Cheer Apparel

Melody Macklen of Lexington, SC says she is so proud to be part of the GK Elite team because the quality, look, and feel of GK Cheerleading Uniforms are second to none.  Her goal is to give South Carolina cheer teams, gyms, and dance companies a product that everyone will love.

Melody is a mother of two beautiful children and co-owner of Palmetto Athletic Center, home of the Twistarz All-Star Cheerleading program.  She has a big passion for empowering her coaches and athletes to be the best they can be and feels that part of empowering her athletes to perform their best is for them to look their best.

Please contact Melody at 803-261-3519 or mmacklen@cheergk.com so that she can help you give your athletes the apparel that is "engineered for cheer"!  Contact information for other GK Cheer Territory Account Managers in other parts of the US can be found at http://www.gkelite.com/Pages/Information.aspx?keyword=GKS-SR_USREP&pagegroup=GKSalesRepresentatives.

I’m sure by now you’ve heard that GK’s cheerleading apparel has no zippers EVER and fits like no other brand – but what’s so special about our fabric?  At GK, we pride ourselves on having thousands of fabric, color, and print combinations to choose from.  When shopping for a cheerleading uniform, it’s important to consider performance fabrics to help you look and feel your best while you're performing. Here are just a few more reasons keep GK performance fabrics in mind for your next cheerleading uniform purchase:

• GK works directly with select fabric mills to develop four-way super-stretch fabrics which adhere to our stringent specifications.
  
  
• GK’s DryTech fabric has technical properties that help keep you cool and dry. Choose the fabric that works as hard as you do! You can use DryTech in your cheerleading uniform or check out In Stock practice & cheer camp styles that incorporate DryTech fabric with fierce prints and team colors!
  
  
• When you look and feel great, you perform better!

All About Kids Sports Center in Louisville, KY has used GK for their Champion Gymnastics competitive gymnastics apparel for many years, and this year, they decided to check out GK for their Power Cheer All-Stars Cheerleading Uniforms as well. They couldn’t be happier with their custom design sample, saying it was “exactly what they envisioned.” Pauline Haynes from All About Kids went on to say, “The quality and fit is superior to any cheer uniform company we have used in the past.  We are anxious to place our All Star cheer uniforms order from GK.” 

When Power Cheer received their Uniform Sample, their All Star Cheer Director Mecha Sachini couldn’t wait to see it and be the first to try it on! Mecha says she still, “has it!” We agree, Mecha! Best of Luck to Power Cheer! Can’t wait to see your GK’s on the competition floor!

If you like these custom design cheer top, you might also like our GK Double Cross Star Cheer Uniform Top U145L. It’s a full length halter-style cheerleading uniform top with long sleeves, strappy double criss-cross back and star detail on the upper arms.

As Maryland Twisters F5’s point flyer, our new GK Cheer website cover girl Val Rubenstein has been gaining a lot of attention from the cheer world this year. Her amazing showmanship in both stunts and tumbling has really displayed her remarkable cheerleading abilities!

Val discusses cheerleading and NCA All-Star Nationals with GK:

What is your favorite part of being an All-Star Cheerleader?
 “My favorite part of being an All-Star Cheerleader is meeting people! I've met some of my very best friends and amazing coaches through the sport and I don't know what I would do without them!”

So NCA is this weekend! How are you feeling going into it?
“I'm so excited! All I can say is I'm ready! My team is working so hard to prepare for this nationals event and we want to win so badly! I'm ready to show the world what we're made of!”

What have you been doing to prepare yourself?
“I've been eating right and working out to make sure I can endure this routine flawlessly! At practices I make sure to do everything that's asked of me so that when the time comes to perform I'm prepared!”

What is your favorite part of F5's routine this year?
“My favorite part of F5's routine this year is the stunt sequence because when we hit it at competition the thrill of hearing the crowd roar is an indescribable feeling!

Do you have any pre-performance rituals/superstitions?
“I hate splitting poles! Before we take the floor we pray and have a team talk on the floor. I also have handshakes with a few girls on the team that we do right before the music starts!”

What do you think of your GK competition cheer apparel?
“Our custom GK uniforms are amazing! Not only are they gorgeous, they are so comfortable! The crystals make them so unique from any other brand and when the lights hit them on the floor the sparkle is breathtaking!”

Her advice to other cheerleaders:
“There are no excuses for anything! When you think you have reached your absolute limits push harder and you'd be amazed at what you can do! An amazing person once told me to hope for the best and expect the worst because whatever can go wrong will and you need to be prepared to fight for every last bit of it.”

This month, the Competitive Cheer Squad from the University of Maryland hosted Fairmont State at a National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association (NCATA) meet.   The undefeated Terps, the former NCA All-Girl National Champions, now compete exclusively under NCATA, which sanctions meet-style competitions in which the squads are judged not only on their routine, but also on individual stunt groups, tumbling passes, basket tosses, and separate pyramids.

UMD’s Tricia Fitzgerald gives her take on the Terps and the new type of competition: 

Favorite part of NCATA:

  "I'd say my favorite part of NCATA meets is the back and forth interaction with the other team. It’s great to be able to make a comeback and be able to emphasize each team's strengths. "

Hardest part about NCATA, compared to a traditional college cheerleading competition:

   "I think the hardest part about the meets is that it really levels the playing field because we send our best out against their best. It makes it more exciting and challenging; it keeps us on our toes throughout the whole meet. "

How had you been preparing for the meet against Fairmont?

   "In preparation to compete against Fairmont we spent a lot of time working on all of the events and improving in difficulty and execution from our previous meets. "

Terps’ Biggest Strength:

 "I think our biggest strengths are the tumbling and team routine events. One of the things that’s great about UMD is the depth we have on our team. "

Thoughts on your GK Cheer Apparel:

 "The GK cheerleading outfits are great! We really love our new black and yellow uniforms this year, and enjoy coming out to the song "Black and Yellow" when we wear them!"

In the end, it was a victory for the Terps, who received a final score of 275.846, ahead of Fairmont’s 270.178. Congrats on your win, UMD! You girls looked fierce!!

FINALLY!!! Your chance to meet GK Cheer Cover Models Kiara Nowlin and Bucky O’Leary! Not to mention get your picture taken with them at NCA and appear in The Cheer Leader Magazine.

Winning is easy! Just email the answers to the following five GK Cheer Trivia Challenge questions to cheercontest@gkelite.com and win one of 50 Kiara Nowlin & Bucky O’Leary autographed 8x10 photos.

If you’re planning to attend NCA, answer the BONUS QUESTION for a chance to win our GRAND PRIZE: A photo of you with Bucky O’Leary and Kiara Nowlin featured in The Cheer Leader Magazine, a $100 GK gift certificate, a Bucky O’Leary and Kiara Nowlin autographed 2011 GK Cheer Catalog and Cheerleading is my Sport Tee shirt, and a subscription to The Cheer Leader Magazine!

Submit your answers along with your name, mailing address, phone number, date of birth and full name of the cheerleading team you are currently on via email to cheercontest@gkelite.com by Sunday, February 20, 2011 at 11:59pm Eastern. The lucky winner will be announced on the GK Cheer Facebook page on Monday, February 21, 2011.

Click here to view official Contest Rules.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!

HINT:

All of these answers can be found at www.facebook.com/GKCheer and http://shop.gkelite.com. 

Question 1

What famous US Speed Skater is Kiara Nowlin pictured with in our Facebook Photo Album posted on 10/14/2010?

Question 2

What is the Style Number of the In Stock Practice Wear Crop Top with WESTSIDE lettering on the front that Kiara is wearing in our 2011 Cheer Catalog?

Question 3

For what professional Cheerleading team does GK offer their Official Audition Apparel?

Question 4

Name one of the Woodward XCC Cheerleaders that were profiled on the GK Cheer Facebook page in January 2010.

Question 5

What colors is the Crop Top that Shawn Johnson models in our 2011 print and online catalogs for her 2011 Signature Cheer Collection?

BONUS QUESTION

Will you be attending NCA?

GK’s 2011 Cheer catalog is here! The new 2011 line features exciting new practice & team apparel, special order and in-stock cheerleading uniforms, shoes, collegiate uniforms, warm-ups and more! Look for your copy in the mail!

Here’s just a few of the things you don’t want to miss:

• The brand that started the revolution is back again with NEW and innovative uniform styling for both women and men
• Shawn Johnson’s Signature Collection of Practice Wear features funky and fun designs including colorful prints.
• As always, you can customize your special order uniforms in any fabric and any color combination for your team’s stand-out-from-the-crowd look.

And to top it all off, in 2011 GK has made ordering your special order and stock cheerleading and dance apparel even easier with lowered and simplified pricing.

In Stock styles are online now at http://shop.gkelite.com. Stay tuned for Special Order styles arriving online in March 2011.

If you don’t know by now, where have you been?!?! GK Elite Sportswear LP is the official provider of all Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders workout, rehearsal and appearance attire for the world famous squad. The Cheerleaders are wearing GK’s tops, shorts, and warm-ups for practice and personal appearances.

Don’t the girls look great in their GK Warm Ups and Practice Wear?

If you’d like to be a part of the world famous Dallas Cowboys Cheerleading team, you’ll need to dress to impress at auditions and there’s no better way than showing up in the brand strongly recommended by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader organization themselves – GK! 

This NEW line of Cheerleading practice apparel is available exclusively through GK! Choose from our Special Order or In Stock Styles.  The Special Order styles allow you to customize your crop top and shorts by selecting from two fabric styles, over fourteen colors, and handset or scattered jewel detail. Plus, our In Stock styles feature two funky back crop tops and Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Preferred Fit Sylktech cheer shorts.

Click Here to Get Dallas Cowboys Cheerleading Apparel from GK

When you’re part of a cheer team, it is important to always look your best. Since you’ll be wearing your cheerleading uniform, it's essential to make sure that your logo is noticeable so people can easily identify your team.

Your team's logo speaks for your group. This is why it's important to have one that represents the characteristics of your team. Having a logo that stands out makes your entire cheerleading uniform look more exciting.

There are many ways to make your logo shine. Because you can have logos customized, there are countless ways to style your logo and make it as original and as creative as possible. A more traditional logo treatment would be appliqué embroidery using fabric lettering to create your logo.  To make your cheerleading unis extra special so they shine throughout your routine, you can add jewels on top of the appliqué embroidery so it's completely filled in or lightly scattered to give a subtle shimmering effect.


Jewel appliqués and embellishments are a part of GK Elite’s latest trend in cheer apparel. It is not only the eye popping colors that will make your uniform interesting. The best part is, you can jewel your uniform with as many crystals as you want!  By applying a bit of sparkle here and there, you can be sure that all eyes will be on you all throughout the competition.

Join us on Facebook for more cheerleading news and tips.

So you want to be a Cowboy? Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, that is!  You’ll need to dress to impress at auditions and there’s no better way than showing up in the brand strongly recommended by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders organization themselves – GK! 

This NEW line of Cheerleading practice apparel is available exclusively through GK and is now online!

Choose from our Special Order or In Stock Styles. The new Special Order crop top (shown here) and short styles allow you to select custom fabrics, colors and jewels. The special order styles allow you to customize your crop top and shorts by selecting from two fabric styles, over fourteen colors, and handset or scattered jewel detail. Plus, our In Stock styles (shown below) feature two funky back crop tops and our Preferred Fit Sylktech cheer shorts.

GK Elite Sportswear LP, the official provider of workout, rehearsal and appearance attire for the world famous squad. The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders will wear GK's tops, shorts, warm-ups and jump suits for practices and personal appearances, including final auditions.

What captured the attention of Kelli Finglass, Director of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, was the fit, jewel detailing and innovative styling. "The image of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders is extremely important to our branding.  We take great pride in setting bar high in the industry with the appearance and performance of our cheerleaders.  Our choice to partner with GK Elite Sportswear to provide apparel for our program was due to the excellent quality, fit and styling that they offer." said Finglass.

Click Here to Get Dallas Cowboys Cheerleading Apparel from GK

GK Elite Sportswear is expanding its cheerleading sales division and is proud to announce the addition of Alicia Whatley as National Sales Manager. Alicia comes to GK with over 12 years experience in the cheer and dance industry. She brings a vast knowledge of cheer and dance background including NCA staff, national adjudicator, and former NDA Director. A graduate from the University of Oklahoma, Alicia was a dance major and on the OU Pom squad. 

“We are extremely excited to have Alicia join our team,” said Carter Cheskey, Executive Vice President of Sales at GK Elite. “Alicia brings a wealth of industry experience and passion to our growing cheer division.”

Alicia seeks enthusiastic and passionate sales professionals to bring the GK message to cheerleaders and cheer teams across the United States. Interested sales professionals can email their resume and letter of interest to: resume@gkelite.com.

GK Elite Sportswear is the world’s leading supplier of gymnastics apparel and is recognized around the world for superior variety, quality, fit and service. Based in Reading, Pennsylvania, Elite Sportswear, L.P., the company behind the GK brand, continues its commitment to American-made quality and continuous innovation in design for Gymnastics, Cheerleading, and Dance apparel.

GK Elite Sportswear has designated October 10, 2010 (10-10-10) as Cheerleading is a Sport Day. In doing so, GK is recognizing the 400,000+ athletes involved in the sport of competitive cheerleading. To commemorate 10-10-10, GK is offering a new T-Shirt boldly proclaiming:

I Am an Athlete

Cheerleading is My Sport

“The long-running debate over whether or not competitive cheerleading is a sport has intensified this year, culminating with a judge’s ruling in July that it is not a sport under NCAA Title IX guidelines,” said Kelly McKeown, EVP of Corporate Relations for GK.  “We strongly believe that competitive cheerleading is a sport, especially given the athleticism and hours of training required of today’s cheer athletes.  We wanted to recognize all of their hard work and dedication and spread the message that they are athletes and cheerleading is their sport.”

Shirts are available online from GK for $9.95.

 
Click Here to Purchase

GK-Elite Sportswear is the world’s leading supplier of gymnastics apparel and is recognized around the world for superior variety, quality, fit and service. Based in Reading, Pennsylvania, Elite Sportswear, L.P., the company behind the GK brand, continues its commitment to American-made quality and continuous innovation in designs for Gymnastics, Cheerleading, and Dance apparel.