April 27, 2026 • 16 mins
A new all-star cheer gym has landed in Walker, Michigan, and it’s built on a simple idea with big consequences: Family Over Everything. I’m joined by FOE All-Stars owner Tank Johnson and head coach and co-director Brayden to talk about why they opened the doors, what they want athletes to feel the moment they walk in, and how a sports facility can become a real community hub.
We break down what all-star cheer actually is for anyone who only knows sideline cheer: high-level tumbling, stunting that involves real strength and precision, and routines where trust is non-negotiable because the music doesn’t stop when something goes wrong. Braden shares the story of how a middle school dare turned into a scholarship journey and a coaching career, plus what it’s like helping athletes find the role that fits them, whether they love flips, lifting, flying, or simply being the steady teammate everyone counts on.
We also get practical about programs families are searching for right now, including spring training sessions, upcoming tryouts, and the opportunities around stunt, now an NCAA championship sport with growing scholarship potential. Tank explains why FOE designed the building for the reality of busy families, with a parent room, cameras, homework space, kitchen access, and even a spot to take a private meeting. If you care about youth sports in West Michigan, cheerleading training, tumbling classes, stunting fundamentals, or college cheer pathways, this conversation offers a clear look at what FOE is trying to build in Walker and beyond.
Subscribe for more local stories, share this with a family who’s exploring cheer or tumbling, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What would make a gym feel like home to you?
If you have comments about this podcast, or ideas for future episodes, please email us at PODCAST@WALKER.CITY
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SPEAKER_01 (00:07):
Welcome to Maiden Walker, a podcast that connects
you to the people, the stories,and the ideas shaping our
community.
From local innovators toeveryday change makers, we're
diving deep into what makesWalker a great place to live,
work, and grow.
Here's your host, NicoleDiDonata.
SPEAKER_03 (00:26):
A new facility, Jim, has opened its doors in Walker,
specializing in cheer, tumbling,and stunting.
It's called FOE All-Stars, andI'm pleased to have one of the
owners, Tank Johnson, and alsohead coach and co-director
Braden here with us.
Thank you both for joining ustoday.
Oh, thank you.
SPEAKER_02 (00:42):
Thank you for having us.
SPEAKER_03 (00:43):
Tank, let's start with you, one of the owners.
It's actually one of four.
Tell us all about FOE and whatinspired you all to bring this
facility to Walker.
SPEAKER_02 (00:52):
Yeah, so FOE is an all-star cheer gym.
Really, it's just a place forathletes to thrive.
Um FOE stands for family overeverything.
Uh, that's big for us.
Um, cheer is really a big unitof individuals that come
together for one.
Uh so we've we didn'tnecessarily necessarily start
(01:15):
off wanting to create our owngym, um, but out of a necessity,
we did.
Um and yeah, we were veryblessed and fortunate to bring
it to Walker.
SPEAKER_03 (01:25):
And what exactly does um a facility like this
hold, or you know, an offer forfamilies?
Sure.
SPEAKER_02 (01:31):
Um, so the biggest thing is a focus on cheer.
So if you think about sidelinecheer at a football game or a
basketball game, and you add anextreme um technique of throwing
athletes in the air and spinningand twisting, and then a series
of tumbles, which are backflipsand cartwheels and just a high
(01:56):
level of flexibility on theground.
Um, that's that's kind of allstarts here in a nutshell.
SPEAKER_03 (02:01):
It is.
Uh, you all had your open houseum later in March, just a few
weeks ago.
That was pretty impressive tosee.
About a hundred families,several hundred folks ended up
showing up.
You uh you have a good uhsupport system right here, it
looks like.
SPEAKER_02 (02:14):
Yeah.
Yeah, we're extremely blessed.
Like we didn't think we wouldhave that level of turnout.
Um, but I think last check, wehad over 400 people come through
the door.
Yeah.
Um, it was incredible.
unknown (02:28):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (02:29):
And Braden, uh being a head coach, uh, cheer has been
your life as well.
How did you initially kind ofget started in this?
SPEAKER_00 (02:34):
Yeah, I actually love telling this story because
I started in middle school and Iwas playing football at the
time, and some of my footballfriends, I'll call them friends
for now, um, dared me to go tocheerleading tryouts just to
like mess around with the likeplay with the girls' heads and
stuff in middle school.
And then so I went to cheertryouts and the it and it comes
down to that family feelingagain, like the way that I felt
(02:57):
way more accepted and was havingmore fun and felt like I could
actually thrive and grow in thecheerleading environment is what
made me go from thinking I wasjust gonna do it on a dare to
taking it all the way throughcollege now on scholarship and
getting the opportunity to be ahead coach at this cheer gym and
a co-director, all just from onelittle dare.
But yeah, finding my family,finding my roots and all my
(03:19):
friends and cheerleading hasbeen huge.
SPEAKER_03 (03:21):
Yes.
And now going into that um thathead coaching role and just
helping foster the athleticismand that teamwork and family
culture with these kids, what'sthat been like?
SPEAKER_00 (03:31):
It's been really great because whether it's a
little five-year-old who's nevereven seen a cheerleader do a
flip to some of these uh girlsor boys who have been in cheer
and have felt that same type offamily, um, watching them find
joy back into whether maybe theythrive in tumbling, maybe they
love to do their flips, theylove to do their cartwheels, or
(03:52):
maybe they're more of somebodywho like loves lifting people up
in the air or love gettinglifted up in the air, like
people being able to find wherethey thrive the best when it
comes to cheer, or maybe that'sjust being a good vibe on the
team.
Like you can be just asimportant to that team aspect
for all-star cheer or stunt ifyou are just being that hype
person all the time.
Where when it comes to all-starcheer, you don't, you're not,
(04:12):
you don't have the sideline andyou're not cheering for a
football team, you're cheeringfor each other in the gym.
SPEAKER_02 (04:17):
Yeah.
That's true.
I mean, that's a that's kind ofa a thing that, you know, as a
cheer dad, you always thinkcheerleading is like a woman's
sport or a young ladies' sport,but there are a ton of men in
that sport and boys in thatsport who are just as athletic,
just as flexible, um, and it's agreat dynamic when they come
(04:38):
together.
SPEAKER_03 (04:39):
It really brings it to another level when they see
these performances.
SPEAKER_02 (04:41):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (04:42):
So what kind of uh programs and such, if uh
families are looking intopossibly moving um maybe gyms or
getting started with theirchildren in this type of sport,
what do you offer at FOE?
SPEAKER_00 (04:53):
I mean, maybe do you want to take that and so right
now um we just like opened upand so right now we have our
spring training program.
We're offering this as a way forthose families who maybe had to
step away from cheer for alittle bit, finding them um and
these athletes a way to get backinto cheer, dip their toe back
in the water, get their bodiesmoving again.
So we offered this springtraining, we're offering it in
(05:14):
two sessions.
We're finishing up our firstsession this week, actually.
Um, and so we offered bothtumbling classes in partnership
with our uh Prestige AthleticsPartnership, and they're some of
the best tumbling coaches aroundin all of Michigan, if not in
this whole region.
Um so we partnered with them tooffer some tumbling classes so
that they can get their bodyslipping.
We have different levels forthat.
We're also offering stuntingclasses, um, and that's with our
(05:37):
FOE staff.
So me, Coach Tina, and CoachChelsea are helping them find
the fundamentals with stunting.
So whether they're brand new toit or they are coming back into
the All-Star Cheer flow, we'regetting them moving again,
getting them lifting, find thatstrength training, that
flexibility so that they can getback into stunting.
So we're offering that.
Um, our session two for springtraining is still open for
(05:58):
registration, and that sessiontwo runs from April 13th until
May 15th.
Um, and you can go to oursocials to see what those
classes look like and all thatjazz.
But whether you have never seenCheer before and want to get
going on it, or if you maybestopped a couple years ago and
are thinking, like, I want tohave my family again, um, come
into this spring training, getready for it, because we will
then have our tryouts at the endof May.
(06:20):
That'll be for our officialAll-Star teams.
That's when we're really hittingthe ground running because from
there we'll have our All-Starprograms where it will be
official teams that will competethroughout the year.
Um, we also will be offeringstunt, which is a new sport that
just recently got NCAAchampionship status.
Um, it is an all-girl sport, soit does also get Title IX
protections.
And with it getting that NCAAchampionship status, there's
(06:43):
more scholarship opportunitiesas well as more resources once
they get to that college level.
So with this club stunt thatwe'll be offering, it's gonna
allow these athletes to hone inon their technique for their
all-star cheer if they decide todo a little bit of both.
Um then it'll also provide moreopportunities for them going
into college.
And with that, our last thingthat we're like really offering
and pushing is gonna be ourcollege pathways program.
And what we're doing with thatis we have three college coaches
(07:06):
on our coaching staff.
I coach at Davenport, uh, CoachTina coaches at GV, and then
Coach Chelsea uh was a formercoach of Ferris State.
And so all of us know have theseconnections with different
college coaches all across theUnited States.
So we're really helping juniorsand seniors uh find where
they're gonna thrive best.
So if there is an athlete wholoves sideline cheer, who like
(07:27):
really just wants to focus onthat, they don't care about the
competition, they just want tobe able to go and cheer on a
team and be proud for whateveruniversity they go to, maybe we
point them towards the directionof like a University of Florida,
they're a big um sideline team.
If they're wanting somethingcompetitive, maybe we point them
towards a Grand Valley orDavenport because we're huge
when it comes to competition.
Um so college pathways, all starcheer and stunt the sport.
(07:48):
That's our three main programsthat we're really pushing.
SPEAKER_03 (07:50):
Yes, yeah, that's uh keeping those kids busy and a
lot of opportunities as well.
SPEAKER_02 (07:54):
So it is.
Yeah, and I think one of thethings that when we created FOE,
uh we won't say anyone cancreate a a cheer gym, but we did
want to create something thatthe parents could look forward
to if you like cheer and you dowant to continue and go to
college for that.
Here's a stepping stone whereyou know our proven coaches can
(08:17):
help get you there.
Um so it's just something that'sdifferent that we didn't have at
our last gym that we do believeis a is a great asset to go
forward.
SPEAKER_03 (08:27):
I think we were talking when I first met you as
well as um just making it aplace you it it is it can be you
spend a lot of time there,obviously, with a lot of
practices and such.
And that means maybe bringingyour younger siblings along.
So you're kind of providingthose spaces that if the family
has to be there for the evening,uh, you know, you're not without
what you would need if you werehome or something.
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02 (08:47):
I mean, that was a big part of the selection
process of the building.
Um, and again, you nailed it.
Most of our athletes will meettwo to three times a week for
kind of a minimum of two hours.
And like me, I'm a dad of four,you know, and three of my girls
go with me pretty mucheverywhere.
So there is homework that'sinvolved.
(09:09):
There there are, you know,reading, just just
extracurricular that that haveto take place.
So our building has a parentroom and it's separate from the
gym.
It has a nice viewing area withwith tinted windows so the
athletes can't see in, but theparents can see out.
Um, we also have um, you know, anice uh high definition camera
(09:30):
system that um we have aprojector in the parent room
where families can see theirathletes performing while
sitting comfortably in theparent room.
And there's plenty of desk andand sitting area where where
kids can do their homework andextracurriculars.
Um nutrition is big for us.
So we wanted to make sure we hada kitchen, you know, a kitchen
(09:51):
where you could bring your youryour dinner or your lunch or
whatever your meal schedule isis like.
Um and if you're like me, Ibring work home.
So there's a coffee station inthere as well where you can um
get your coffee and you know,recharge.
And then we have a niceconference room.
So if you need to take a privatemeeting, you can step aside in
that space and take that aswell.
SPEAKER_03 (10:10):
Yeah, and it's pretty cool having to belong to
another gym, just kind of seeingwhat are some of the additions
and things that I wouldappreciate if I were doing that
and then bringing it to yourvery own gym.
You've thought of everything.
SPEAKER_02 (10:20):
So Yeah, I mean uh we you spend a lot of time
together.
And and it's not to badmouthother places, but if you have
the ability to pick a place thatfits your needs better, you
know, we want to do that.
And we think that building landson a lot of that.
SPEAKER_03 (10:38):
Yes, yeah.
And what was interesting too isgoing through the planning
commission um journey, you allhad to do that.
Uh, I think they had um to torezone the building just so it
could be used for this indoorgym, but you had the ceiling
height, you had everything youneeded.
So I'm glad that was a goodprocess for you to go through.
SPEAKER_02 (10:55):
It was, you know, and we love that that ability to
come and tell that story.
So the Planning Commission waswas great in hearing what we
wanted to create.
And then they pointed out somegreat things that, you know,
just wasn't even on our radar.
Think about parking.
You know, we they they were verygracious because we moved in
during the winter months and youcouldn't, you know, create the
(11:16):
parking space that was needed,but they were very helpful
through the journey and givingus some guidance and now we're
we're ready to rock.
SPEAKER_03 (11:25):
Yes, yeah, look at that.
You know, did you ever thinkthat you'd be here already?
SPEAKER_02 (11:28):
So Yeah, not that quick, but we are.
SPEAKER_03 (11:32):
Oh, you're also telling us this uh you're
pulling in people from uh aroundthe region, really.
SPEAKER_02 (11:36):
Yeah.
So uh some of the location of ofthat building was strategic, you
know, making sure that we wereclose to a major freeway.
Um, and we still can pull fromGrand Rapids, uh, but we can
pull from the lakeshorecommunities.
We even have families coming asfar as Kalamazoo um up this way.
So the location is perfect.
(11:58):
It gives us the ability to besuccessful and make it
accessible.
unknown (12:02):
Yes.
SPEAKER_03 (12:02):
And and again, just what you'd said, uh family is
just such a big part of that.
So aside from like the athleticskills, what are the other types
of uh culture that you're reallytrying to instill with your
instill in your athletes?
SPEAKER_00 (12:13):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I think cheer is such a teamdynamic sport where in other
sports like football, if someonemesses up a play, doesn't catch
the throw on the first down, youhave a second down to try again.
With cheer, we have like atwo-minute, 30 seconds routine.
If somebody misses one count andthrows off the rest of the
(12:33):
routine routine, the music keepsgoing.
You gotta keep going, you gottafind a way to pick that teammate
up that had a little oopsiedaisy and keep going with the
routine.
So the way that it builds ontrust for each other for your
teammates, because when you gotsomebody in your hands and
you're throwing them five feetin the air, you're gonna, if
you're the one going up, you'retrusting that they're catching
you.
And if you're the one catching,you're hoping that they're doing
their job up in the air so thatthey come down safely.
(12:55):
Um, so trust is a big thing whenit comes to cheerleading and
it's also just so fun.
You like skillflation is whatwe're calling it right now in
cheerleading, is like there'salways a new skill to be
learned.
Like there's never, you're nevertopped off when it when you're
training in for cheer.
Like there are still30-year-olds still doing cheer
and still trying to get newskills because there's always
something more, and that'swhat's so like fun is that
(13:15):
drive, that trust that you canlike continue your journey no
matter what when it comes tocheerleading.
SPEAKER_02 (13:20):
Yeah.
And and the bond.
I mean, take the the timetogether aside, but you nailed
it.
I mean, there is a trust factorthat has to exist.
Um but we do that not only inthe gym, but we do it outside of
the gym.
So we have designated um teambonding events, and some of them
are like going to Michiganadventures and having fun, and
(13:43):
uh, some of them are a poolparty, some are a beach day.
But it it allows you to connectwith one another outside of the
gym.
Because at the end of the day,we all have a lot of the same
concerns and struggles and andgifts.
So it's about connecting andjust relating at a different
(14:04):
level and sometimes in adifferent space.
SPEAKER_03 (14:07):
I love that perspective.
And where do you see yourself,you know, five years or so or
just down the road?
What are some of theaspirations?
I know you just opened, butwe're talking, you know, next
steps.
But if you've thought that far.
SPEAKER_02 (14:19):
Yeah, ideally, we would we would love to be great
in this space.
Um we are classified as a D, wewill be a D2 or a small gym.
Um, and we we would love to beum extremely dominant and good
in that space from a performancestandpoint.
Uh, but if we're blessed enoughto go to a D1 and be able to
(14:42):
become a larger gym, we wouldlove to do that.
Um and we believe we have thespace to be able to do that.
We definitely have the coachesto be able to execute and draw
in uh that type of talent.
But I think more than anything,success would lie in uh looking
back and and seeing athletes,whether they stay in the cheer
(15:03):
space or not, uh for them to bebut better humans, right?
Someone who can pull on theircheer journey and say, I learned
some life skills because ofcheer.
I learned some life skillsbecause of the families that I
connected with.
And that to me would take allthe awards and and banners
aside, that would be a truedefinition of success.
SPEAKER_03 (15:26):
You know, that does.
I can just imagine that.
Well, we're so blessed to haveyou in the community and
grateful that you chose Walkerto open your doors and very
excited to see where you all gonext.
So, Tank and Braden, thank youboth so much for your time with
this podcast.
Awesome.
Appreciate it.
SPEAKER_01 (15:40):
Appreciate it.
SPEAKER_03 (15:41):
Of course, thank you for tuning in.
SPEAKER_01 (15:42):
Thank you for joining us for this episode of
the Maiden Walker Podcast.
If you have comments orquestions about this podcast, or
if you have suggestions forfuture episodes, we'd love to
hear from you.
Please drop us an email atpodcast at walker.city.
Maiden Walker is the officialpodcast of the city of Walker,
Michigan.
(16:02):
You can find Maiden Walkerwherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to Maiden Walker, a podcast that connects
you to the people, the stories,and the ideas shaping our
community.
From local innovators toeveryday change makers, we're
diving deep into what makesWalker a great place to live,
work, and grow.
Here's your host, NicoleDiDonata.
SPEAKER_03 (00:26):
A new facility, Jim, has opened its doors in Walker,
specializing in cheer, tumbling,and stunting.
It's called FOE All-Stars, andI'm pleased to have one of the
owners, Tank Johnson, and alsohead coach and co-director
Braden here with us.
Thank you both for joining ustoday.
Oh, thank you.
SPEAKER_02 (00:42):
Thank you for having us.
SPEAKER_03 (00:43):
Tank, let's start with you, one of the owners.
It's actually one of four.
Tell us all about FOE and whatinspired you all to bring this
facility to Walker.
SPEAKER_02 (00:52):
Yeah, so FOE is an all-star cheer gym.
Really, it's just a place forathletes to thrive.
Um FOE stands for family overeverything.
Uh, that's big for us.
Um, cheer is really a big unitof individuals that come
together for one.
Uh so we've we didn'tnecessarily necessarily start
(01:15):
off wanting to create our owngym, um, but out of a necessity,
we did.
Um and yeah, we were veryblessed and fortunate to bring
it to Walker.
SPEAKER_03 (01:25):
And what exactly does um a facility like this
hold, or you know, an offer forfamilies?
Sure.
SPEAKER_02 (01:31):
Um, so the biggest thing is a focus on cheer.
So if you think about sidelinecheer at a football game or a
basketball game, and you add anextreme um technique of throwing
athletes in the air and spinningand twisting, and then a series
of tumbles, which are backflipsand cartwheels and just a high
(01:56):
level of flexibility on theground.
Um, that's that's kind of allstarts here in a nutshell.
SPEAKER_03 (02:01):
It is.
Uh, you all had your open houseum later in March, just a few
weeks ago.
That was pretty impressive tosee.
About a hundred families,several hundred folks ended up
showing up.
You uh you have a good uhsupport system right here, it
looks like.
SPEAKER_02 (02:14):
Yeah.
Yeah, we're extremely blessed.
Like we didn't think we wouldhave that level of turnout.
Um, but I think last check, wehad over 400 people come through
the door.
Yeah.
Um, it was incredible.
unknown (02:28):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (02:29):
And Braden, uh being a head coach, uh, cheer has been
your life as well.
How did you initially kind ofget started in this?
SPEAKER_00 (02:34):
Yeah, I actually love telling this story because
I started in middle school and Iwas playing football at the
time, and some of my footballfriends, I'll call them friends
for now, um, dared me to go tocheerleading tryouts just to
like mess around with the likeplay with the girls' heads and
stuff in middle school.
And then so I went to cheertryouts and the it and it comes
down to that family feelingagain, like the way that I felt
(02:57):
way more accepted and was havingmore fun and felt like I could
actually thrive and grow in thecheerleading environment is what
made me go from thinking I wasjust gonna do it on a dare to
taking it all the way throughcollege now on scholarship and
getting the opportunity to be ahead coach at this cheer gym and
a co-director, all just from onelittle dare.
But yeah, finding my family,finding my roots and all my
(03:19):
friends and cheerleading hasbeen huge.
SPEAKER_03 (03:21):
Yes.
And now going into that um thathead coaching role and just
helping foster the athleticismand that teamwork and family
culture with these kids, what'sthat been like?
SPEAKER_00 (03:31):
It's been really great because whether it's a
little five-year-old who's nevereven seen a cheerleader do a
flip to some of these uh girlsor boys who have been in cheer
and have felt that same type offamily, um, watching them find
joy back into whether maybe theythrive in tumbling, maybe they
love to do their flips, theylove to do their cartwheels, or
(03:52):
maybe they're more of somebodywho like loves lifting people up
in the air or love gettinglifted up in the air, like
people being able to find wherethey thrive the best when it
comes to cheer, or maybe that'sjust being a good vibe on the
team.
Like you can be just asimportant to that team aspect
for all-star cheer or stunt ifyou are just being that hype
person all the time.
Where when it comes to all-starcheer, you don't, you're not,
(04:12):
you don't have the sideline andyou're not cheering for a
football team, you're cheeringfor each other in the gym.
SPEAKER_02 (04:17):
Yeah.
That's true.
I mean, that's a that's kind ofa a thing that, you know, as a
cheer dad, you always thinkcheerleading is like a woman's
sport or a young ladies' sport,but there are a ton of men in
that sport and boys in thatsport who are just as athletic,
just as flexible, um, and it's agreat dynamic when they come
(04:38):
together.
SPEAKER_03 (04:39):
It really brings it to another level when they see
these performances.
SPEAKER_02 (04:41):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (04:42):
So what kind of uh programs and such, if uh
families are looking intopossibly moving um maybe gyms or
getting started with theirchildren in this type of sport,
what do you offer at FOE?
SPEAKER_00 (04:53):
I mean, maybe do you want to take that and so right
now um we just like opened upand so right now we have our
spring training program.
We're offering this as a way forthose families who maybe had to
step away from cheer for alittle bit, finding them um and
these athletes a way to get backinto cheer, dip their toe back
in the water, get their bodiesmoving again.
So we offered this springtraining, we're offering it in
(05:14):
two sessions.
We're finishing up our firstsession this week, actually.
Um, and so we offered bothtumbling classes in partnership
with our uh Prestige AthleticsPartnership, and they're some of
the best tumbling coaches aroundin all of Michigan, if not in
this whole region.
Um so we partnered with them tooffer some tumbling classes so
that they can get their bodyslipping.
We have different levels forthat.
We're also offering stuntingclasses, um, and that's with our
(05:37):
FOE staff.
So me, Coach Tina, and CoachChelsea are helping them find
the fundamentals with stunting.
So whether they're brand new toit or they are coming back into
the All-Star Cheer flow, we'regetting them moving again,
getting them lifting, find thatstrength training, that
flexibility so that they can getback into stunting.
So we're offering that.
Um, our session two for springtraining is still open for
(05:58):
registration, and that sessiontwo runs from April 13th until
May 15th.
Um, and you can go to oursocials to see what those
classes look like and all thatjazz.
But whether you have never seenCheer before and want to get
going on it, or if you maybestopped a couple years ago and
are thinking, like, I want tohave my family again, um, come
into this spring training, getready for it, because we will
then have our tryouts at the endof May.
(06:20):
That'll be for our officialAll-Star teams.
That's when we're really hittingthe ground running because from
there we'll have our All-Starprograms where it will be
official teams that will competethroughout the year.
Um, we also will be offeringstunt, which is a new sport that
just recently got NCAAchampionship status.
Um, it is an all-girl sport, soit does also get Title IX
protections.
And with it getting that NCAAchampionship status, there's
(06:43):
more scholarship opportunitiesas well as more resources once
they get to that college level.
So with this club stunt thatwe'll be offering, it's gonna
allow these athletes to hone inon their technique for their
all-star cheer if they decide todo a little bit of both.
Um then it'll also provide moreopportunities for them going
into college.
And with that, our last thingthat we're like really offering
and pushing is gonna be ourcollege pathways program.
And what we're doing with thatis we have three college coaches
(07:06):
on our coaching staff.
I coach at Davenport, uh, CoachTina coaches at GV, and then
Coach Chelsea uh was a formercoach of Ferris State.
And so all of us know have theseconnections with different
college coaches all across theUnited States.
So we're really helping juniorsand seniors uh find where
they're gonna thrive best.
So if there is an athlete wholoves sideline cheer, who like
(07:27):
really just wants to focus onthat, they don't care about the
competition, they just want tobe able to go and cheer on a
team and be proud for whateveruniversity they go to, maybe we
point them towards the directionof like a University of Florida,
they're a big um sideline team.
If they're wanting somethingcompetitive, maybe we point them
towards a Grand Valley orDavenport because we're huge
when it comes to competition.
Um so college pathways, all starcheer and stunt the sport.
(07:48):
That's our three main programsthat we're really pushing.
SPEAKER_03 (07:50):
Yes, yeah, that's uh keeping those kids busy and a
lot of opportunities as well.
SPEAKER_02 (07:54):
So it is.
Yeah, and I think one of thethings that when we created FOE,
uh we won't say anyone cancreate a a cheer gym, but we did
want to create something thatthe parents could look forward
to if you like cheer and you dowant to continue and go to
college for that.
Here's a stepping stone whereyou know our proven coaches can
(08:17):
help get you there.
Um so it's just something that'sdifferent that we didn't have at
our last gym that we do believeis a is a great asset to go
forward.
SPEAKER_03 (08:27):
I think we were talking when I first met you as
well as um just making it aplace you it it is it can be you
spend a lot of time there,obviously, with a lot of
practices and such.
And that means maybe bringingyour younger siblings along.
So you're kind of providingthose spaces that if the family
has to be there for the evening,uh, you know, you're not without
what you would need if you werehome or something.
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02 (08:47):
I mean, that was a big part of the selection
process of the building.
Um, and again, you nailed it.
Most of our athletes will meettwo to three times a week for
kind of a minimum of two hours.
And like me, I'm a dad of four,you know, and three of my girls
go with me pretty mucheverywhere.
So there is homework that'sinvolved.
(09:09):
There there are, you know,reading, just just
extracurricular that that haveto take place.
So our building has a parentroom and it's separate from the
gym.
It has a nice viewing area withwith tinted windows so the
athletes can't see in, but theparents can see out.
Um, we also have um, you know, anice uh high definition camera
(09:30):
system that um we have aprojector in the parent room
where families can see theirathletes performing while
sitting comfortably in theparent room.
And there's plenty of desk andand sitting area where where
kids can do their homework andextracurriculars.
Um nutrition is big for us.
So we wanted to make sure we hada kitchen, you know, a kitchen
(09:51):
where you could bring your youryour dinner or your lunch or
whatever your meal schedule isis like.
Um and if you're like me, Ibring work home.
So there's a coffee station inthere as well where you can um
get your coffee and you know,recharge.
And then we have a niceconference room.
So if you need to take a privatemeeting, you can step aside in
that space and take that aswell.
SPEAKER_03 (10:10):
Yeah, and it's pretty cool having to belong to
another gym, just kind of seeingwhat are some of the additions
and things that I wouldappreciate if I were doing that
and then bringing it to yourvery own gym.
You've thought of everything.
SPEAKER_02 (10:20):
So Yeah, I mean uh we you spend a lot of time
together.
And and it's not to badmouthother places, but if you have
the ability to pick a place thatfits your needs better, you
know, we want to do that.
And we think that building landson a lot of that.
SPEAKER_03 (10:38):
Yes, yeah.
And what was interesting too isgoing through the planning
commission um journey, you allhad to do that.
Uh, I think they had um to torezone the building just so it
could be used for this indoorgym, but you had the ceiling
height, you had everything youneeded.
So I'm glad that was a goodprocess for you to go through.
SPEAKER_02 (10:55):
It was, you know, and we love that that ability to
come and tell that story.
So the Planning Commission waswas great in hearing what we
wanted to create.
And then they pointed out somegreat things that, you know,
just wasn't even on our radar.
Think about parking.
You know, we they they were verygracious because we moved in
during the winter months and youcouldn't, you know, create the
(11:16):
parking space that was needed,but they were very helpful
through the journey and givingus some guidance and now we're
we're ready to rock.
SPEAKER_03 (11:25):
Yes, yeah, look at that.
You know, did you ever thinkthat you'd be here already?
SPEAKER_02 (11:28):
So Yeah, not that quick, but we are.
SPEAKER_03 (11:32):
Oh, you're also telling us this uh you're
pulling in people from uh aroundthe region, really.
SPEAKER_02 (11:36):
Yeah.
So uh some of the location of ofthat building was strategic, you
know, making sure that we wereclose to a major freeway.
Um, and we still can pull fromGrand Rapids, uh, but we can
pull from the lakeshorecommunities.
We even have families coming asfar as Kalamazoo um up this way.
So the location is perfect.
(11:58):
It gives us the ability to besuccessful and make it
accessible.
unknown (12:02):
Yes.
SPEAKER_03 (12:02):
And and again, just what you'd said, uh family is
just such a big part of that.
So aside from like the athleticskills, what are the other types
of uh culture that you're reallytrying to instill with your
instill in your athletes?
SPEAKER_00 (12:13):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I think cheer is such a teamdynamic sport where in other
sports like football, if someonemesses up a play, doesn't catch
the throw on the first down, youhave a second down to try again.
With cheer, we have like atwo-minute, 30 seconds routine.
If somebody misses one count andthrows off the rest of the
(12:33):
routine routine, the music keepsgoing.
You gotta keep going, you gottafind a way to pick that teammate
up that had a little oopsiedaisy and keep going with the
routine.
So the way that it builds ontrust for each other for your
teammates, because when you gotsomebody in your hands and
you're throwing them five feetin the air, you're gonna, if
you're the one going up, you'retrusting that they're catching
you.
And if you're the one catching,you're hoping that they're doing
their job up in the air so thatthey come down safely.
(12:55):
Um, so trust is a big thing whenit comes to cheerleading and
it's also just so fun.
You like skillflation is whatwe're calling it right now in
cheerleading, is like there'salways a new skill to be
learned.
Like there's never, you're nevertopped off when it when you're
training in for cheer.
Like there are still30-year-olds still doing cheer
and still trying to get newskills because there's always
something more, and that'swhat's so like fun is that
(13:15):
drive, that trust that you canlike continue your journey no
matter what when it comes tocheerleading.
SPEAKER_02 (13:20):
Yeah.
And and the bond.
I mean, take the the timetogether aside, but you nailed
it.
I mean, there is a trust factorthat has to exist.
Um but we do that not only inthe gym, but we do it outside of
the gym.
So we have designated um teambonding events, and some of them
are like going to Michiganadventures and having fun, and
(13:43):
uh, some of them are a poolparty, some are a beach day.
But it it allows you to connectwith one another outside of the
gym.
Because at the end of the day,we all have a lot of the same
concerns and struggles and andgifts.
So it's about connecting andjust relating at a different
(14:04):
level and sometimes in adifferent space.
SPEAKER_03 (14:07):
I love that perspective.
And where do you see yourself,you know, five years or so or
just down the road?
What are some of theaspirations?
I know you just opened, butwe're talking, you know, next
steps.
But if you've thought that far.
SPEAKER_02 (14:19):
Yeah, ideally, we would we would love to be great
in this space.
Um we are classified as a D, wewill be a D2 or a small gym.
Um, and we we would love to beum extremely dominant and good
in that space from a performancestandpoint.
Uh, but if we're blessed enoughto go to a D1 and be able to
(14:42):
become a larger gym, we wouldlove to do that.
Um and we believe we have thespace to be able to do that.
We definitely have the coachesto be able to execute and draw
in uh that type of talent.
But I think more than anything,success would lie in uh looking
back and and seeing athletes,whether they stay in the cheer
(15:03):
space or not, uh for them to bebut better humans, right?
Someone who can pull on theircheer journey and say, I learned
some life skills because ofcheer.
I learned some life skillsbecause of the families that I
connected with.
And that to me would take allthe awards and and banners
aside, that would be a truedefinition of success.
SPEAKER_03 (15:26):
You know, that does.
I can just imagine that.
Well, we're so blessed to haveyou in the community and
grateful that you chose Walkerto open your doors and very
excited to see where you all gonext.
So, Tank and Braden, thank youboth so much for your time with
this podcast.
Awesome.
Appreciate it.
SPEAKER_01 (15:40):
Appreciate it.
SPEAKER_03 (15:41):
Of course, thank you for tuning in.
SPEAKER_01 (15:42):
Thank you for joining us for this episode of
the Maiden Walker Podcast.
If you have comments orquestions about this podcast, or
if you have suggestions forfuture episodes, we'd love to
hear from you.
Please drop us an email atpodcast at walker.city.
Maiden Walker is the officialpodcast of the city of Walker,
Michigan.
(16:02):
You can find Maiden Walkerwherever you get your podcasts.
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