Inside Walker’s New All-Star Cheer Gym

A new all-star cheer gym has landed in Walker, Michigan, and it’s built on a simple idea with big consequences: Family Over Everything. I’m joined by FOE All-Stars owner Tank Johnson and head coach and co-director Brayden to talk about why they opened the doors, what they want athletes to feel the moment they walk in, and how a sports facility can become a real community hub.

We break down what all-star cheer actually is for anyone who only knows sideline cheer: high-level tumbling, stunting that involves real strength and precision, and routines where trust is non-negotiable because the music doesn’t stop when something goes wrong. Braden shares the story of how a middle school dare turned into a scholarship journey and a coaching career, plus what it’s like helping athletes find the role that fits them, whether they love flips, lifting, flying, or simply being the steady teammate everyone counts on.

We also get practical about programs families are searching for right now, including spring training sessions, upcoming tryouts, and the opportunities around stunt, now an NCAA championship sport with growing scholarship potential. Tank explains why FOE designed the building for the reality of busy families, with a parent room, cameras, homework space, kitchen access, and even a spot to take a private meeting. If you care about youth sports in West Michigan, cheerleading training, tumbling classes, stunting fundamentals, or college cheer pathways, this conversation offers a clear look at what FOE is trying to build in Walker and beyond.

Subscribe for more local stories, share this with a family who’s exploring cheer or tumbling, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What would make a gym feel like home to you?

If you have comments about this podcast, or ideas for future episodes, please email us at PODCAST@WALKER.CITY

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:07

Welcome to Maiden Walker, a podcast that connects you to the people, the stories, and the ideas shaping our community. From local innovators to everyday change makers, we're diving deep into what makes Walker a great place to live, work, and grow. Here's your host, Nicole DiDonata.

SPEAKER_03 0:26

A new facility, Jim, has opened its doors in Walker, specializing in cheer, tumbling, and stunting. It's called FOE All-Stars, and I'm pleased to have one of the owners, Tank Johnson, and also head coach and co-director Braden here with us. Thank you both for joining us today. Oh, thank you.

SPEAKER_02 0:42

Thank you for having us.

SPEAKER_03 0:43

Tank, let's start with you, one of the owners. It's actually one of four. Tell us all about FOE and what inspired you all to bring this facility to Walker.

What All Star Cheer Means

SPEAKER_02 0:52

Yeah, so FOE is an all-star cheer gym. Really, it's just a place for athletes to thrive. Um FOE stands for family over everything. Uh, that's big for us. Um, cheer is really a big unit of individuals that come together for one. Uh so we've we didn't necessarily necessarily start off wanting to create our own gym, um, but out of a necessity, we did. Um and yeah, we were very blessed and fortunate to bring it to Walker.

SPEAKER_03 1:25

And what exactly does um a facility like this hold, or you know, an offer for families? Sure.

SPEAKER_02 1:31

Um, so the biggest thing is a focus on cheer. So if you think about sideline cheer at a football game or a basketball game, and you add an extreme um technique of throwing athletes in the air and spinning and twisting, and then a series of tumbles, which are backflips and cartwheels and just a high level of flexibility on the ground. Um, that's that's kind of all starts here in a nutshell.

SPEAKER_03 2:01

It is. Uh, you all had your open house um later in March, just a few weeks ago. That was pretty impressive to see. About a hundred families, several hundred folks ended up showing up. You uh you have a good uh support system right here, it looks like.

SPEAKER_02 2:14

Yeah. Yeah, we're extremely blessed. Like we didn't think we would have that level of turnout. Um, but I think last check, we had over 400 people come through the door. Yeah. Um, it was incredible.

unknown 2:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:29

And Braden, uh being a head coach, uh, cheer has been your life as well. How did you initially kind of get started in this?

SPEAKER_00 2:34

Yeah, I actually love telling this story because I started in middle school and I was playing football at the time, and some of my football friends, I'll call them friends for now, um, dared me to go to cheerleading tryouts just to like mess around with the like play with the girls' heads and stuff in middle school. And then so I went to cheer tryouts and the it and it comes down to that family feeling again, like the way that I felt way more accepted and was having more fun and felt like I could actually thrive and grow in the cheerleading environment is what made me go from thinking I was just gonna do it on a dare to taking it all the way through college now on scholarship and getting the opportunity to be a head coach at this cheer gym and a co-director, all just from one little dare. But yeah, finding my family, finding my roots and all my friends and cheerleading has been huge.

SPEAKER_03 3:21

Yes. And now going into that um that head coaching role and just helping foster the athleticism and that teamwork and family culture with these kids, what's that been like?

SPEAKER_00 3:31

It's been really great because whether it's a little five-year-old who's never even seen a cheerleader do a flip to some of these uh girls or boys who have been in cheer and have felt that same type of family, um, watching them find joy back into whether maybe they thrive in tumbling, maybe they love to do their flips, they love to do their cartwheels, or maybe they're more of somebody who like loves lifting people up in the air or love getting lifted up in the air, like people being able to find where they thrive the best when it comes to cheer, or maybe that's just being a good vibe on the team. Like you can be just as important to that team aspect for all-star cheer or stunt if you are just being that hype person all the time. Where when it comes to all-star cheer, you don't, you're not, you don't have the sideline and you're not cheering for a football team, you're cheering for each other in the gym.

SPEAKER_02 4:17

Yeah. That's true. I mean, that's a that's kind of a a thing that, you know, as a cheer dad, you always think cheerleading is like a woman's sport or a young ladies' sport, but there are a ton of men in that sport and boys in that sport who are just as athletic, just as flexible, um, and it's a great dynamic when they come together.

SPEAKER_03 4:39

It really brings it to another level when they see these performances.

SPEAKER_02 4:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:42

So what kind of uh programs and such, if uh families are looking into possibly moving um maybe gyms or getting started with their children in this type of sport, what do you offer at FOE?

Stunt Sport And College Pathways

SPEAKER_00 4:53

I mean, maybe do you want to take that and so right now um we just like opened up and so right now we have our spring training program. We're offering this as a way for those families who maybe had to step away from cheer for a little bit, finding them um and these athletes a way to get back into cheer, dip their toe back in the water, get their bodies moving again. So we offered this spring training, we're offering it in two sessions. We're finishing up our first session this week, actually. Um, and so we offered both tumbling classes in partnership with our uh Prestige Athletics Partnership, and they're some of the best tumbling coaches around in all of Michigan, if not in this whole region. Um so we partnered with them to offer some tumbling classes so that they can get their body slipping. We have different levels for that. We're also offering stunting classes, um, and that's with our FOE staff. So me, Coach Tina, and Coach Chelsea are helping them find the fundamentals with stunting. So whether they're brand new to it or they are coming back into the All-Star Cheer flow, we're getting them moving again, getting them lifting, find that strength training, that flexibility so that they can get back into stunting. So we're offering that. Um, our session two for spring training is still open for registration, and that session two runs from April 13th until May 15th. Um, and you can go to our socials to see what those classes look like and all that jazz. But whether you have never seen Cheer before and want to get going on it, or if you maybe stopped a couple years ago and are thinking, like, I want to have my family again, um, come into this spring training, get ready for it, because we will then have our tryouts at the end of May. That'll be for our official All-Star teams. That's when we're really hitting the ground running because from there we'll have our All-Star programs where it will be official teams that will compete throughout the year. Um, we also will be offering stunt, which is a new sport that just recently got NCAA championship status. Um, it is an all-girl sport, so it does also get Title IX protections. And with it getting that NCAA championship status, there's more scholarship opportunities as well as more resources once they get to that college level. So with this club stunt that we'll be offering, it's gonna allow these athletes to hone in on their technique for their all-star cheer if they decide to do a little bit of both. Um then it'll also provide more opportunities for them going into college. And with that, our last thing that we're like really offering and pushing is gonna be our college pathways program. And what we're doing with that is we have three college coaches on our coaching staff. I coach at Davenport, uh, Coach Tina coaches at GV, and then Coach Chelsea uh was a former coach of Ferris State. And so all of us know have these connections with different college coaches all across the United States. So we're really helping juniors and seniors uh find where they're gonna thrive best. So if there is an athlete who loves sideline cheer, who like really just wants to focus on that, they don't care about the competition, they just want to be able to go and cheer on a team and be proud for whatever university they go to, maybe we point them towards the direction of like a University of Florida, they're a big um sideline team. If they're wanting something competitive, maybe we point them towards a Grand Valley or Davenport because we're huge when it comes to competition. Um so college pathways, all star cheer and stunt the sport. That's our three main programs that we're really pushing.

SPEAKER_03 7:50

Yes, yeah, that's uh keeping those kids busy and a lot of opportunities as well.

A Gym Built For Whole Families

SPEAKER_02 7:54

So it is. Yeah, and I think one of the things that when we created FOE, uh we won't say anyone can create a a cheer gym, but we did want to create something that the parents could look forward to if you like cheer and you do want to continue and go to college for that. Here's a stepping stone where you know our proven coaches can help get you there. Um so it's just something that's different that we didn't have at our last gym that we do believe is a is a great asset to go forward.

SPEAKER_03 8:27

I think we were talking when I first met you as well as um just making it a place you it it is it can be you spend a lot of time there, obviously, with a lot of practices and such. And that means maybe bringing your younger siblings along. So you're kind of providing those spaces that if the family has to be there for the evening, uh, you know, you're not without what you would need if you were home or something. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 8:47

I mean, that was a big part of the selection process of the building. Um, and again, you nailed it. Most of our athletes will meet two to three times a week for kind of a minimum of two hours. And like me, I'm a dad of four, you know, and three of my girls go with me pretty much everywhere. So there is homework that's involved. There there are, you know, reading, just just extracurricular that that have to take place. So our building has a parent room and it's separate from the gym. It has a nice viewing area with with tinted windows so the athletes can't see in, but the parents can see out. Um, we also have um, you know, a nice uh high definition camera system that um we have a projector in the parent room where families can see their athletes performing while sitting comfortably in the parent room. And there's plenty of desk and and sitting area where where kids can do their homework and extracurriculars. Um nutrition is big for us. So we wanted to make sure we had a kitchen, you know, a kitchen where you could bring your your your dinner or your lunch or whatever your meal schedule is is like. Um and if you're like me, I bring work home. So there's a coffee station in there as well where you can um get your coffee and you know, recharge. And then we have a nice conference room. So if you need to take a private meeting, you can step aside in that space and take that as well.

SPEAKER_03 10:10

Yeah, and it's pretty cool having to belong to another gym, just kind of seeing what are some of the additions and things that I would appreciate if I were doing that and then bringing it to your very own gym. You've thought of everything.

SPEAKER_02 10:20

So Yeah, I mean uh we you spend a lot of time together. And and it's not to badmouth other places, but if you have the ability to pick a place that fits your needs better, you know, we want to do that. And we think that building lands on a lot of that.

Opening In Walker And Drawing Regionally

SPEAKER_03 10:38

Yes, yeah. And what was interesting too is going through the planning commission um journey, you all had to do that. Uh, I think they had um to to rezone the building just so it could be used for this indoor gym, but you had the ceiling height, you had everything you needed. So I'm glad that was a good process for you to go through.

SPEAKER_02 10:55

It was, you know, and we love that that ability to come and tell that story. So the Planning Commission was was great in hearing what we wanted to create. And then they pointed out some great things that, you know, just wasn't even on our radar. Think about parking. You know, we they they were very gracious because we moved in during the winter months and you couldn't, you know, create the parking space that was needed, but they were very helpful through the journey and giving us some guidance and now we're we're ready to rock.

SPEAKER_03 11:25

Yes, yeah, look at that. You know, did you ever think that you'd be here already?

SPEAKER_02 11:28

So Yeah, not that quick, but we are.

SPEAKER_03 11:32

Oh, you're also telling us this uh you're pulling in people from uh around the region, really.

SPEAKER_02 11:36

Yeah. So uh some of the location of of that building was strategic, you know, making sure that we were close to a major freeway. Um, and we still can pull from Grand Rapids, uh, but we can pull from the lakeshore communities. We even have families coming as far as Kalamazoo um up this way. So the location is perfect. It gives us the ability to be successful and make it accessible.

unknown 12:02

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 12:02

And and again, just what you'd said, uh family is just such a big part of that. So aside from like the athletic skills, what are the other types of uh culture that you're really trying to instill with your instill in your athletes?

SPEAKER_00 12:13

Yeah. Yeah. So I think cheer is such a team dynamic sport where in other sports like football, if someone messes up a play, doesn't catch the throw on the first down, you have a second down to try again. With cheer, we have like a two-minute, 30 seconds routine. If somebody misses one count and throws off the rest of the routine routine, the music keeps going. You gotta keep going, you gotta find a way to pick that teammate up that had a little oopsie daisy and keep going with the routine. So the way that it builds on trust for each other for your teammates, because when you got somebody in your hands and you're throwing them five feet in the air, you're gonna, if you're the one going up, you're trusting that they're catching you. And if you're the one catching, you're hoping that they're doing their job up in the air so that they come down safely. Um, so trust is a big thing when it comes to cheerleading and it's also just so fun. You like skillflation is what we're calling it right now in cheerleading, is like there's always a new skill to be learned. Like there's never, you're never topped off when it when you're training in for cheer. Like there are still 30-year-olds still doing cheer and still trying to get new skills because there's always something more, and that's what's so like fun is that drive, that trust that you can like continue your journey no matter what when it comes to cheerleading.

SPEAKER_02 13:20

Yeah. And and the bond. I mean, take the the time together aside, but you nailed it. I mean, there is a trust factor that has to exist. Um but we do that not only in the gym, but we do it outside of the gym. So we have designated um team bonding events, and some of them are like going to Michigan adventures and having fun, and uh, some of them are a pool party, some are a beach day. But it it allows you to connect with one another outside of the gym. Because at the end of the day, we all have a lot of the same concerns and struggles and and gifts. So it's about connecting and just relating at a different level and sometimes in a different space.

Five Year Vision And Closing

SPEAKER_03 14:07

I love that perspective. And where do you see yourself, you know, five years or so or just down the road? What are some of the aspirations? I know you just opened, but we're talking, you know, next steps. But if you've thought that far.

SPEAKER_02 14:19

Yeah, ideally, we would we would love to be great in this space. Um we are classified as a D, we will be a D2 or a small gym. Um, and we we would love to be um extremely dominant and good in that space from a performance standpoint. Uh, but if we're blessed enough to go to a D1 and be able to become a larger gym, we would love to do that. Um and we believe we have the space to be able to do that. We definitely have the coaches to be able to execute and draw in uh that type of talent. But I think more than anything, success would lie in uh looking back and and seeing athletes, whether they stay in the cheer space or not, uh for them to be but better humans, right? Someone who can pull on their cheer journey and say, I learned some life skills because of cheer. I learned some life skills because of the families that I connected with. And that to me would take all the awards and and banners aside, that would be a true definition of success.

SPEAKER_03 15:26

You know, that does. I can just imagine that. Well, we're so blessed to have you in the community and grateful that you chose Walker to open your doors and very excited to see where you all go next. So, Tank and Braden, thank you both so much for your time with this podcast. Awesome. Appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 15:40

Appreciate it.

SPEAKER_03 15:41

Of course, thank you for tuning in.

SPEAKER_01 15:42

Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Maiden Walker Podcast. If you have comments or questions about this podcast, or if you have suggestions for future episodes, we'd love to hear from you. Please drop us an email at podcast at walker.city. Maiden Walker is the official podcast of the city of Walker, Michigan. You can find Maiden Walker wherever you get your podcasts.