Hold onto your pom-poms, folks—what a wild ride it has been! One of our most thrilling enhancements this year is the installation of not one, but two spring floors! This upgrade is more than just a new surface; it’s a game-changer for how our athletes approach their training.

A Unique Opportunity

Back in May, we heard the news that a cheer gym in the Northland was closing its doors. While it was a bummer to see another gym go, it opened the door for us to secure one full spring floor and one partial spring floor, both in great condition. But let me tell you, moving a spring floor is no small feat—ever tried to move two? We certainly didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into!

First, we had to secure the funds for this amazing opportunity. Since we hadn’t been open long enough to have a hefty cash reserve, we faced quite the challenge. Just to give you some perspective, a brand-new spring floor can run $25,000 on the low end! At that time, we were still operating as a 100% 501(c)(3) non-profit, making traditional lending options almost non-existent. After chatting with various lenders and weighing all our options, we decided to personally finance the floors and create an LLC to protect our personal investments. Because why not add some complexity to the adventure, right?

With our new space, we could only fit one of the spring floors in Units 31 and 32, leaving the other to sit in storage (cue the sad trombone). We're holding out hope that one day, we can get that second floor into our space too!

The Move
Now came the fun part: moving day! Timing was a little less than ideal because we had to have the floors out of the previous building before, we could move them into ours. After watching several YouTube videos to prepare for what lay ahead, we reached out to everyone we knew for help, and you know what that means—crickets! Asking for help moving is like a secret invitation for everyone to suddenly become unavailable.

Thankfully, we had an incredible support team: my brother and his girlfriend, some amazing former cheer parents/siblings (shout out to Tom, Noah, and Jack Jack), and Coach Lillee and JuJu, (Haile’s best friends). Morgan, Taelor, and I also rolled up our sleeves with two 40' U-Hauls and made two trips from the Northland to storage. And let’s not forget, we ended up purchasing two additional storage units! I swear we measured right. After a ton of blood, sweat, and pizza, nearly eight hours later, we were the proud owners of two spring floors resting in storage, ready for action.

Fast forward a few weeks, and we were beyond excited to finally take on Units 31 and 32 and move one of the floors in so our athletes could get to work. I contacted multiple moving companies, but with the added expense and our commitment to keeping prices low, we just couldn’t justify the cost. Enter Morgan and his best friend Daniel, who stepped in and moved the entire floor into our space like pros! Just like that, one storage unit was cleared out.

Putting It Together

Now came the real fun—putting the floor together! Morgan and I spent 12 hours that Saturday (after he had moved the floor) figuring out the perfect layout, setting all the spring panels, and screwing everything together. I mean, so many screws! But as with any DIY project, there were some hiccups along the way. Remember when I said we bought a full floor and a partial floor? Well, we thought the mats for the partial floor were just what we needed, but surprise! We discovered this little snag at about 10 PM Saturday night after returning the U-Haul. Guess who didn’t have a truck? (Spoiler alert: now we do!)

Saturday ended with us having to rent yet another U-Haul on Sunday morning. We took the mats from the gym back to storage and retrieved the correct mats for the floor. Miraculously, we finished everything just in time for open gym around 4 PM.

While the whole process was crazier than we ever imagined, we absolutely love being able to offer this incredible training environment to our athletes.

Benefits of the Spring Floor
The spring floor is designed to provide optimal support and bounce, making it perfect for both tumbling and cheerleading routines. This addition allows athletes to perform more advanced skills with increased safety and confidence. The extra cushion significantly reduces the impact on joints, which is crucial for young athletes who are still developing their bodies. As a result, we’ve noticed that our athletes can practice longer and more intensely without feeling fatigued.

Impact on Training Sessions
Since the installation of the spring floor, coaches have reported that athletes are attempting more challenging tumbling passes and stunts. The added bounce gives them the push they need to land their skills more effectively, leading to quicker progression in their training. Whether working on layouts, twisting, or even flips, the spring floor has become a favored training area, enhancing both performance and safety.

Future Plans
As we continue to see the benefits of this upgrade, we are looking at additional training tools that complement the spring floor, such as specialized tumbling tracks and extra mats to enhance training even further. Our goal is to create a state-of-the-art training environment where athletes can reach new heights in their skills.