2019 Small Gym September

Three Cheers For LA Cheerz!

Three Cheers For LA Cheerz!

Lousiana Small Gym, LA Cheerz was started in December of 1999 and is now in their 21st season.

Sep 5, 2019 by Leanza Pieroni
Three Cheers For LA Cheerz!

Every All Star gym is started on a dream, faith, sacrifices and a solid team of parents, staff and athletes.

LA Cheerz was started in December of 1999 and is now in their 21st season. Their program, like many, went through many challenging years to become a thriving community where athletes can grow to their fullest potential.

La Cheerz Owner, Angie Schexnailder, was a cheerleader in college in the late 80’s early 90’s. After she finished college, she became a teacher and continued on in cheer as a coach while doing choreography for local schools. 

“I realized cheerleading is not a sport that can continue into adulthood but my passion for mainly the positive upbeat people and fun for the sport couldn’t be muffled just because I was an adult."

With a little research, Schexnailder found an All Star gym in New Orleans, Louisiana called Premier cheer, run by Jeaninne Sentilles, who is now the owner of Mardi Gras Spirit Events. “It was her guidance, helpfulness, motivation that was the driving force in opening my gym,” Schexnailder added.  

Schexnailder took the leap and rented a building in Lafayette, Louisianna to open up her gym. She taught as a teacher until 3 PM each day before starting practice at 4 PM, where she taught all the classes by herself.

“I hired 4 girls that I had coached and told them I needed their help but couldn’t pay them for the first month,” Schexnailder explained. “We were a great team and a few years later, once we were stable, I repaid them by taking them on a cruise for their month of work and their loyalty to me and the program.”


La Cheerz is now a thriving All Star program made up of 10 talented teams.

Schexnailder believes the standards exemplified by her program as a whole, sets them apart from others in the industry. “Win, lose, or draw, we are all a team and in it together. Parents helping parents, staff, and athletes all working together for 1 common goal,” she explained. “The sea of red shirts that line up in front of the stage to watch each team take the floor. The energy the fans give to our athletes during a performance is like no other.”

In 2013, LA Cheerz brought two teams to compete at NCA All-Star Nationals for the first time. At this time, there was no split for D1 and D2 programs. To their surprise, their Youth Level 3 team claimed first place. 

“I think this is when we realized the quality of athletes LA Cheerz was producing,” Schexnailder shared.

2014 was a Cinderella story for LA Cheerz. The gym took four teams to NCA All-Star and all four teams took home championship titles. The small gym has been a strong competitor in Dallas every year since.

What can you expect from LA Cheerz in 2020?  

  • LA Cheerz Scarlet will continue to be a strong force in Youth 3
  • Brand New Team: Eclips3 is set to take on Senior Medium 3 
  • New Team In Dallas: Frost will compete Junior 2 at NCA All-Star