Find out how gym owner Noe Mendiola spread cheer around the world and eventually found a home back in El Paso.
By Jessica Pribush
CBN Dec/Jan 2011
Noe Mendiola always had a passion for leading others. After starting out as a gymnast in high school, he quickly fell into cheer, eventually becoming captain at Texas Tech University, in Lubbock. After graduating in 1995, he headed home to El Paso, TX, with the intention of helping local high schools qualify to compete at the national level.
Mendiola quickly gained a following. “I developed a reputation for turning teams around and winning,” he says. “All-star cheer was practically nonexistent when I graduated college, and outside school training was unheard of [in my area].” Because of his loyal client base and the rise of all-stars, Mendiola was soon approached to start his own program. In February of 1997, Texas Bandit All Stars was born.
After starting off with unreliable practice spaces (parks, recreational centers, athletes’ backyards, etc.), Mendiola was urged to settle into a permanent location. “Within a year of starting my all-star program, a parent approached me about the importance of a safe, adequate place to practice and said they’d assist me in getting one,” he says. “By 1999, I’d opened my first gym.”
After purchasing the facility, Mendiola began to train several schools along with the Texas Bandit All Stars. He loved developing squads into better versions of themselves and educating others about the cheer world. This passion for exposing others to his wealth of cheer knowledge and the positive response from his supporters was what eventually led him to look beyond Texas and branch out. “People were asking me to judge nationally and internationally as well as speak at coaches’ conferences,” says Mendiola. “I decided to dedicate my efforts to my out of town opportunities and closed my gym in 2005.”
After judging and helping out squads in Canada, Mexico, Columbia and across the U.S. for a few years, though, Mendiola returned to Texas—and now his program is better than ever. Read on to find out how he found his way home, and what makes the Texas Bandit All Stars stand out in such a cheer-concentrated state.
Cheer Biz News: What were you up to during your hiatus from owning a gym?
Noe Mendiola: I used my time away from the gym to grow outside El Paso. I was able to move around, judge national competitions, speak at coaches’ conferences and travel to different parts of the world to help companies develop the sport and grow in our industry. Most of my work was done as a cultural exchange (no pay), but it was so worth it. I enjoyed seeing so many foreign companies benefit and grow. I still travel and enjoy seeing the progress these teams have made and how the sport is growing!
CBN: After spreading cheer around the world, what drove you to reopen a facility?
NM: I opened my current gym in August 2010, when I took over the building of a local gymnastics gym whose lease was up. I was asked if I’d be interested in the facility, and the time and circumstances were right. I took advantage of a great opportunity, but a lot of thought and prayer went into it before I decided to sign the lease.
CBN: Now that your program has once again found a home in El Paso, tell us a little about your new facility.
NM: It’s an older warehouse with a small lobby, two offices, two restrooms and three areas for training. One area fits seven strips and the second fits five spring floor panels. The center area is used for dance and routine cleanup; it will be the area designated for our future dance group and mixed martial arts. El Paso is a large city with a small-town mentality. People are friendly, and family is an important part of the community.
CBN: What’s been the hardest part about opening a gym the second time around?
NM: Coming up with the money needed to start up. Deposits for all the utilities are overwhelming, as is the painting, cleaning and fixing. But mostly, acquiring money to cover phone lines, bathrooms, cleaning supplies, electricity bills, equipment and employees, as well as paying back anyone who offered their services early on is very tough.
CBN: Now that the Bandits have settled into their new home, how many teams will you have competing this season?
NM: We’ll have six teams: Youth Level 1, Junior Level 2, Senior Open Level 3, Coed Levels 4 and 5 and Open Level 6. Some of our athletes cross-compete.
CBN: What’s your coaching philosophy?
NM: My coaching style is simple. I’m very strict, but I don’t mind having fun as long as we get the job done first. We have less than a year to [train] athletes of many levels and use the skills they have to compliment one another. Showcasing their strengths, minimizing their weaknesses and creating a routine that’s entertaining enough to keep the judges engaged, while also filling every category on the score sheet, takes constant focus from the athletes.
CBN: The state of Texas is a powerhouse for cheer. Do all the big names at competitions ever intimidate you?
NM: Even though Texas isn’t the place where cheerleading was invented, we certainly like to think we gave it life! Competing within the state is very difficult. We do well and have placed well and won within the state. We’re a small gym and compete in the small-gym category whenever possible. But sometimes we have to play with the big boys, which we don’t mind.
When we travel out of state, people automatically think we’re a threat because it says Texas on our uniform, but no matter what state you’re in, if you put a lot of time into the routine it will pay off. I truly admire Spirit of Texas and Cheer Athletics—they’ve been around a long time and sustained themselves as power programs year after year. You have to tip your hat to that.
CBN: How does your program hold its own against these extremely competitive programs?
NM: My gym’s mission statement is: God, family and then everything else! At least that’s my philosophy; I believe it trickles down to my members. We have a great reputation and people really respect us, as we, too, respect others. I instill in our kids that cheerleading is universal, whether it’s local or international, and we all work hard for the same goal—a chance to compete and succeed.
I know winning Nationals is great and placing at Worlds is a big honor, but with the community I have to work with, I mostly focus on improving the skills I have in front of me. We work on improving our strengths, minimizing our weaknesses and out-performing our competition. That’s what’s worked for us so far. Sometimes we win, and sometimes we don’t, but we’ve learned to always accept what’s at hand.
CBN: You mention trying to “out-perform the competition.” What do you mean by that?
NM: The Bandits are best known for dancing and being entertaining. Perhaps it stems from my background. I have a degree in dance, so performing is my first love!
CBN: Your shift of focus from winning to the importance of performing and growing as an athlete is apparent. Is there any other aspect of cheer your program puts a lot of focus on?
NM: We do a lot of community service and participate in charitable events. Our most important effort, and one that’s dear to our program, is the Colonias Christmas Toy and Clothes Drive every December. We require every athlete to donate two new toys to underprivileged communities in El Paso. We pick the poorest communities, and every year we try to include one more family. The social worker who helps us out tells us that if it weren’t for what we do, these families wouldn’t have anything to celebrate at Christmas. Seeing smiles on the children and their parents’ faces is so rewarding. It’s touching that my team gets to see this firsthand and knows it can make a difference even if it’s just for one day.
CBN: What are some of your goals for the Bandits in your first year back in a facility?
NM: To represent our program, El Paso and the great state of Texas to the best of our ability. And bring home another title!
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