A Deep Look Into the World of Cheer

A Deep Look Into the World of Cheer 

On the way from Hanover Pennsylvania to New Oxford Pennsylvania, traveling on Carlisle Pike, you'll see a big black, red, and white banner to your left that says "HEC" in big letters right in front of the Pancho's Racing Products building, indicating Hanover Elite Cheer.  Although it does not look like there would be a cheer gym in the back, if you turn into the parking lot of Pancho's Racing Products and drive to the back you'll see the doors of one of the most successful and well known competitive cheerleading gyms in Pennsylvania.  Although five years ago when Chris Topper opened Hanover Elite Cheer's cheer gym, it was nowhere close to being successful or well known.

The HEC gym is the white building in the very back, almost invisible from the front

The main cheer coach and owner of Hanover Elite Cheer, Chris Topper, started coaching at New Oxford high school with his mom and sister because they were very involved with cheer.  Chris decided that being a coach at a high school competitive team wasn't going to cut it because he didn't own it, so he went to school for business and eventually found the perfect place to start his own cheerleading gym. When he first found this place and came in contact with the owner, he knew it would not be big enough to fit a cheerleading floor, so he kept looking around for a more suitable building.  After searching for months and failing to find one, he got the okay from the Pancho's owner to knock down the back wall of the building, and rebuilt it, making it large enough for his cheer spring floor and some extra space.  As school competitive cheer and all star competitive cheer are completely different, he had to teach himself all the rules and regulations of all star teams.  He referred to the school cheer teams as "sideline cheer" and all star cheer as "theatrical, in your face cheer."  The gym he used to coach at practiced in a small wrestling room without a spring floor, making it more difficult for the athletes to grow in their skills.  They also had to adjust how they performed at competitions because all  competitions are on spring floor.  This is another reason he wanted his own gym.  "It took 2 and a half years to figure out all star cheer and how to properly run an all star team," said Chris.  

Hanover Elite Cheer has come very far from when it first opened five years ago.  First of all, "the gym started out with a cheer spring floor and cubbies for the cheerleaders to put their bags and water bottles in, and hardly anything else," said Chris.  Fast forward to now and there is the spring floor, a tumble track (long and skinny trampoline for the cheerleaders to practice their skills on before trying them on the mat), a rod floor which is like the tumble track but has less bounce to it, and a lot more equipment for tumblers to do drills on and perfect their form.  This didn't just happen over night, Chris went to many different events to promote the gym, promoted through marketing, and coming out with many different types of merch like car stickers to get the name of the gym out there.  He also hosts many events like birthday parties and "tumble parties" with colorful lights and catchy music which are open to anyone willing to show up and pay the small fee of $10.  

The first year of HEC, there were only 4 teams and level 2 was the highest level.  Level 2 cheer is a beginners level with simple skills including back handspring, back walkover, and only a combination of two cheerleading jumps in a row, for example 2 toe touches.  Stunting is also kept at a minimum.  For all stunts the flyer, or the cheerleading that is being held in the air by two bases and a back spot, has to be standing on the bases hands with both feet and cannot do libs or heel stretches, which would be only standing on one foot.  One of the most skillful tumbling passes for level two would be back walkover, back handspring, roundoff back handspring.(see video 1)

Chris says that he "dedicates 70 hours of my weeks to be in the gym and continue to put together cheer videos, respond to mail regarded to cheerleading, figure out payments, and further study all star cheer and how to make my gym more successful when I get home."  Five years after doing all of this, he has 120 members of HEC and 9 HEC cheerleading teams to manage which includes a special needs team, mini level 1, junior level 1, mini level 2, junior level 2, junior level 3, senior level 3, senior level 4, junior level 6, and senior level 6.  There are always tears in the crowd after watching the special needs team compete, as it is so beautiful to watch kids that think they are incapable get so excited over their accomplishments and recognition.  "The teams that each athlete is placed on is based on their age and skill level, 1 being the lowest and 6 being the highest level," Chris proclaimed.  For the 2019-2020 cheerleading season, he finally has a Worlds team consisting of athletes the ages 14-21.  A worlds team is a level 6, the highest level of cheer.  He also has a junior level 6 for the athletes that have level 6 skill but have not yet met the age of 14 in order to be on the worlds team. He never saw this happening so soon, as it is such an accomplish for him and the gym.  

The athletes on the Worlds level 6 team are said to "push and work the hardest because they have the most rewarding goal and a lot of faith in each other."  If this team competes at one of the 10 competitions well enough, they can get a bid, which is basically an invitation, to go to the Worlds competition at the ESPN center in Orlando, Florida.  Teams that do not get a bid cannot compete at Worlds.  All other teams only get the chance to get a bid to Summit, which is also a competition at the ESPN center but during a different week and it is a totally different competition.  The Worlds team conditions for about half an hour before every practice, starting with a 10 minute run.  It is not easy being on a Worlds team, as many of these athletes are "dripping in sweat and about to pass out at the end of every practice."  Chris says that "All the athletes here are very fast learners and quickly advance in skills" which is how the Worlds team is possible.  Everyone on this team has a standing back handspring full, which is a back handspring connected to a back flip with a 360 twist in it.  Many of the teammates also have a standing full and a running double, which is a roundoff back handspring full with a 720 degree twist.  The tumbling skills on this team are absolutely insane and the stunting is just as good.  My favorite drill to watch them do is called "rapid fire tumbling"(see video 2).

When the athletes of HEC walk into the gym they are "instantly motivated and ready to put in the work because of the other cheerleaders cheering each other on over the sound of cheer music from the loud speaker."  There are all different colored banners hanging along every wall that HEC teams have won at competitions in the passed five years, 116 in total.  There are also 75 trophies won throughout the years that are placed on top of the short wall above the large Hanover Elite Banner. (shown in figure 2)

(figure 2)

 Chris says his favorite part of working here is "being able to work with kids and being able to help them reach their goals."  This is evident in the way he works and how much effort he puts into making the athletes as good as they can possibly be.  He offers tumbling classes, open gyms, stunting clinics, jump clinics, and privates to help these athletes accomplish more skills and keep the gym exceeding.  Many of the members of HEC came to the gym with little to no tumbling skills, but have improved greatly after working with Chris and the owners of Flippin' Out Tumbling.  Chris has been a great tumbling coach for years and this  year decided to collaborate with Flippin' Out Tumbling to get more help with drills and coaching.  The one owner is actually on the level 6 worlds team now and the other owner aids Chris in coaching it.  There are also many encouraging things around the gym to keep the kids motivated.  First of all, everyone in the gym cheers each other on and claps for everyone.  There is even a bell on the back wall of the gym for the athletes to ring every time they complete a new skill that they have been working on.  There is also a chalkboard in the bathroom and on the front wall of the gym that have different motivational quotes written on them every week.  One of my favorite parts of this gym is the "encouragement table" where anyone can write motivational sayings or compliments to other members and pin them up on the chalk board above the table.  Chris is very strict about positive attitude and effort because that is the only way the kids will give 100%.  Like many athletes here say, "it's the best place to be."