Cheer-coaching business grows by leaps, bounds

When most people think of cheerleading, they think of high school and football games.

In reality, there is a whole realm of businesses basing their trade on cheerleading, including one in Maricopa on Murphy Road off the Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway.

Arizona All-Star Fyrestorm Cheer opened in 2011 and, despite being in a smaller city and competing with the high school cheer team for participants, has prospered.

Owner Beth Mundell started the business with 18 cheerleaders. Last year, enrollment jumped to 65, and this year there are nearly 100 cheerleaders taking lessons at Fyrestorm Cheer.

For a little more than a year, she provided cheer lessons in another facility, but in August moved into her own space.

“That was terrifying. It was a four-year commitment,” Mundell said. “There were a lot of what ifs. There were a lot of bills to be paid.”

And it’s particularly hard, Mundell said, because she isn’t selling a product; she’s selling a service.

But the risk has been worth it, she said.

“It’s been an adventure.”

Mundell started her business with the help of Jennifer Lannon, the owner of a Tempe-based company called Arizona All-Star Tumbling and Cheer, which has been in business for 11 years. Mundell’s business is a franchise of Arizona All-Star Tumbling and Cheer.

Lannon said her own business has fluctuated during the past 11 years. She opened the business right when the movie “Bring It On” came out, which peaked interest and enrollment, Lannon said.

The bad economy hurt business, and so did a regulation put in place by the Arizona Interscholastic Association in 2009. The rule said participants of school cheerleading could not practice cheer at other gyms, Lannon said.

Although the rule was difficult for business at first, it started backfiring on the Arizona Interscholastic Association and the schools, Lannon said.

Students began enrolling in all-star cheer because it’s respected and provides more scholarships, Lannon said. Students often go on to compete competitively at the college level.

Lannon said the rule is interesting because All-Star Cheer is nothing like high school cheer.

“There’s no cheer in All-Star Cheer. You do stunting, tumbling, dance and jumps. It’s all synchronized,” she said. “It’s gymnastics and acrobatics all coming together.”

Lannon said she’s currently having her best year.

Mundell is seeing similar success. Last year, Fyrestorm cheerleaders took home two national titles, a second-place award, a third-place award, and a top sportsmanship award from the JamFest National Series in Las Vegas.

“National titles come and go. Sportsmanship awards are a pretty big deal,” Mundell said. “That not only means that they’re amazing athletes. They’re also amazing human beings.”

Emphasizing sportsmanship and community involvement has been a huge part of Mundell’s business.

Between October last year and April, cheerleaders raised $1,600 for Maricopa’s Relay For Life. In September, they hosted a spaghetti dinner to benefit the 100 Club of Arizona, an organization that supports first responders and other public safety officers. In October, they collected 200 bras for the Bras for a Cause campaign.