More than the Mat

Over the past 25+ years of coaching, I’ve watched youth athletics evolve in ways that inspire me and in some ways, deeply concern me. Part of that change, I know, is me. I’ve grown up in cheerleading.

I started my cheerleading journey at 11 years old, cheering at the Junior High, High School and Collegiate levels. As a collegiate cheerleader I began coaching to share my love for cheer and try to make an impact where I could. After graduating from college I continued to coach high school cheer for several years before finding my way to All Star in 2007. Along the way I have added the titles of wife and mom. Through the years as I have continued to learn and develop my calling as a coach and a leader, and my priorities have evolved. My perspective has widened. My love for coaching, leadership and mentoring young people has only grown deeper. For me, coaching has never been just a job. It’s a calling. It's my purpose. It’s my ministry.

At Elevation Athletics, we coach to a standard of excellence but not just to "win." Yes, the will to win matters and we pursue athletic excellence and strive to be as competitive as possible. However, it is SO much more than that. We coach to win hearts. To build confidence. To teach life lessons. We want our athletes to become more than strong stunters and tumblers, we want them to be kind, capable and resilient self-aware young people who go out and make the world around them better than they found it. We coach for IMPACT and seek to elevate those around us in mind, body and spirit.

We teach our athletes how to be critical thinkers. We teach them how to be accountable and that accountability is how we pull each other up. We teach them that growth doesn’t happen in comfort zones and being accountable means you're being TRUSTED to RISE to the occasion. It means you're being seen as someone capable of more. We teach our athletes that it’s okay to use their voice, respectfully. That it’s okay to ask questions and take ownership of their journey. That they don’t have to blindly accept what someone in authority says just because they hold a title. I’ve seen too many kids taught to stay silent when something doesn’t feel right, and too many adults excuse poor behavior in the name of winning. We’re not interested in building athletes who win at the expense of their self-worth. That’s not success. That’s damage. At Elevation, we raise thinkers. Leaders. Team players. Yes, exceptional athletes, but not at the cost of the person underneath the uniform.

To our cheer parents, thank you. Truly. You are a huge part of this journey. But as we all work together to raise great athletes and great people, I want to offer this gentle reminder: let this be your child’s journey. Don’t project your own dreams, timelines, or expectations onto them. If they’re happy, if they’re working hard, if they come home feeling proud of themselves, that’s success. Let them own that and build upon it to grow into confident and competent adults. When you impose your own expectations instead of listening to theirs, you risk turning something they love into something they dread, but when you help them define success for themselves and walk alongside them with unwavering belief, you become the steady force that fuels their resilience, not the pressure that breaks it.

Avoid the comparison trap. Comparison is the thief of joy and of confidence. Let’s not steal either from our kids. Kids are like popcorn. Everyone pops at a different time. Just because another athlete progresses faster doesn’t mean your child is behind or less capable. It just means their journey looks different, and different does NOT mean less.

Youth athletics is a temporary part of life, a short window in the overview of their lives. One day their time on the mat will come to a close. As they enter adulthood the skills and athletic accomplishments won't matter as much to those around them, but the impact of sport- the discipline, the teamwork, the character and the memories will last forever.

That’s why we do what we do at Elevation. We’re here to build something that matters beyond the mat.

When the music stops and your child hits that final pose for the last time, I don’t want our athletes to measure their success by medals or rankings. I want them to walk away knowing that they are strong, capable, and ready to take on life. I want them to finish their journey with a strong sense of self, humility, compassion for others and the ability to find the positive in life. I want them to enter the next stage of life with integrity, grit, strength and the fortitude needed to dream big and WORK for their goals. In the end, it’s always been about more than the mat.