Cullman Gymnastics & Cheer Academy’s Warheads and Starbursts finish first at U.S. Finals

PENSACOLA, Fl. – Wednesday night was a historic one for Cullman Gymnastics and Cheer Academy (CGCA). Two of its competitive cheer squads, the Starbursts (Youth Prep Level 2.1) and Warheads (Junior Prep Level 3.2), capped off undefeated seasons with national titles at the U.S. Finals Championships with their performances in Pensacola. The teams were judged virtually Wednesday night and after final scores were handed out, the Warheads (ages 6-14) and the Starbursts (ages 5-11) were alone at the top of their respective divisions. With their victories in the U.S. Finals Champions Challenge, the girls have earned rings, a white jacket and a championship banner for their gym.

Cheer Coordinator Ashley Wilbanks has seen both of these teams develop throughout the season into a dominant unit and not just a group of individual athletes.

“I think really, it’s the culture of the gym. The gym doesn’t look at cheerleading as a win or lose sport but as a tool to train the mentality of these athletes to become leaders in Cullman,” Wilbanks said. “I think them slowly developing as one team instead of individual athletes and really becoming a team is what makes them dominant in their sport.”

These wins break new ground for competitive cheer in Cullman and Wilbanks credits the culture at CGCA and all the people who’ve helped build it for this most recent success.

“Our gym is the only gym in the state of Alabama that is publicly owned as a Park and Recreation Program that competes against privately owned gyms. The ability to be this successful consists of a complete gym culture,” Wilbanks said. “This culture is to develop athletes that overcome fear, uplift and encourage team moral, and strengthens the belief in the power of teamwork. The success is brought to the gym from the support of our Park and Recreation leaders, Kristy Patterson as our supervisor, the entire Xtreme Allstar coaching staff, our incredibly supportive parents and the talent of our athletes.” 

Season wrap-ups for CGCA’s other competition teams:

Tiny Twizzlers – The Tiny Novice team consisted of 12 athletes from 3-6 year of age. They began the season as a non-competitive team, but advanced in their skill set to become competitive. The Tiny Twizzlers won against eight teams at their very first competitive event. They wrapped up their season in Chattanooga, TN. 

Skittles – The Mini Prep Level 1.1 team consisted of 16 athletes from 5-8 years of age. This team competed in multiple national events bringing home jackets and winning a $2,500 cash prize for winning Grand Prep Champions at the Kentucky Cheer Derby. The Skittles team ended the season at the Pensacola location of the U.S. Finals Championship taking home the coveted White Jackets with their first-place win. They were then chosen to advance into the Champions Challenge of the U.S. Finals. This honor landed the Skittles team in the top eight of their division in the nation.

RedHots – The Youth Level 2 Elite Team consisted of athletes from 5-11 years of age. This team is the first and only team in the city or county of Cullman to receive a bid to D2 Summit, putting them in the top seven percent of the nation. They traveled to Disney World in Orlando and competed in the Wild Card Division of the D2 Summit. This team also won first at the National Kentucky Cheer Derby Competition. 

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