All-Star 2020-2021: New Gyms, Closings, And Acquisitions

[Rudags]

Wait didn't they just have Summit wins?!

And isn't that owner on this board?

Wow.

Not sure if she is on here or not. And yes, they just won Summit!

 

[Keep_Believing]

I know a girl who did not make Ole Miss Cheer team. She is an incredibly well-rounded athlete, strong base, and has won Worlds, NCA, Majors, etc. She will still be attending Ole Miss University but isn't ready to give up Cheer. Are there any good cheer gyms near Ole Miss?

 

[Thinkpositivethoughts]

I know a girl who did not make Ole Miss Cheer team. She is an incredibly well-rounded athlete, strong base, and has won Worlds, NCA, Majors, etc. She will still be attending Ole Miss University but isn't ready to give up Cheer. Are there any good cheer gyms near Ole Miss?

southern heat is about an 50-60 minutes from ole miss, mid south extreme is an hour away. Then you also have cheer force one, two different ace locations, but they are both a bit farther away.

 

[Keep_Believing]

southern heat is about an 50-60 minutes from ole miss, mid south extreme is an hour away. Then you also have cheer force one, two different ace locations, but they are both a bit farther away.

Thanks for sharing. I am surprised they don’t have any closer.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I just saw a post about WC opening World Cup Louisiana this season.

I had do a double take because they just announced an SC location a few weeks ago!

 

[luv2cheer92]

I just saw a post about WC opening World Cup Louisiana this season.

I had do a double take because they just announced an Ohio location a few weeks ago!

South Carolina. They have had an Ohio location for several years now though.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

South Carolina. They have had an Ohio location for several years now though.

Wow - I knew they announced something recently but got them confused with Woodlands Elite!

(That's how crazy these expansions are getting!)

 

[icequeen]

I just saw a post about WC opening World Cup Louisiana this season.

I had do a double take because they just announced an SC location a few weeks ago!

Someone did some digging to find this location but I’m loving it because it’s 30 minutes from me.

 

[FloridaFlya]

I say this very genuinely. With all due respect, I had no clue that World Cup had 7 locations considering I’ve heard about the same 5 teams for yearssss- stars, ody, suns, omni (which I sometimes feel is a spin off of rays/large ody), and zenith. Which are all from freehold and one PA location.

General question: What is the primary reason for expanding locations? Exposure? More champions? To help struggling gyms keep the doors open?

I remember a year or two back when Rockstar revealed they were adding 2-3 new locations for an upcoming season and many were confused as to why

 

[TUMBLR]

I say this very genuinely. With all due respect, I had no clue that World Cup had 7 locations considering I’ve heard about the same 5 teams for yearssss- stars, ody, suns, omni (which I sometimes feel is a spin off of rays/large ody), and zenith. Which are all from freehold and one PA location.

General question: What is the primary reason for expanding locations? Exposure? More champions? To help struggling gyms keep the doors open?

I remember a year or two back when Rockstar revealed they were adding 2-3 new locations for an upcoming season and many were confused as to why

I posed this same question a few pages back and you’re not alone in your confusion. I received some very thoughtful responses but the question still remains…

Assuming these are all acquisitions, why would these programs enter these new markets when they’re doing so little to ensure the success and consistency of their brand across these other old franchise locations?

idk this is probably why I’m not a gym owner or a successful business owner in general. I just don’t understand.

I’m speaking only from my perspective and if it were me I would focus all of my attention on my initial expansion efforts until that first new location matched the caliber that people expect from my program. Then, and only then, would I move on to a new location. In this way, I’m ensuring the same level of excellence for any of my new customers. I feel like this would fortify your brand integrity in the long run so that when it’s time to expand again everyone around that new location will come flocking because they know we’re going to deliver greatness and not just a new sign on the door.

btw I see you have Florida in your Username. I cheered there for quite some time. I’m not sure which part you’re from but this is an excellent example of Brandon Allstars East and their short term success when they acquired Cheer Corp back in the day which was minutes from my house. Now the doors are closed on that location for good while Top Gun Orlando is hosting multiple worlds teams down the street and thriving. There could be external factors at play that I don’t quite understand but it’s still confusing nonetheless when you see other programs just getting bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger slowly but surely year-after-year. Even Top Gun has an Ohio location that continues to fly under the radar in terms of summit and worlds titles.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

^^^Thought on this - Titles/placements at major comps aren't the only indicator of whether a business is doing well or not especially with so many teams at Summit.

The average parent is also not particularly concerned with that.

We tend to think they are because we are cheer knowledgeable but most parents don't know much about it other than they want their kid to participate.

The things I hear most parents list as a factor re: why they chose a gym or team or activity:

1. Location.
2. Cost.
3. How the staff treats their kids.

Non-cheer example: When I was looking at tee ball for my kiddo as a little one, those were my main factors. This may change as kids get older but for people with littles, this is mostly why they initially choose Program A over Program B.

The location matters more than people think, too.

Example: There are towns in which NO ONE is going further than Highway A, even if California All Stars Tumbleweed Town is opening right past it.

Or even little things like where I live, downtown parking is terrible so there are barriers such as "wow I would love for Suzy to tumble at ABC but I am not fighting for a parking spot down here at 7."

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Adding on: Not that titles matter, but some of these locations DO quite well but we just do not hear about it because the location is smaller or not as well known. Example: Wave Rays from Stingrays Tampa won Summit in J1. There were some top 10s this year from a couple of the Rockstar locations, too.

 

[TUMBLR]

^^^Thought on this - Titles/placements at major comps aren't the only indicator of whether a business is doing well or not especially with so many teams at Summit.

The average parent is also not particularly concerned with that.

We tend to think they are because we are cheer knowledgeable but most parents don't know much about it other than they want their kid to participate.

The things I hear most parents list as a factor re: why they chose a gym or team or activity:

1. Location.
2. Cost.
3. How the staff treats their kids.

Non-cheer example: When I was looking at tee ball for my kiddo as a little one, those were my main factors. This may change as kids get older but for people with littles, this is mostly why they initially choose Program A over Program B.

The location matters more than people think, too.

Example: There are towns in which NO ONE is going further than Highway A, even if California All Stars Tumbleweed Town is opening right past it.

Or even little things like where I live, downtown parking is terrible so there are barriers such as "wow I would love for Suzy to tumble at ABC but I am not fighting for a parking spot down here at 7."

I love hearing stuff like this from a parent’s perspective. I’m just an athlete so my only perspective is what I outlined in my previous post. This is really illuminating stuff! I have no idea what someone’s experience could be like when these new programs start popping up around them so this is really interesting. You made some excellent points.

It’s kinda crazy because I started cheer in 2010-2011 and my tumbling progressed super fast so I was immediately on a junior 3 team and shortly after that went to a worlds team with a very janky full and standing tuck. My only experience since then had been level 5 and a lot of the mom’s with level 5 athletes on top tier worlds teams tend to be… ‘stage moms’ who would drive 500 miles both ways to get their kid a title so I had no idea that the typical parent is basing their decision off a totally different criteria. In fact, I assumed that most cheer moms and dads were stage moms. Don’t ask me why lol this is just how I pictured it in my crazy head. Come to think of it, back in the day I could’ve told my mom that Tumbleweed Town Allstars was the top team in the country and she certainly wouldn’t have known either way so this makes a ton of sense. Titles aren’t everything for these franchises I guess. Thanks for your thoughtful response!

 

[TUMBLR]

Adding on: Not that titles matter, but some of these locations DO quite well but we just do not hear about it because the location is smaller or not as well known. Example: Wave Rays from Stingrays Tampa won Summit in J1. There were some top 10s this year from a couple of the Rockstar locations, too.

I don’t follow summit quite as closely but you’re totally right top 10 could be a really big deal for those kids who probably didn’t come close in the past under a different program. Thanks for sharing! Perhaps these programs are doing more than I think to ensure their program’s success compared to the brand’s ‘Main Location’.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I don’t follow summit quite as closely but you’re totally right top 10 could be a really big deal for those kids who probably didn’t come close in the past under a different program. Thanks for sharing! Perhaps these programs are doing more than I think to ensure their program’s success compared to the brand’s ‘Main Location’.

I also have seen owners and coaches post on here that their biggest $ makers are actually NOT Worlds teams, but Tiny/Mini/L1 and class programs like Mommy & Me Tumbling, summer camps, etc. Huge factor there too.

You can have all the Worlds success you want, but that is typically not the money maker for a gym

That is also something that can affect whether you stay open or not. Supply and demand.

Example: If you are in an area heavy on parents looking for a Mommy and Me class or some summer camp to keep little Suzy busy while you're at work on weekends, you can advertise World Champion Brand Mega Elite FORMING WORLDS TEAMS IN TUMBLEWEED TOWN all you want, but you may not get much business. The market in Tumbleweed Town wants Tutu Tumbling on weekends.