Maryland Twisters Cheerleading

The Story Behind the GK Cheerleading Uniform

How Revolution Began

Since entering the all-star cheerleading market a little over a year ago, we, at GK, are frequently asked, “How did you decide to get into cheerleading?”  While we’d love to say we had some special foresight, it was really a right place, right time situation. 

We had been supplying warm-ups to the Maryland Twisters Cheerleading for a few years prior.  The Twisters (who have a reputation for being innovative) were looking for something different to wear.  They were familiar with our position as the market leader in outfitting gymnasts worldwide and wanted something similar to what our Olympic athletes wore.  So we set about engineering a cheerleading uniform that would fit great, be comfortable to wear, and look amazing under the lights.  The result was the original F5 uniform.

We received such overwhelmingly positive feedback on this one uniform that we decided we better take a closer look at this all-star cheer industry.  What we found amazed us!

On the one hand, the progression of all-star cheerleading routines over the years was phenomenal, with stunting and tumbling skills being much more complex and requiring a lot more athleticism.  It was immediately apparent to us that cheerleading is a sport……and cheerleaders are real athletes!

On the other hand, when we started researching the cheerleading apparel side of things, were less than impressed with how little the cheerleading uniforms had kept up with the advancement of the sport.  They still resembled the sideline variety your mom wore when she was a varsity cheerleader for the football team.  They were predominantly made of heavy 100% double-knit polyester, were covered with restrictive, non-stretch binding, and even had zippers! 

So here’s what we did.  We took our 30 years of experience outfitting Olympic athletes and created the next generation cheer uniform:

·         We used four-way super-stretch fabrics developed exclusively for GK and our proprietary pattern technology to engineer a garment designed for maximum performance, fit and comfort.

·         We eliminated zippers, binding, buttons, or anything else that would restrict movement while practicing or competing.

·         Finally, we designed a cutting edge look that would set our teams apart from the others on the competition floor.  Our styling included an athletic cut, a wide range of performance fabrics in eye-catching colors, funky backs, crop tops and design lines, and lots of bling!

And that is how the revolution began.

Name: Jamie Burke

Age: 17

Grade: 12^th (Senior)

Cheer Team Name: Maryland Twisters F5

Coach’s Name: Angel DeJesus, True Hall, Tara Cain              

City/State:  Glen Burnie, MD

How long have you been in Cheerleading: 11 years

Have you been in All Stars Your whole time in Cheerleading: Yes!

Have you Cheered for Rec or School programs: Yes – football season, freshman year

What do you do on your team:  Tumbling, Base

What is your favorite part of being an All Star Cheerleader: My favorite part about being a cheerleader is being part of a team, building lasting friendships, and sharing the same desire as others to be our best and achieve success.

What are your thoughts on your new cheer uniforms: I love them! So creative and comfortable!

How long have you known about GK: Since they began sponsoring F5 Cheerleading

How many competitions do you attend per year: 11

What is the furthest you have gone for a competition:  Dallas, TX

Future aspirations: I aspire to be successful in college and embrace a career in the field of Communications. My immediate aspirations are to achieve our goals for the rest of the cheerleading season.

Extracurricular activities: Community service in support of ALS, Toys for Tots, and many school projects through the Student Government Association.

Do you plan on cheering for College: Yes! At the University of Maryland on the competitive cheer team!

FOR FUN: Fav TV show/Fav movie/Music on iPod: TV: 90210. Movie: The Parent Trap. Music: Black Eyed Peas, Taylor Swift.

 

The Twisters took on quite a fight at Battle at the Capitol Nationals in DC this weekend. With over 460 teams in attendance, every division was quite intense.

But Twisters, once again, had the most consistant and stellar performances of the weekend capturing 7 national titles & the program award!

Here are the results:

Little Winds - 1st out of 16
Fury - 4th out of 15
Eye of the Storm - 1st out of 5
Storm - 3rd out of 21
Wind - 1st out of 10
Hail - 1st out of 3
Cells - 1st out of 3 & Jr division champ
F5 -1st out of 9
Sr division champ & Grand Champion
Reign - 2nd out of 11
Black Ice - 1st out of 6 (at-large Worlds bid)

MD Twisters also earned the coveted "Program Award".

Congratulations to the Twisters on such an amazing weekend. Your All Star Cheer Uniforms Looked Hot!

GK presents Cheer Fashion for the Gym - Super comfortable Cheer apparel that performs at the highest level - and looks hot too! This new Catalog includes:

In Stock Basics - Including Shirts, Camis and Crop Tops, as well as Exciting Bra Tops - You can add Jewels and imprinting to some to make a Custom Bra. Also find Cheer Briefs - brief style and Boy shorts - in lots of colors.

Special Order - Your Team. Your Look. Your Way.  -- Custom Tops and shorts just waiting to be made in your colors - over 120 fabric options! -- with your name. 22 Different Shirt designs. And you design them your way - and get them in . . .

21 days from when you place your order - You won't wait half a season for these custom tops.

"GK Uses their many years of experience in the sportswear industry to bring a fresh 'new twist' to Cheerleading! We absolutely love their innovative and fun approach to our team wear!"

-True Hall, Head Coach
Maryland Twisters

Order through Your Gym or Club - GK Cheer Team Coordinates are sold through our GK's nationwide club/dealer network. If your gym is not set up, ask your coach to contact GK!
 
Shop GK Cheer Team Coordinates Now!