MEET THE OWNERS - BROCK & ASHLEY GHOLSTON
Friday, January 28, 2011 at 12:57PM 
Found in All Star Cheerleading, Featured, Profiles.
"CheerCo is climbing the all-star ranks."
By Lee Erica Elder
CBN Feb/Mar 2011
You might have never heard of Cheer Company All-Stars, located in Tallahassee, FL. Though Tallahassee is the state’s capital, it’s not known for producing the sort of powerhouse cheer gyms found in Jacksonville, Orlando or Miami. Cheer Company All-Stars, aka CheerCo, is actually the first competitive cheer gym in the area (three other local gyms are gymnastics-based). “I’ve always looked up to the big gyms like Top Gun and Stingrays, but I knew this town would never provide for a gym of that magnitude,” says head coach and owner Ashley Gholston. “But a dream is a dream, and I went for it.” Gholston describes her program as a “very small gym in a fairly small town,” but if their starter seasons are any indication, this gym is well on its way to putting Tallahassee on the all-star cheer map.
At just 27 years old, Gholston has an enviable resumé that reads like one you’d expect of someone twice her age. She cheered throughout middle school, high school and college, where she began coaching and choreographing for many area all-star and high school gyms. She became a certified judge and started her own choreography business at just 18 years old, teaching and choreographing nationwide. “This was just the beginning of the ‘hobby’ that ultimately became my career!” she says. “I never thought I’d be so blessed to still be cheering and involved in the sport.” She spent more than five years with the Fellowship of Christian Cheerleaders, traveling around the country and abroad as a choreographer and judge. Her star was only beginning to rise.
In 2003, Gholston transferred from the University of Central Florida in Orlando, where she was attending a hospitality program on scholarship, to Florida State University in Tallahassee. A local gymnastics facility soon hired her to start a competitive cheerleading program. Starting with five girls, the program grew to over 90 athletes by 2006. Though she enjoyed coaching for the gym, she yearned to provide a focus on competitive cheer.
At 22 years old, a newly wed Gholston stepped out on faith (literally) with her husband, Brock, opening Cheer Company All-Stars, a faith-based cheer gym now home to more than 130 athletes, with seven competitive teams and two recreational performance teams (the CheerCo Chargers special needs team and an Adult Open Level 6 team). In just three seasons, CheerCo has collected 14 first-place trophies, three sportsmanship awards (one in their first season alone), two spirit awards and over 20 top-three placements. Most recently they placed seventh overall in the country in the new International All-Levels competition in the Small Gym Small Senior Coed Level 3 division.
She answered doubt with solid preparation, presenting families with a 17-page signed contract/season policy, outlining every financial obligation, practice time, competition and performance date, community service project and any other expectation for every child in the program. Staff/members are required to wear CheerCo clothing so parents can easily identify who’s in charge. (When Gholston started out she couldn’t afford to buy T-shirts, so the 5′ 2″ coach was often mistaken for an athlete.) Coaches are addressed by “Coach” and their first names, and they’re not allowed to use profanity or the word “can’t.” The entire CheerCo staff is USASF credentialed, and AACCA and CPR certified. Parents know their children are in good hands. “The biggest challenge was gaining trust from parents,” says Gholston. “I showed my parents that I care about the safety of their kids and who’s instructing them.”
CheerCo’s motto is “Becoming cheerleaders, building character,” and it’s posted on the wall for all to see as they enter the gym, as are rules such as “No whining.” “Having these rules visible reminds the athletes [that we have] expectations of them while they’re in our gym, which teaches them that there’s a certain character and attitude we are looking for,” says Gholston. She’s managed to weave these tenets into the fiber of the organization. “We believe good morals and positive leadership from our coaches set an example for our cheerleaders and youth that the image of a cheerleader isn’t just the spirit of the cheer, but the character in the leader,” she says. “My job as a cheer coach is really so much more than the instruction of skill. It’s molding these young girls into confident, self-assured athletes. It’s challenging them every day to give more than the day before.”
Gholston’s age is an asset when relating to her athletes, many of whom are going through the same experiences and growing pains from which she’s not so far removed. And they’re excited that she plans to cheer with them this year if her schedule allows. Her athletes look at her not only as a coach, but also as a friend and mentor. “Using these tools and building relationships with the kids is what helped me get through being so young in the cheerleading world,” says Gholston. “I love that I get to be a mentor to these athletes and that they feel they can be close to me. They come to me for personal advice and school problems—it’s nice for them to have an ear and someone they trust making time for them. So many kids these days need to be loved and given attention; it really makes a difference being able to relate to them and help build their character as well as their cheer skills.”
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heerCo counts not only on a strong staff to stay afloat, but also on the contributions of an incredibly helpful not-for-profit booster club that’s been a source of support from the very beginning. Gholston surrounds herself with resourceful, business-minded parents who helped her put together her business plan and make sure her finances are on track. Their investment in her organization is an investment in their children’s well-being.
Parent Abby Thorn became booster president when CheerCo first opened, after admiring Gholston’s work with that first gymnastics gym. Thorn has a bachelor’s degree in business management, a master's degree in Nursing and is an ARNP who delivered Gholston’s daughter. “I wanted to bring my experience in the business world to ensure she succeeded—the other booster officers feel the same way,” says Thorn. “We’ve always wanted Ashley to be able to focus on the kids, so we try to help ensure all the accounting, business operations, parental issues, fundraising activities, etc., are taken care of to keep her plate more open for the kids and the gym as a whole.” Thorn’s own daughters Jo and Morgan had very little cheer experience when they began with the gym, and are now thriving athletes thanks to Gholston’s patience and care. “Jo could do a round-off and a cartwheel, but that was about it,” she says. “Now she’s throwing fulls, standing tucks, etc., and is a Level 4 top girl.” Thorn also credits Gholston with having changed Morgan’s life, challenging her to become a leader as she was struggling with self-esteem issues. “We’ve made lifelong, wonderful friends,” she says. “CheerCo will forever be a part of our lives and our hearts, even after the cheer shoes have been hung up for good. Ashley has built something truly special, and I feel blessed to be a part of it.”
Gholston’s husband and business partner, Brock, is also an integral member of the CheerCo family. Brock’s background is in construction project management and landscaping—he even built a glass wall for the facility—and he helps Ashley juggle their business and growing family by staying home in the evenings when she’s at the gym. “I’m a stay-at-home mom during the day,” she says. “We have a 14-month-old little girl. Two days a week she goes with me to the gym around 2 pm until my husband comes to get her, then we have a sitter the other two days. I am in the gym every day from 2 to 9 pm, and with seven teams, we typically have at least one practice a weekend between choreography and regular skills practices. We stay pretty busy!” Brock helps the male athletes do football drills and conditioning exercises, attends conferences, events and competitions and takes part in team-building exercises. The duo’s story is a classic all-star fairy-tale: The former football player and cheerleader’s first date was at a cheer competition! “We support one another,” he says. “This was a dream of hers, and I want to see her dream come true.”
With all the luck and success that’s come to CheerCo, it’s no surprise that they work hard to give back to their community. Both Ashley Gholston’s mother and grandmother are breast cancer survivors, so program members happily participate in a local yearly breast cancer awareness walk, as well as volunteering at a nursing home. Senior athletes are partnered with younger cheerleaders for mentorship, and the special needs CheerCo Chargers are coached and taught by younger athletes. Ashley and Brock are active within USASF and industry focus groups, and Gholston is an advocate for small gyms who’d also love to see more faith-based programs in the industry.
CheerCo’s efforts to give back, support other gyms and portray a positive image earned them a sportsmanship award, voted on by peers at American Championships national competition in Orlando in 2007, during their inaugural season. “As a young gym owner, I’m always looking up to those who have successful programs and what they do to influence the public in a positive way,” says Gholston. “We had a rough time competing against the “big dogs” that year. [The award] was so unexpected, seeing as it was 9:30 pm on Sunday after a long two-day competition. We didn’t even think anyone knew who we were, just the new gym with the Chanel logo [CheerCo’s logo resembles the famous interlocking double C’s]. It was a great feeling to finally have our gym name on a trophy and a banner; it kind of made it official.”
What does the future hold for CheerCo? It seems that the sky’s the limit for this young organization that’s already meeting and rising beyond Gholston’s expectations. Her goal starting out was to reach five competitive teams—there are now seven. This year CheerCo will travel to NCA and CHEERSPORT competitions. The Gholstons also have their eye on expansion to a facility in a nearby city. “Let’s face it—you’re not a competitive cheerleading coach if you don’t have a little competition in you, so use that same drive and spirit while running your business,” says Gholston. “Keep reaching for the stars. Just when you think you can’t do more, you can! Our vision is to have a lasting positive impact on the cheerleaders of Tallahassee through generations to come by providing the best coaching, the best personal guidance and the opportunity to excel.”
