Award-Winning Cheerleaders Share Tips With Area Cheerleaders In New Lenox

NEW LENOX, ILLINOIS – August 2, 2012 – Aspiring cheerleaders joined Dreamz Elite Allstars today to learn more about competitive youth cheerleading and some tricks-of-the-trade from two nationally-ranked all star gymnasts.

Cheer sensations Gabi Butler and Julian Samuels, two of the nation’s most accomplished cheerleaders, led an interactive tumbling, stretching and stunting skills training session for more than 40 area children.

Butler, known for her flexibility, and Samuels, revered for his complex tumbling skills, encouraged participants to continue to practice and enjoy the competitive sport. Butler and Samuels discussed how they began cheerleading, their attendance at the All-Star Cheerleading World Championships and their current role as industry ambassadors.

"We’re thrilled to have these inspirational leaders share their stories with our teams and community," beams a proud Kimberly Scherp, a former Chicago Bulls Luvabull cheerleader and co-owner of Dreamz Elite Allstars. "All star cheerleading is a fun and rewarding sport that gives athletes the confidence and life skills needed to succeed."

During the 90-minute skills training session, participants took turns practicing stunts, tumbling techniques and stretching. Following the program, both gymnasts signed autographs and posed for pictures.

Designed for children between the ages of five and 18, all-star cheerleading developed in the late 1980s as a competitive style of cheerleading. Today, there are an estimated 450,000 all-star cheerleaders in the United States.