Elite Cheerleading Uniforms

Robin Bolden has been in the cheerleading business for over 19 years, including 13 years of all-star choreography and coaching. She was a UCA Head Cheerleading Instructor for 9 years and is NFHS Technical Judge Certified and USASF Safety Certified.  Robin speaks at coaches’ conferences about safety rules and point deductions. She has been a cheerleading routine judge for over 10 years at the state, regional, national, and international levels for several companies including UCA, Int’l Cheer Alliance, GSSA and JAMfest. Robin specializes in Safety and Deduction judging for several companies including JAMfest, America’s Best, Coastal Corporation, Int’l Cheer Alliance, GLCC, NCA and Valley of the Sun competitions. She has been on several Worlds Bid Qualifier panels as a safety judge. Robin has participated in The Cheerleading Worlds as a safety judge since 2008 and is the Georgia Territory Account Manager for GK Elite. Robin has been nominated for Spirit Industry Trade Association (SITA) Outstanding Cheer Judge for 2010.

Robin's favorite thing about being a GK Territory Account Manager is being able to help cheerleading programs develop a look/style they feel no other company can do for them. An owner once told Robin, “This is exactly what I envisioned our program to be and look like” in reference to a GK custom cheerleading uniform design. Robin said, "It is such a great feeling knowing we can translate any design idea a program may have into reality with great fabrics, top quality cheerleading uniforms, and the best fit available."

Contact Robin at rbolden@cheerkgk.com if you are looking for cheerleading uniforms in Georgia and would like more information.  Contact information for GK Cheer Territory Account Managers in other parts of the country can be found at http://www.gkelite.com/Pages/Information.aspx?keyword=GKS-SR_USREP&pagegroup=GKSalesRepresentatives.

Valerie's cheerleading years began in a small town in Illinois, before the days of All Star Cheerleading.  Her most memorable cheerleading moment was when her high school team was asked to cheer at a St. Louis Cardinals football game.  Valerie said, "Back in the day, they used to invite three schools to cheer at their home games, and it was very exciting to be on the field with a professional football team."  A photographer took a picture of Valerie at the game and it was featured on the front page of the St. Louis Post Dispatch.  A very big deal for a small town cheerleader!

Most of Valerie's career has been in outside sales and sales administration.  Most recently, she worked as a representative for Capezio Dancewear in Texas and Louisiana.  As a Territory Account Manager for GK Elite Cheer, Valerie tells us that her goal is to promote the company's high standards and values, to provide exceptional customer service, and strive to exceed my customers expectations.  She is looking forward to the opportunity to helping all of her Houston, Texas area customers with their cherleading uniform orders!

Contact Valerie at vdunn@cheergk.com if you are looking for cheerleading uniforms in the Houston, Texas region and would like more information!  Contact information for GK Cheer Territory Accounty Managers in other parts of the country can be found at http://www.gkelite.com/Pages/Information.aspx?keyword=GKS-SR_USREP&pagegroup=GKSalesRepresentatives.

Jessica Nickel is the GK Cheerleading Territory Account Manager for Southern California.  She is a Southern California native and currently resides in Wildomar, CA with her husband and three kids. She coaches at Pacific Coast Magic in Murrieta, CA and has been there for 5 years.  Jessica has been in the cheerleading industry for 16 years and enjoys every minute of it!

As a child, Jessica competed in dance and was a level 8 gymnast.  She was also a member of Murrieta Valley High School song & cheer team for 4 years. After High school, she became a member of the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) staff and attended Palomar College where she was a part of the National Champion Coed Cheer squad who won numerous championships. After college, Jessica joined the Champion Cheer Outlaws open team and West Coast Mavericks open team located in San Diego, CA.
 
Jessica was the advisor and Varsity cheer coach for Murrieta Valley high school for three years before her career as an All-Star Coach started from owning her own cheer program Southern California All Stars and coaching at Temecula Valley Stars, TVS Elite and California All Stars. Throughout her many years in the business, she has choreographed and coached numerous High School and All-Star Cheerleading teams in the Southern California area.

Jessica joined GK Elite 7 months ago and says that she truly enjoys her job. "GK Elite's products are amazing and there is no one in this industry who can beat the quality, innovation and customer service that we can. I was amazed at how a GK Elite item was crafted almost all by hand. Our products are like no other and I am truly blessed to be a part of this amazing company. I cannot wait to see what the future has to hold for GK Elite Cheer."

Contact Jessica at jnickel@cheergk.com if you are a Southern California Cheerleading Team and want more information on GK Cheerleading Uniforms.  Contact information for Account Managers in other parts of the country can be found at http://www.gkelite.com/Pages/Information.aspx?keyword=GKS-SR_USREP&pagegroup=GKSalesRepresentatives.

Valley Elite is the Lehigh Valley’s Premier All Star Cheerleading Program and has the largest training facility in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. To date the Valley Elite All Stars have accumulated awards ranging from 52 first place, 6 second place, 2 third place, to 1 fourth place. They also received 16 Grand Champion titles and 24 national titles. Just last season The Valley Elite All Stars were named the best level 2 team in the country!

Recently, Valley Elite purchased custom cheer uniforms from GK. Tracy Baker, Owner and Director of Valley Elite said, “We love GK!!! Our new uniforms are awesome.....the look, the comfort and the fit can't be matched!!! GK also has the best customer service, no one compares!”

If you like these custom design uniforms, you might like our Double Cross Star Crop Top (U145) and our V Waist Star Cheer Short (U521L) or Skirt (U716V). The crop top with long sleeves, strappy double criss cross back, and star detail on upper arms & goes great with the flared side panel cheer skirt in either regular or low rise.

Choose any fabric & color combination to design a GK cheerleading uniform with your own custom look. Add your team name or logo in your choice of jewels, sequinz, appliqué embroidery or imprinting.

Worried about what to wear to Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders auditions this May? Put your mind at ease by choosing the cheerleading practice wear brand recommended by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, GK Elite Cheerleading Apparel.

Not only is GK the preferred brand of the DCC, but they also offer the most stylish audition wear styles out there! In addition to the three basic black in-stock styles that GK offers, they recently introduced two new special order styles – a crop top and a workout short – that are available in over 50 different fabric and color combinations! The main garment sections are made in GK’s DryTech fabric which has moisture wicking performance properties for maximum comfort. The accent panels come in Mystique to create the sparkle and shine that every cheerleader is looking for.

According to Kelli Finglass, Director of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, “GK’s customizable audition apparel is fashionable, comfortable and flattering!  You can express your own personal style by choosing your color combinations and adding crystals for extra bling!  Best of all, GK’s outfits feature the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ preferred fit.”

Still not sure which style to choose? Here are a few recommendations on how to make your audition apparel style your own:

1. Color block your halter style crop top for a unique look.
2. Go monotone with a matching crop top and short.
3. Opt for contrasting colors for a bold look.
4. Add BLING!! Stand out from the crowd by adding GK’s Swarovski crystals to one or both of your garments.

Whatever you decide, create a combination that suits your individual personality so that you will shine throughout your audition!

Ready to Shop? Visit the GK site to purchase online.

"GK Elite is such an innovative and amazing company, which made ordering cheerleading uniforms such a great experience.  It was a quick and easy process and the uniforms even arrived on time!  Their customer service and product far exceeds any cheer company I have worked with in the past.  These are uniforms made to last!  We receive compliments on our uniforms at every competition!  Thanks again GK Elite."   

Darlene Fanning, Owner
ICE All-Star Cheerleading

Mishawaka, Indiana

Ft. Wayne, Indiana

Napperville, Illinois

Thanks to GK’s Special Order Cheerleading Uniform service, teams are designing their own uniforms to match their unique personalities and styles. This year at NCA, several original cheer uniform concepts from GK Elite made their debut on the competition floor!

Top Gun’s International Open Coed’s new uniforms pushed All-star cheerleading uniforms to its limits in terms of innovation and freshness!  From the arm wraps to the lace-ups, their uniforms are edgy, fun, and original, just like Top Gun!

Maryland Twisters F5 looked elegant and fierce in their new custom GK uniforms, which incorporate their all-star cheerleading team’s colors with a touch of turquoise to brighten it up. They also decided to have the design be the focal point of the top and chose to have their signature “F5” on the skirt instead. This design completely captures their “diva” style!

Go with the original, the innovator, the brand that started the revolution. Go with GK.

GK Elite wants to give a special “Congratulations” to the amazing Special Needs Team from the Maryland Twisters, Eye of the Storm! This group of 18 remarkable athletes traveled all the way to Atlanta, Georgia in order to perform at Cheersport Nationals and compete against the best of the best in their division. This being their first time at Cheersport, they captured the gold in a division with 10 teams! Coach Sharon Myrick said her favorite part of the experience was "meeting all the other special needs athletes while waiting outside warmups, as well as getting to meet Bill Presson (ACE-Bows and Arrows), USASF committee member, who was with Kentucky Elite Showcats when this whole concept started."  “Eye” looked absolutely stunning in their new GK Cheer Uniforms, which gave them that extra bit of confidence they needed to secure their National Champion title. 





















Check out GK's New 2011 Cheer Catalog!

“GK Elite helped us stay ahead of the game when it came to customizing new cheerleading uniforms for our entire program!  They listened to exactly what we wanted for each team, and took the time and effort to make sure each uniform came out just how we imagined it!”

GK Elite not only provided us with the latest style and quality in cheerleading uniforms, they were also there every step of the way providing excellent customer service! We are constantly receiving compliments on our new uniforms, not only from other teams, but even from the judges! GK Elite has become our first choice when ordering our cheerleading sportswear! Cheers!”

 “Ordering our cheerleading uniforms through GK Elite was a pleasure. The designing process was quick; they listened and incorporated every detail. The sizing was simple - not only did the uniforms fit as expected when we received them, but they were delivered earlier to us than planned.

The custom made cheer uniforms even came with the athletes name already on them. Not to mention, our families love how easy it is to care for them and how well they are made. We are always receiving compliments on them from other cheerleading teams.

The Matrix All Stars work extremely hard at being one of the top competitive cheerleading teams in Ohio, and GK Elite's uniforms have enhanced that. Thanks GK!”

Aimee Peppers

Owner/Coach

The Matrix All Stars

Columbus, OH

 "GK made a quality cheerleading uniform for our sport here at Baylor and they turned out just perfectly. Our team really liked the material and the fit of the uniforms. I was so pleased with the quality and the product, and will be using GK again for the next set of cheerleading uniforms that we order next summer. I would recommend GK Elite to others!"

Karry Forsythe

Head Coach Competitive Cheerleading

Baylor University Athletics Department

Waco, TX

A cheerleading competition is tough, demanding, and action-packed. Yet, movements should look effortless. It is important that every move is well executed.  To be sure you’re in top form while performing, your team should be in the best competition cheerleading uniforms. A great cheerleading uniform is one that not only looks good and is well designed, but is something that fits well and is comfortable enough to allow all kinds of movements.

The reason fit and comfort is important is that your outfit can make or break your performance. A perfect fit will flatter your figure so well and will make you truly own your outfit. There’s nothing more distracting (to you AND the judges) than cheerleading wear that is too loose or too small for you. You have to make sure that your uniform fits you well. What is fit without comfort? It’s something equally not worth wearing. Good cheerleading uniforms must fit you and you must be comfortable in them. Your uniform should not restrict your movements making you look stiff.

If you're looking for a uniform that perfectly fits you and is comfortable, check out our catalog. GK Elite offers the most dazzling cheerleading apparel that is custom fit and uses the highest quality 4-way stretch fabrics to ensure maximum comfort. When you feel confident & comfortable, you actually perform better!

Join us on Facebook for updates on our latest cheerleading uniforms.

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.

Cheerleading Choreographer Luke Johnson from Twisted Choreography sat down for an interview about his business and his philosophy with Cheer Coach and Advisor Magazine's Heather Portnoy.


It’s more than 5-6-7-8.

This is the motto of “Choreographer to the Champions” Luke Johnson of Twisted Choreography. At only 31, he has taken the cheerleading world by storm with his revolutionary choreography that will keep you on the edge of your seat with its cinematic appeal. His choreography has helped attain over 15 Worlds medals and multiple Worlds bids, including 40 bids at the 2010 Worlds alone.

The Cheer Coach & Advisor staff met Luke two years ago at the USASF Cheerleading and Dance Worlds. It all began over a Worlds t-shirt. If you have been to Worlds, you know what I am talking about. You’ll see a plethora of creative t-shirts supporting all your favorite programs. The shirt that caught our eyes was “Luke’s Got My Back.” We asked the simple question, “Who is Luke?” and we quickly learned that he was an amazing up and coming choreographer, thus beginning our journey with Luke Johnson. He was innovative, inspirational and blazing the trails with many award winning routines. Luke created the choreography for 27 teams competing at the 2009 Cheerleading Worlds. There was no question this was someone that we needed to meet.

For Luke, it all began with cheerleading. He cheered for a couple of different all star programs and vividly remembers the first time his coach hired an outside choreographer. Luke shares, “Everyone watched in admiration. I was very intrigued and was mentally breaking down everything that he was doing. I could see the pictures that he was trying to create and knew that I could do this.” At the age of 18, Luke took this experience and created the choreography for a local high school cheer team. That year, the team came in first in their state championships. Luke was hooked and choreographed eight routines the following year.

Things have snowballed for Luke ever since. He has had experience in almost every role in cheerleading. He has been a cheerleader, owned a gym, coached, choreographed and managed the Maryland Twisters program. In his early 20’s, he moved to California to pursue dance and became a certified Hip Hop instructor. His heart was still in cheerleading and he quickly returned, bringing with him a dance inspired style that includes leaps and turns not typically seen in cheer choreography. (but brought his knowledge and inspiration from dance. (by using more turns and leaps not typically seen in cheer choreography.)

If anyone lives up to their reputation, it’s certainly Luke. He is an absolute perfectionist, creative genius, and a pure fireball of energy. His joyful personality is contagious. Luke believes in spreading a positive attitude. Known for his trademark v-neck t-shirts and scarf, if you see Luke enter the room, clear the way and prepare to be inspired. He has an innate ability for making people feel comfortable, identifying commonalities and creating a unified spirit. It almost seems that he is the puzzle master knowing which pieces fit together perfectly with each group he meets.

We asked Luke how he is able to make these connections and so accurately fit the right routine to the personality and vibe of each team. He shares, “So much of what I do is based on the energy of the kids. I feed off this energy so much. I take time and connect with the team. Ask each coach what their strengths and weaknesses are. I don’t just focus on the strengths. I work to round out the entire team.”

It’s a natural fit for coaches to be the catalyst in motivating their team. Luke definitely believes that everyone has their own way of doing things but he quickly shared his personal beliefs on getting the most from your teams. “The energy that you possess is how you will affect them. Once they see the personality that you are bringing in, you can get them connected with you and bring them back in. A coaches’ personality and energy changes the game.” He goes on to say, “I am a believer in creating your own reality. If you want the kids to have energy, you have to create that for them.”

Luke spends at least 10 months out of the year traveling throughout the United States and abroad working with powerhouse gyms both big and small. Some of the programs that he works with include: California All-Stars, ACE of Alabama, Cheer Extreme, Illinois Cheer Company, Arizona Power Extreme, Maryland Twisters and Spirit of Texas just to name a few. He has an affinity for every program he works with regardless of size or name recognition in the industry. The affinity is obviously mutual through the conversations we have had with many who work with him and by watching people gravitate to him wherever is he is.



Brad Vaughn, Spirit of Texas Owner, Choreographer and Head Coach shares, “Luke is such a great person! He has managed to stay humble and professional despite his incredible success. He seems to always connect with the athletes regardless of their level or ability. He is one of the most talented individuals in the cheer industry. He is dependable, respectful and above all else, kind. He has a heart bigger than Texas and it shows in everything he does. Luke is one of those rare people that touches the lives of thousands of people across the country. He has made such a positive impact at Spirit of Texas!! His motto is “it’s more than 5-6-7-8” and he lives by it daily.”

Being an inspiration to coaches is very important to Luke. He believes his actions trickle down to the team. “The energy that I share will keep going down from kid to kid to kid and create a positive effect that isn’t there all the time,” says Luke. As for what inspires Luke’s creativity and passion, he answered, “I have had many inspirations in my life which include God, family and friends. However, my cheerleading inspirations date back to when I was younger, and range from Top Gun’s endless innovation to Spirit of Texas’s visual creativity and seamless transition work. But the bulk of my creative juices comes from the cheerleaders themselves.”

On the flip side, how a coach disciplines their team can be equally important. Luke certainly has a wide array of experience watching the different discipline techniques of coaches throughout the world. “I’m so patient. I don’t discipline kids by doing things to them. I feel if the kids aren’t paying attention and giving 100%, instead of getting mad and making them do conditioning, I simply stop teaching. I don’t raise my voice. I stop teaching and sit there quietly unless I have their undivided attention,” says Luke. When asked if this was realistic for coaches who are with the team year round Luke shares, “I don’t think anyone should ever teach by fear. You should teach by respect. You earn respect by knowledge. Conditioning should be a training tool.”

When it comes to cheerleading safety, Luke feels the industry is making the proper strides. He is a firm believer in ‘Perfection Before Progression’ and appreciates the new cheer safety video created by GK Elite Sportswear, Shawn Johnson, and Top Gun. Luke shares his thoughts, “I feel this video is something everyone needs to watch and is spot on. If you don’t do this, you are setting everyone up for injury. I see so many ranges of this as both parents and kids are working to get to the next level. I have even seen coaches that tend to forget this.”

Another natural fit is for a choreographer to help identify the right music mix for the routine. Finding the right music is the critical final step for a routine. Luke believes, “It’s the icing on the cake. Music is as much of a delicacy in this sport as choreography, uniforms and proper training. People know who to go to when looking for good music. We are an industry that talks all the time. People know who does what music and who people are.”

Luke’s passion for cheerleading, standards of excellence, and desire to continue revolutionizing the spirit industry can be an inspiration to any coach. He thrives off traveling the globe “twisting” every team he meets. He recognizes that key to success is the team effort of choreographer, coach, and cheerleader. “I am humbled by the intensity this sport has in affecting people’s lives and in that, I find great inspiration from the athletes themselves. I feed off their energy and passion for the same amazing sport that so graciously allows me to be here, doing what I love every day.”

*Visit http://www.cheercoachmagazine.com for full video.

Photos and article Reprinted with Permission from Cheer Coach and Advisor Magazine. Check them out online at http://www.cheercoachmagazine.com

Did you catch the Industry Profile section of the latest Cheer Coach and Advisor Magazine (Back to Basics Issue 2010)?


Luke Johnson, Twisted Choreography and Kelly McKeown, GK Elite Sportswear discuss their business relationship and how collaborating with another company can be a win-win situation.

CC&A: Can you tell us how you teamed up with each other and why?

Luke Johnson, owner of Twisted Cho­reography: Let me tell you a little back­ground on Twisted Choreography first. I’ve been choreographing for 10 years and started Twisted Choreography about six years ago. It began when I noticed that most choreographers were focused on themselves and not on the kids. I believe that the kids should be the superstars and when I hire people I make sure they feel the same way and that they understand it is not about them getting the glory. I have 5 choreographers that travel and I have about 12 skill staff.

One of my clients kept telling me about GK Elite and how the company always made their customers feel so great. She insisted that I meet Kelly and was sure that we would get along well because of our shared philosophy of business. Once we met, it was instantaneous; we imme­diately hit it off. It was exactly what we both wanted and had been looking for. Our goals were similar and all of our focus was in alignment. It seemed to work so easily.

Kelly McKeown, executive vice presi­dent of corporate relations, GK Elite Sportswear: We had a mutual acquain­tance that kept telling me that I had to meet Luke and that they were sure we’d work well together since we were both so creative. Finally, we met for lunch one day and hit it off beautifully. We immediately had a connection; we started brainstorm­ing some concepts and decided we were going to collaborate on some projects. That was about a year ago. The relation­ship has worked ever since. We bounce ideas off of one another and it’s two forces of collaboration working together.

CC&A: What do you think has made the business relationship so successful?

Luke Johnson: I feel we both have the same passion and goals. No one is trying to be selfish. I feel that the level of greed with both companies is zero. And with that defining what the two companies are about, it is easy. They (GK Elite) have been very strong on sponsoring cheer­leading and thinking about the future of the sport. We feel exactly that same way. It’s all about the future for us. Our brand­ing is about what is next in cheerleading, where is this going to go and how we can be pioneers in the industry. From the uni­form design technology down to the cho­reography, that’s what it’s about for us.

Kelly McKeown: I think it has a lot to do with the fact that we are committed and excited about the industry, about mak­ing changes and about being innovative, about being leaders and about being cut­ting edge. We don’t want to follow the competition; we want to pave new trails. We want to stay true to who we are and that includes looking forward to what things could be.

We don’t need each other. Both compa­nies do many things independently but there is definitely a crossover where we have felt that the energy could be taken to another level. We have a friendship, a business and a partnership. We both bring different strengths to the table and are coming together to build the industry. As for marketing, we come from two totally different directions yet we pull together and meet in the center. It works for us.

CC&A: Can you tell us what the future might hold for your collaboration?

Luke Johnson: It’s all about the future for both our companies. They are the future in uniforms and we feel like we’re the future in choreography. It’s like we never have to try to make the collaboration work, it’s al­ways been an easy marriage.

I’d like everyone to remember regard­less whether you’re a coach, a business owner or a cheerleader that it’s all about the inspiration and that we are all inspi­ration in some capacity and should stay focused on the greater good of the sport. Cheerleading is about relationships.

Kelly McKeown: I see this path continuing to head forward. The great thing is that there is a constant flow of ideas and com­munication. I don’t think there is a limit to where our relationship can go. One of us is always saying, “I just had an idea, what do you think of this?” I definitely see in­dependent forces here, but I also see syn­ergy that together we can expand our vi­sion and feed off of each other’s ideas. Our collaboration is more high level; it’s more strategic than just design. We both have a forward thinking approach to business. We have a lot of things in the pipeline.

CC&A: What would you like our read­ers to know about your companies that you don’t think they already know?

Luke Johnson: We’re getting into com­petitions and we’re going to change the way they are done. Twisted is all about creativity and we’re bringing that to com­petitions. We’re starting Twisted Athlet­ics where we would like the choreography to be valued at a competition. I feel that choreography is what makes us cheer­leading. We can’t be just a skilled based activity or we’d be gymnastics. In my opinion, the closest sport to cheerlead­ing is figure skating. In figure skating you have the combination of athleticism, it has technical requirements, it’s creative, you use your uniforms and there’s music to enhance your performance. Those are the same elements that make cheerleading so great. With Twisted Athletics we’re trying to bring that creative aspect into it and have teams rewarded for creativity. We’re coining our competitions as the “creative competitions” and we hope to be the next generation of creativity.

Kelly McKeown: We are very innovative. We don’t worry about what our competi­tors are doing and we are forward leaning. We think about what hasn’t been done and what we can do better.

Twisted Choreography 1341 Metropolitan Av. SE Atlanta, GA 30316
www.twistedchoreography.com
Ph: 888-77-Twist

GK Elite Sportswear  P.O. Box 16400 Reading, PA 19612
http://www.gkelite.com  Ph:  800-345-4087


Published with permission from Cheer Coach and Advisor Magazine:  www.cheercoachmagazine.com