Today we’d like to introduce you to Brenttney Davis.
Brenttney, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Oh my! Where do I start!? I started cheerleading at the age of six. I remember like it was yesterday. I was attending A.G. Hillard Elementary School in the heart of Settegast, TX. I remember being in Mrs. Perkins (elementary cheer coach) class practicing to “Play That Funky Music” for the MLK Parade. A few years later, I joined one of the most respected middle school cheerleading teams in all of North Forest School District. At this point, I was hungry for more than just the “Go team, Go!” skills. I wanted to compete, I wanted to tumble and learn elite stunts like the girls on ESPN.
There was absolutely no way I was going to learn these skills at school. Luckily, my mom found a competitive cheer gym on the east side of Houston. This gym changed my life! I met kids outside of my ethnicity who were just as hungry as I, coaches who encouraged us to push past our mental limits and an opportunity to obtain advanced skills. After my introduction to competitive cheerleading. I no longer had interest in school cheer. As I moved into this phase of my life, I was offered my first coaching position at the gym I was currently cheering for. I immediately took the job offer. The thought of being good enough to coach kids my age or a little younger than myself at the time was a token moment in my life at the age of 15.
After high school, I started cheering for Stephen F. Austin State University and quickly, my cheerleading career came to an end due a knee injury. Upon my devastating return to Houston, I started coaching at a gym in Baytown, where I met an amazing group of coaches who quickly became great friends. I learned so many things from this group of individuals, including the gym owner. I was able to work closely with her, which gave me the ins and outs of owning a cheer gym. By the age of 19, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. It was all laid out for me. I knew what it took to be a great athlete and I had some knowledge of how to run a cheer gym. I quickly put my thoughts on paper. After letting my daughter join cheer, I quickly realized I was missing a piece to my puzzle: being a customer! I then had all my ducks in a roll and was ready to roll out my plan.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely NOT! I struggled with finding coaches before finding the amazing team I have now. I struggled with finding a location where I could build a great clientele, in an area that’s not familiar with the sport of competitive cheerleading and tumbling. Every location I had in mind turned me down left and right. I was defeated and nearly gave up. I went to church one Sunday and the pastor preached about taking life to the NEXT LEVEL. Light bulb moment. Two weeks later, I walked into a community center in Greenspoint and met my YES. I had no idea what I was walking into and was sure to be turned around like the others, but God made this connection. The owner of the facility I wanted to sublease was also a member of my church.
What I also encountered was finding athletes and parents who could afford the sport. Finding parents in the area I was marketing was so hard. I literally walked Greenspoint, Humble and Spring neighborhoods door to door with flyers in one hand and a signup sheet in the other. When open enrollment came around, I had 20 athletes to show up. None of them had any competitive cheer experience and most of the parents thought that it would be a little league type of cheerleading program or a parade team. I soon changed their perspective of what Next Level Cheer Company was about.
Next Level Cheer Company – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Next Level Cheer Company is a family-oriented competitive cheerleading team. We specialize in creating amazing athletes with little or no experience in cheerleading. With my team of coaches, we’ve made it extremely easy for kids to join our teams and not feel the need to be better than the next kid to grasp a spot on our teams. Everyone is welcome if they’re willing to put in the work. Most cheer gyms hold tryouts for the teams, which is great for them, but it doesn’t give the kids on the outside looking in a chance to be great athletes. NLC is a safe haven, it’s our home away from home. So, I always strive to keep the vibe in the gym positive. We are also very strict when it comes to education. Yes, I know we’re not affiliated with schools, but education comes first! We make sure our girls maintain the proper grades to be on our team. We have homework stations for athletes needing to complete homework before practice or if they need help with work. One of our coaches will be available to help. We also teach our girls the importance of giving back. Each summer, we take our senior team to a local girl’s home where they teach the girls a cheer and dance. Something to make them smile and take their minds off their current situations.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Ahh, the proudest moment for me is walking into a competition and seeing the stands filled with purple pride! Seeing the athletes and the parents gather up to cheer on something I created is mind-blowing. Every competition is an emotional roller coaster for me. I’m a huge crybaby when it comes to my athletes! I’ve not only created an amazing group of powerhouse athletes, but I’ve brought people together that may not have ever crossed paths if it wasn’t for Cheerleading. It’s such an out of body experience for me! The greats feeling in the world!
Pricing:
- All ages Competitive Cheer – $100 monthly (Covers Cheer & Tumbling Training)
- Tumbling Training Only – $75
Contact Info:
- Address: 2423 Greens Rd, Unit 10B &11B
Houston, TX 77032 - Website: Nlcheer.com
- Phone: 8327778687
- Email: nlcheer@outlook.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nlc_coachb
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nextlevelcheeeco/
Image Credit:
Charlotte Davis
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