym gets bigger and more jobs get delegated, things will only get easier. As far as professionally, Pro Athletics is one of the best things that could have happened to me. I’ve become more responsible and can take on more tasks than I thought I could manage.  It’s also helped me grow up, become a man and really make something of myself.

CBN: What’s been the most rewarding aspect of your job?

JG: Being the boss! It’s nice to set my hours and say that [the business] is mine. But when it comes down to it, I really enjoy seeing [the kids] become amazing athletes and outstanding people. I get to instill qualities in them that will last a lifetime, and for some it’s life-changing.