(BATON ROUGE, La.) — Sitting proudly off Tiger Bend Road in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is Louisiana Cheer Force, where competitive cheerleaders of all ages from all areas come to train and compete. With 24 years in business, owner and founder Rachael Pearson took her passion for cheerleading and turned it into one of Louisiana’s most successful cheer gyms.
The Click sat down with Pearson to hear the story behind her success and to get insight into what cheerleading can do for athletes.
“I grew up in cheerleading,” Pearson said. “I tried out at the end of my second grade year at elementary school, so I did cheerleading in third grade all the way through high school, college, cheered at LSU, and I started coaching.” Pearson started coaching right after she completed high school, and now at 46 years old, she continues to coach for her own competitive cheer gym– Louisiana Cheer Force.
If there is one thing Pearson loves most about running her own competitive cheer gym, it’s that it doesn’t feel like a job. “It is a passion of mine, so coming to work every day is not what most people would say is coming to work for them,” she shared in the interview.
Pictured: Team Twilight 2024 Summit Cheer Championship [Credit: Varsity TV]
“I read an article one time that someone wrote, and it said hire a competitive cheerleader or former competitive cheerleader because they have the best work ethic out of the general public,” Pearson said. “It’s true. These kids are driven. They learn how to set goals, achieve those goals, and work together as a team. All the things you would want from an employee is what these kids are learning throughout their years of cheer even though they don’t really know that’s what they’re learning.”
While competition fills the sport, the athletes there are passionate about what they are doing. Pearson leaves us with, “It’s so much more than just the sport.”
Louisiana Cheer Force is located at 14050 Tiger Bend Rd., Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Click here to visit their website for more information about how you can get involved in competitive cheer.
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