“Anytime we can do things out in the public, we get exposure for our program,” said Extreme Athletix director Shawna Fitzgerald. “Incorporating the clinic participants brought in more than 75 girls, their parents, family members, and friends who got to see firsthand what our program is all about. Afterwards we had numerous parents inquire about signing their daughter(s) up for next season. Our program not only teaches the skills needed to be successful in the sport but also qualities like teamwork, cooperation, and compassion. People who attended the showcase were able to see that. We are more than just gym; we are a family and that’s something parents want their kids to be a part of.”

Extreme Athletix consists of numerous cheer and hip-hop teams ranging from ages three to eighteen. The fast-paced routines consist of jumping, dancing, tumbling, and stunting, all falling into specified divisions, criteria, and levels. The varying ages, styles, and skill levels would normally present a challenge for any coaching staff, however Fitzgerald credits both her coaches and the big sisters of the program with helping to guide the younger athletes and help maintain order.

“The biggest benefit from doing something like this is that our teams get to interact with one another,” said Fitzgerald. “Our program is like a family. Our older girls often help with our younger teams. Our littles have big sisters, and our older girls have littles, that they build sisterlike relationships with.”

The six-year director added that the athletes grow close and become important role models for the younger athletes coming in while making life-long bonds and memories.

Submitted Photos Lily Sidon performs as a Minion, Friday night during the Extreme Athletix Showcase held at the Warren YMCA.

Fitzgerald is accompanied by Jess Robbins, Michelle Johnson, Nicole Chapman, Crystal Russell, and Kassandra Wilson. Robbins, an initial founder of the program helps coach the prep teams. Johnson, a former scholastic cheer coach at Youngsville High School is a teacher and track coach at Warren Area High School works primarily with the Tiny Teams. Chapman, who has been involved with the program since 2016, is also the head cheerleading coach at Eisenhower High School. Russell, has been putting her cheer and dance background to use since 2018 as the main hip-hop choreographer. Wilson is the main tumbling coach, with an extensive background as a gymnast and acrobatics instructor. Along with the main coaches, Extreme Athletix also has the benefit of having two Junior Hip-Hop coaches, Cali Chapman and Madison Connolly.

“This is close to my heart because we all work very close and very well together which I feel is important,” Fitzgerald said. “If you’re asking your athletes to work as a team, that one person is not more important than the other; We have to set the example. We all bring different perspectives and strengths to our program.”

The strengths of the program have been on full display through their many accomplishments. The Junior Hip-Hop Team has taking home the top prize two years running at The One National Competition, and will return again in 2023. Also earning a bid is the Youth Hip-Hop Team and Senior Cheer Team. In 2022, the Junior 3 Team took seventh out of 15 teams at the same competition.

The better Extreme Athletix does, the further they go, both in competition and mileage. The increased travel requires even more fundraising. For 2023, Fitzgerald and her staff decided to do something the athletes could get directly involved in, while simultaneously raising money and expanding the program, with the Extreme Athletix Cheer and Hip-Hop Dance Mini-Clinic.

“Now that the athletes are older, I wanted to do something they had a chance to be involved in, to help instead of the parents doing it all,” said Fitzgerald. “We didn’t’ expect to get more than 20 to 30, 50 if we were really lucky. The interest shown from the community was shocking. The girls choreographed a short cheer and hip-hop routine, and they taught all 130 attendees in smaller groups.”

Fitzgerald continued to express the coaches’ pride in the attendees for learning the routine in only four hours, then to perform it several weeks later in front of a packed gymnasium last Friday night.

“Our program is not for everyone,” said Fitzgerald. “I’m not going to upsell my program and have someone be miserable after being locked in. So, giving these children the opportunity to experience it all is the best way to know if they want to continue.”

With cheer joining the lineup of Olympic sports in 2024, Fitzgerald hopes that opportunities like the clinic and the showcase will introduce the community to Extreme Athletix and all they have accomplished in the last decade.

“It’s a close nit program all the way around, from parents, to coaches, to athletes, everyone is always helping with whatever the task is at hand, because at the end of the day, we have the same goal; It’s all about the kids.”