Im at a second year, small, no name gym from a state that only has four teams going to worlds. We have two 'big gyms' (I say big gyms because our competing gyms around us have over 200 kids, and we only have 120) around us. I try to get my kids to stunt like Kentucky and CEA, to tumble like F5 and Top Gun, to jump like Rays, etc. Long story short, without the 'big name gyms' my 'small name gym' wouldnt have anything to drive for. I hope one day the gym I am at can be a big power house where levels 1-5 is always a clean sweep, and getting beat is a rare thing, but I am only 25 and still have a lot to learn and learn more and more every year. Big gyms once started out small. No gym just opens and has 500 kids. If they can start from the ground up, so can my gym that just opened in an already saturated area. Its about relationships with the clients and offering the best product. If you truely beleive in that, you will grow.
I do choreography for a small gym in the middle of nowhere in Sothern Missouri named Athletes Plus. They started out in a small building that could only fit a few cheese wedges and panel matts and like three strips of floor (no spring). They had one team. They are in a small town and the area doesnt have much. That one team gym now has like 4-5 teams, two of which I beleive are undefeated and they have a new facility that has a full spring floors and lots of extra space for new mats. They only have levels 1-3 I beleive, but they take the time to teach the skills right. Will they ever be a 'big name'? Probably not just because they could have every person in their area join and still wouldnt have enough kids to be "big" but as someone said earlier... talent is talent... and it will get recognized! Athletes plus teams are the DEAL! Its a shame no one knows them, but locally, they beat all of us 'big gym' teams.