Welcome back to Off the Mat!

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00:00 Welcome Back and Four Things You Need to Know
00:52 Your Attitude Going Into Practice Matters
04:13 Coaches Have Favorites and Why That's Okay
06:33 Attendance Matters More Than You Think
08:40 The Disrespect of Last-Minute Absences
11:46 Your Choreography Spot is Not Your Final Spot
12:34 How Routines Change Throughout the Season
14:37 Stay Ready and Keep Working on Your Skills
16:08 Body Positions and Flexibility: Start Now
20:31 Bases and Backspots Are Just as Important
23:33 The Transition from Flyer to Base
28:15 Final Thoughts: Relax and Enjoy the Season

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Woodlands Elite has officially arrived in San Antonio. In this episode, we sit down with the team behind the new location to talk about how it all came together, the vision behind the gym, and what the future looks like as they build the next chapter of Woodlands Elite. 

00:00 - Introductions and how it started

03:44 - Why Woodlands Elite?

04:26 - Why San Antonio?

05:50 - Challenges of Opening a gym

08:17 - Do you feel the pressure?

11:02 - How many Teams?

13:10 - Ownership Pressure

15:03 - The coaches’ stories

26:26 - What Does Success Look like for the Year?

30:18 - What Makes You Stand Out as a Coach?

34:44 - What Experience Do We Want For Everyone?

36:54 - Why Should An Athlete Choose WESA?

42:05 - What are You Most Proud of?

49:48 - What Do You Want to be Remembered For?

In this episode of Off the Mat, I sit down with Ryan Chance to talk about his journey from coach to director and what it really takes to make it in the DFW cheer scene. We dive into how competitive this market is, the pressure that comes with it, and what separates great coaches from the rest.

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00:00 - Where he got his start07:08 - Full Time Coaching09:00 - how to grow to be a D1 director11:07 - Coaching in Australia 15:34 - the return to Dallas and managing a staff 21:53 - Advice for Young Coaches24:52 - Working at Champion Cheer - Justin28:36 - what separates good from great athletes?30:43 - Justin location path to success 34:25 - Impacting Athletes when they Graduate 35:33 - Athletes Switching Gyms38:26 - what keeps you coaching?40:01 - Q&A - Flex Division Removal41:51 - Q&A - Does Tumbling Matter for team placement?42:56 - Q&A - How to Navigate Unapproachable Coaches 44:32 - Q&A - Advice for New Gym Owner46:44 - What are you most proud of?48:05 - what do you want to be remembered for?

In this episode of Off The Mat, I share four hard truths every cheer parent should understand if they want to truly support their athlete.

We talk about why kids aren’t always being held back — sometimes they’re being protected, why body positions still matter more than tumbling, why discipline and family support matter when athletes move up levels, and how parent expectations can shape a child’s experience in the sport.

This isn’t criticism — it’s an honest perspective from the coaching side about how parents can help their kids succeed, grow, and enjoy the journey.

00:00 - 4 Things Parents need to Hear00:35 - #1: Don’t Ruin the Sport01:51 - The car ride home02:47 - #2: Your athlete isn’t being held back, they are are being protected.04:27 - Proper Athlete Development05:36 - #3: Body Positions are the MOST Important key to flying on a team06:40 - #4: Athletes aren’t complete on Skills Alone09:41 - How to Have a Happy Athlete

00:00 - NCA Just Around The Corner 00:58 - Cheersport Recap01:46 - Coaching More than the Skills03:34 - Camera Equipment04:06 - Is Game Day cheer still “Real?”04:55 - How to Prepare for your FIRST NCA Ever!!06:27 - Back Handspring Tips08:06 - Where will Raul be next weekend?08:29 - Becoming a Summit Champ09:59 - Tips for Fulls10:52 - How to Help an athlete Be More Confident13:31 - Favorite Division to Watch?14:41 - Any Secret to Stunting?16:17 - Our Dance is Struggling, what Do we do??18:13 - Pro Cheer League19:05 - NCA being in Houston21:05 - How to Bring Cheer to a Country where it isn’t.22:20 - Flyer Performance and Confidence24:20 - Switching from Flyer to Base

ACA Nationals wasn’t just about placements — it showed us momentum, execution, and who’s starting to peak. In this episode of Off The Mat, we break down pyramid difficulty, paid bids, standout teams, Golden Girls winning Grand Champion, Renegades’ big weekend and Best Tumbling, and what we’re watching as Houston competes next.

00:00 - Mustang weekend  recap

02:23 - Notable teams:

02:43 - All Star Revolution courage 

05:41 - Rock City Shockwave

08:39 - All Star Revolution Victory 

11:25 - Cheer Athletics Cheetahs

15:16 - Edmond Memorial High School

19:20 - Scoring Discrepancies 

In this episode of Off the Mat, Adrianna and I talk about how the Dallas winter freeze impacted High School Nationals. We also get into the bigger conversations happening in cheer right now, including the Pro Tour League, MAJORS, and the difference between a good attitude and a bad as an athlete. 

00:00 - High School Nationals in a Snow Storm??

3:41 - Prestonwood’s BIG WIN

6:38 - the majors recap

10:21 - pro cheer league debut

15:35 - ACA and NO practice?!?

17:11 - just because you don’t have a bad attitude, doesn’t mean you have a good attitude. 

In this episode, John Davenport opens up about what it really takes to win at the highest level. We talk about success, expectations, pressure, and why stepping away can sometimes be the hardest decision a coach makes.FollowInstagram: CoachRaulD33Snap:RaulD33TikTok: RaulD33Subscribe00:00 - Meet John3:29 - Athlete to Coach 6:29 - Climbing the Coaching Ladder7:37 - Coaching Mentorship16:16 - Becoming the Youngest Director18:30 - Creating Culture22:16 - The Pressure of Coaching Panthers26:45 - WHO Makes Panthers?!30:39 - Work/Life Balance32:32 - Leaving Coaching35:30 - a Gift for Choreography37:02 - Will He Return?41:26 - What are you Most Proud of?43:15 - How do You Want to be Remembered?

The break brings quiet gyms, heavy questions, and honest conversations. Adrianna and I sit down for a coach-to-coach Q&A on burnout, gym culture, and why some coaches choose to leave and what keeps others locked in for the long run

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TikTok: @RaulD33

00:00 - Intro and Being on the Break

03:01 - What Can Athletes Work on Over the Break?

04:23 - Most Impressive Teams this Season

07:00 - Mac’s Scoring 100

10:20 - TGLC’s Avengers Theme

12:47 - Most Common Skill People Struggle With

14:17 - Are Non-Tumblers Less Useful

15:23 - Should Flyers Tumble?

17:13 - Going from Flyer to Base

18:28 - Prioritizing In-Program Athletes

20:17 - Is it Easier to Get a Bid?

23:02 - Why do Coaches Leave?

28:18 - Mustang Houston

30:02 - Coach Training at Mustang Cheer

33:31 - Advice for Switching Gyms

34:52 - Struggling with a Mental Block

36:41 - Putting Athletes Back in After Injury

38:22 - Outro