Made in Michigan

Q&A with Lea Hebert, the woman behind Elite Cheer Michigan, the state’s first all-star gym

By Marisa Walker

Cheer Biz News April/May 2010

“We know it takes everyone working together and supporting each other to be successful; we also know that bad attitudes and unsupportive athletes and families can ruin the whole team or program.” —Lea Hebert

Almost a decade ago, Lea Hebert had never heard the term “cheer gym.” But by 2001, she’d opened her state’s first all-star facility and, in turn, opened the door for all-star cheerleading in Michigan. Today, Hebert’s Elite Cheer Michigan, based in Chesterfield, is one of the most recognizable programs in the country. Whether it’s the standout red, yellow and black uniforms, the spirited squad of cheer dads or simply the athletes’ talent and sportsmanship, Elite Cheer Michigan is one program that’s hard to miss.

This should come as no surprise, considering the woman at the helm has cheerleading in her blood. “My mother was a cheerleading coach for 15 years,” Hebert says. “I grew up in the sport and started at the age of 3. I was a mascot for her teams until I was old enough to be on my own team.”

Her own cheer days led to coaching school teams, and it was while coaching a varsity team that a fortuitous online search led to her career in all-star cheer. Read how Hebert got Elite Cheer off the ground and put Michigan on the all-star map.

CBN: What made you decide to open Elite Cheer Michigan in 2001?

Lea Hebert: I was coaching a varsity high school team and needed music for their routine. I went online and found Elite Cheer in Omaha, NE. I contacted them to produce music for me. We soon established a great business relationship, and I flew their staff out for camps. [Founders Kevin Hooker and Lance Stoltenberg] asked me how many cheer gyms were in my area. I’d never heard of a cheer gym—there weren’t any in the state of Michigan. So that’s when I decided to open one.

CBN: The 2010–11 season will be the 10th for Elite Cheer Michigan. Tell us about your first year in business.

LH: It was very scary. Not only did I have to learn the ins and outs of all-star cheerleading, I had to educate my customers on what it was all about. Since there weren’t any cheer gyms in the state yet, there wasn’t any interest. I advertised heavily prior to opening our doors, got involved with local recreation programs and trained many school programs. It was very tough.

We started out with 42 athletes on two teams. Nine and a half years later, we’ve had up to 13 teams in one season, ranging from 100 to 225 athletes. Many things have changed since the first year—mainly due to the fact that this sport is always evolving. There was no Level Play or spring floors. But our philosophy hasn’t changed at all.

CBN: What is that philosophy?

LH: It’s all about family at Elite Cheer. The whole program supports one another and every team. Every athlete watches every other Elite team at competitions. We’re very strict with our athletes when it comes to respect, sportsmanship, attire, training, etc. We know it takes everyone working together and supporting each other to be successful; we also know that bad attitudes and unsupportive athletes and families can ruin the whole team or program. Therefore, rules are set forth and must be followed. Bottom line: We believe positivity brings positivity and negativity brings negativity. And we choose to have only positive energy at Elite Cheer.

CBN: You have Pre-teams, Local teams, Limited teams and National teams—you offer so many different types of athletes the opportunity to find a home and a place to cheer at your gym. Has this helped boost your enrollment?

LH: This has been a great stepping-stone for our athletes and families. Pre-team begins in the fall when our competitive teams start competing. They train just like our other teams, and they exhibition at a local national championship at the end of the season. Local teams just compete locally. Limited teams compete locally and at one out-of-state competition. National teams compete both locally and two to four times out of state.

This has helped our enrollment greatly. All teams have different costs, and each team’s season is a little different. It works great for us!

CBN: How do you make the Pre-teams, Local and Limited teams feel as important as your Worlds-bound National teams?

LH: All of our teams are trained by all of our staff. We do not have set coaches for each team. Any activities scheduled are planned for all our teams—in everything we do, everyone is included. Every year we start off our season with a company picnic at a local park. All families are invited, and most everyone brings their whole family to the event. We have a ton of fun swimming and playing volleyball and games. We also have a huge Christmas sleepover every year, which is a ton of fun!

CBN: Do you think the unique rules and regulations that apply to school cheerleaders at competitions in Michigan affect your business?

LH: Yes, they do affect our business, in both positive and negative ways. On the positive side, we have a great reputation for our athletes’ skill level and technique. We have incredible coaches at Elite Cheer, so many high school and junior high programs bring their teams to us to help increase their tumbling and stunting [skills].

The negative aspect is because in Michigan you can’t be on both an all-star and a school team, kids have to choose one or the other. I personally don’t agree with this. I think school team athletes should be able to have the best of both worlds. When I was young, it was encouraged to be part of many things. Now Michigan limits kids on what activities they can be involved in.

The style is also very different. At competitions, kids on school teams perform three rounds of cheering. There’s no music, and they’re not allowed to travel out of state. They also can’t attend any competitions where all-star teams also will be competing. Michigan school teams also aren’t allowed to attend any national competitions. It’s upsetting to all of us [in the Michigan cheer community] because these kids are really missing out on what’s going on in the rest of the country. They’re missing out on a great experience.

CBN: Michigan—and the Midwest in general—is an area that’s been hit hard by the economy and hardships of the automotive industry. Has this affected your gym at all?

LH: Yes and no. The families we have are amazing. They’re very supportive and into the sport. They love watching their children accomplish new skills and meet new friends, and they know that their kids are in good hands with my staff. Since we do offer a wide array of teams, some athletes have chosen to join less expensive teams than in prior years. It really doesn’t change much for the athletes because they still have all the same coaches and are at all the same local events.

[In response to the economy,] we’ve reduced the number of competitions that we attended this year, and next season we may reduce the number of out-of-town events. I’ll be discussing this with our families to find out what they want for next season soon.

CBN: What’s been one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as a business owner?

LH: In 2005, we outgrew our 4,600-square-foot space. I decided I wanted to build my own facility. We purchased land and hired a builder, and the building process began. During construction everything came to a halt, and we found out the builder we hired had embezzled all the money from our loan. We ended up having to give up our property and our building.

We moved forward and are currently renting a beautiful 15,000-square-foot facility. It was the biggest nightmare I’ve ever lived through, but it really brought all our families together. We couldn’t have moved forward without the help of our families at Elite Cheer. They pulled together and helped us move all our equipment, build new equipment, paint all of our walls and more.

CBN: This issue of CBN focuses heavily on sportsmanship. Can you explain the relationship between Elite Cheer Michigan and Elite Cheer Nebraska?

LH: While Elite Cheer Nebraska is a separate entity from Elite Cheer Michigan, we have the same colors, same cheer and also the same philosophies. Elite Cheer Nebraska is our sister gym. We run some areas of our businesses the same way, and in others it’s different. We both respect each other’s ways and always share our ideas. Sometimes we compete against each other, and both programs are always very supportive of the other. We always cheer each other on if competition schedules permit us to.

I really admired Kevin Hooker and Lance Stoltenberg’s dedication and knowledge. Both guys give their heart and soul to cheerleading, and it shows. They’re so helpful and genuine in everything they do. They have great morals and values and do this for all the right reasons.

CBN: This issue will be coming out right before Worlds and tryouts. Can you explain your tryout process?

LH: Everyone makes a team at Elite Cheer. Our tryout process is very informal. I personally feel a big tryout stresses the kids out! We let the families decide when the athletes are going to try out over a two-month period. This way the kids have time to gain new skills. We ask them to show us motions, jumps and any tumbling skills they have. We also spot our athletes on any skills they want to be spotted on. We don’t have a big tryout date. We have ongoing tryouts from April through the end of May. Then we place athletes on teams according to age and skill level. Team practices start in June for our National and Limited teams.

CBN: What do you think Elite Cheer Michigan is known for both locally and in the all-star world?

LH: Our colors really stand out, and other teams always compliment our athletes’ sportsmanship at competitions. Our choreography and music also stands out. Since our teams have been competing, we’ve been asked by many other programs to do their choreography and music. We travel all over the country to choreograph now. Our cheer dads are also known across the country for their support and spirit for not just our teams but other teams as well.

CBN: Your cheer dads are legendary. How did this tradition start?

LH: We were at an event, and one of our teams was called onstage. There was a problem with the sound system, and our kids just stood there looking at the crowd. One of our dads stood up, ran across the front and started leading the crowd in the wave. Then he started chanting our cheer. Our kids did amazing with the crowd being that spirited.

At the next event, we had five dads up there. While they were at an out-of-town competition, they started thinking of ideas to get our crowd more spirited and made posters spelling out “Elite”, with one dad holding each letter. As more dads participated, they spelled out “Elite Cheer”. We even got to a point where we had enough dads to spell “Elite Cheer Michigan”! Then they wanted to make a statement and decided they should all dress alike, too, so they started ordering warm-ups and jerseys and started wearing hard hats—you name it, they’ve done it. Their theme changes year to year. Well, the poster boards started tearing and getting flimsy, so they came up with the lighted signs they use now. The dads are awesome! I’ve never organized what they do; they do it all themselves. Sometimes when I ask what they’re doing for the next competition, they won’t tell us so we’re all surprised when we get there. They’re a riot!

CBN: What have been your program’s most memorable competitive accomplishments?

LH: We’ve had many wonderful moments and accomplishments. We have hundreds of national titles, first-place finishes, grand champs and program champs. We’ve been to The Cheerleading Worlds twice, and both times we made it to finals. But, I’d have to say my proudest moment happened during my first year in business. I was told by many people and other gym owners that it would take years for Elite Cheer to win a national title. Remember, there was no Level Play back then. I remember going to St. Louis for our first competition ever. At the time, there weren’t any all-star competitions in Michigan, so our teams only competed out of state. I had two teams, and I told our parents that this was our first season and not to expect much! I was just praying in my mind, anything but last. And we went in and won! It was the most amazing feeling I’ve ever had.

CBN: What’s been your proudest moment as a coach and gym owner?

LH: There are a few: We were in Indianapolis for JAMfest Super Nationals and all our parents, families, friends and cheer dads were standing in the open area by the escalators. I was upstairs having a team meeting with 12 of my teams. As I was going down the escalator afterward with all my athletes behind me, all our parents were yelling our cheer. We had more than 500 people yelling for us—it was so amazing. I still get the chills just thinking about it.

CBN: How do you handle both coaching and running a business?

LH: I coach all my teams, which means I work long hours every day. I do all of my bookwork prior to teams coming in or after they leave, and I’m in the gym while they’re practicing.

CBN: In your limited spare time, what are your interests outside the gym?

LH: I spend most of my free time with my family. I’ve been married to my husband, Matt, for seven years. We have two children: Brendan, who’s 5, and Brooklyn, who’s 3. We love boating every summer. I also love going to concerts, waterskiing, kneeboarding, volleyball, softball and, of course, cheerleading! Most people would say I’m obsessed. It’s just in my blood. My husband always tells me that I need to pick up a hobby and need more interests other than cheerleading!

CBN: What advice would you give to new gym owners and coaches?

LH: Do what you say, and say what you mean.

For More Info:

Elite Cheer Michigan

25151 Terra Industrial Drive

Chesterfield, MI 48051

586-948-JUMP

elitecheer-michigan.com