Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellisa Rhoades.
Hi Ellisa, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I was very first introduced to the idea of cheerleading when I was five years old. I cheered for the local pee wee cheerleading team for a few years in Guthrie, Oklahoma, where I was born and raised for the first part of my life. When I was eleven years old, my mother took me to a gym in Edmond, Oklahoma called Twist & Shout. The visit changed my entire perception of the sport and gave it a completely different meaning.
The day that I visited, I was able to sit at the front of the mat and watch the Senior Level 5 team practice. My younger self was in awe of the amazingly talented athletes I got to watch practice and perform that day. I asked my mom to sign me up that day, immediately! I made up my mind at that very moment that I was going to put in the work necessary to be on that team and be just like those athletes one day.
With that being said, my parents got me signed up and I joined the Youth Level 2 team. While I had the necessary tumbling to be on the team, it was in no way executed in the way that it should have been. The team I was on had girls that were in the gym and properly taught the skills they were performing, on the other hand, taught myself in the backyard and had no proper technique whatsoever. I had a lot of work to do, to get caught up to the level of my teammates.
Pee-wee cheerleading and competitive cheerleading are two totally different things, from beginning to end. I had work to do! I made sure I never missed a tumbling class, and that I was always on time for my one-on-one sessions. I know my commitment and dedication were going to be key to the journey I had set out for myself. The next season I earned my way onto the Senior Level 3 team!
I was so humbled by my progress, that I decided to join another tumbling class and dedicated even more time to the gym. I made a goal for myself at the start of this season that I was going to get the skills necessary to be on the Junior Level 5 team the following year. While this was such a far-fetched goal, I made it happen! I fell more in love with the sport every time I walked into the gym. Being surrounded by so many exceptional athletes pushed me, and prevented me from getting complacent.
The very next year, I finally made my dream team, the Senior Level 5 team, Twist & Shout Obsession. Making that team meant everything to me, I was so happy and humbled I could barely contain myself. That showed me that if I truly go all in and put 100% effort into everything that I do, it would pay off in the end. I double-teamed for the J5 team for two years, which meant more time in the gym and double the practices for me but I did not mind at all. I loved it! As I knew it would only make me better in the end.
To add to the hefty schedule, I cheered for my high school cheer team and also ran track. While I was able to maintain, it was super hard for me to sustain my grades so I decided to no longer do track after my freshman year of school. We won state, so I was thankful to go out with the best ending possible! I spent five amazing seasons on Obsession, and had the honor of being a part of the very first World Championship Title for the program and also the second World Championship Title.
I graduated from Highschool in 2014 and went on to cheer at Oklahoma State University. I transferred at the end of the season and went to the University of Oklahoma. At the end of the season, I made the rough decision of transferring again. This time I moved twelve hours away from home and transferred to the University of Louisville. The most perfect place for me! I had the pleasure of being a part of one of the iconic Louisville All-Girl and Gym-Tyme Golden Girls.
In my time there I won three collegiate National Titles with Louisville, and another World Championship Title with Golden Girls, in the International Level 6 division. In addition, I was able to represent the country on Team USA for two consecutive years during my time in Louisville. I graduated from UofL in 2018 with a B.S. in Psychology, with the initial plan to go to medical school to be an anesthesiologist. That was my dream for as long as I can remember, and for some reason after I graduated, I felt like that was no longer the path I wanted to take.
I stayed in Kentucky for a few years, training athletes and coaching teams. At that time, I found that being in the gym and involved with cheerleading was where I was the happiest and thrived the most. With that, came the idea to open a cheer gym. I didn’t know how or when, but I knew that was the goal. I started doing a lot of research and looking at demographics. My top three included: Houston, Arizona, and Atlanta. While all three were amazing choices, there was something about Houston that attracted me more than the others. It’s huge, and I felt like there could be a lot of potentials here.
I continued to do research and made the decision to move to Houston in 2020. When I moved, I had no place to work and no place to live at the time. However, what I did have was a business plan and God on my side. I set up an interview with a gym on the move down, and upon my arrival moved into the closest apartment to that establishment with the hopes that I would get the job the following week. By the grace of God I did get the job, and then the same week the world shut down due to covid.
In the two months of the shutdown, I worked day and night and prayed as much as I could for guidance and wisdom. I don’t have any family that has owned a business, so I didn’t have anyone to really show me the way. I just had to figure it out by reading books, watching videos, and reading millions of articles. — and just pray that I was doing everything correctly. Once I had everything in place, I set out on my journey to find a facility. Which, I was told no 8 times before I was told yes twice.
Although, I do understand that my young age and being pregnant at the time played a huge role in those decisions. I found an owner with a facility where construction was already complete, however, after signing the contract and paying the deposit I realized that the facility was not big enough for what would be a full spring floor. This was my first real major mistake as a business owner, always take measurements BEFORE you sign a contract!
Luckily, the owner understood the situation, breached the contract, and returned the deposit. (Nobody but GOD!) This was a super discouraging moment, as I had finally found someone that was going to take a chance on me, and I feared that I wouldn’t be able to find someone else. With a lot of prayers, I found myself in an even better situation. When one door closes, God opens another. A real-life testimony!
I was able to find land, where no construction had been started yet and get in on being a part of the whole creation of the gym. Brick by brick, room by room, I got to draw out my very first gym. While this is the opportunity of a lifetime, it came with so much. I quit my previous job in May of 2021, before giving birth to my son on May 6th. While the anticipated day of completion of construction was July 1st, it ended up taking an additional six months.
During this time, I had a newborn baby and no income. With no business loan, start-up capital, no job, and still trying to recover from covid, I struggled terribly during the eight months of waiting for the gym to open. On January 5th, 2022, the gym opened for business officially! We have now been in business for almost fifteen months, and pray that God blesses us to be in business for another fifteen. The first year was super hard, but also super rewarding. I was able to form a competitive all-star team, and they have had an amazing season thus far.
Our classes are picking up, and things are starting to move in the right direction. While it has been the hardest journey, working hard to sustain the business in a competitive market while also raising my son, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. While it feels quite literally impossible at times, God walks with me each and every day. He guides me and supplies me with the wisdom and strength that’s necessary for my soul and mission. I give all the credit to the highest up because I know that I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him.
No matter what the outcome of the journey may be, I am just simply thankful for the opportunity. I am thankful that I get to wake up every day and fulfill God’s purpose for my life. As I feel like this is the calling that He has placed on my life. To love, guide, and mentor the youth in the sport we cherish the same. There have been so many that have played such a huge role in my getting to where I am today. I am most thankful for their love and support throughout this journey. Likewise, I couldn’t continue pressing forward without all of their encouraging words.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has been everything but a smooth road, many of the struggles were the result of licensing and permits. However, the biggest obstacle was/still is having no income for that eight months and also not being able to get a business loan due to “not being in business for two years.” — In which, I personally took as you’re a 24-year-old black woman and pregnant? We don’t trust you.
Also becoming a business owner and a new mother at the exact same time was a challenge, and still is one for me.
Lastly, the graphics side of the business was hard! I wish I would have gotten my degree in graphic design. I had to teach myself how to make the website, the flyers for social media, and also how to make items so that we could sell garments in our pro shop!
As you know, we’re big fans of Topic of Discussion Sports. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Topic of Discussion Sports Training focuses on the success and progression of athletes in the sport of cheerleading. Our services focus on all aspects of both cheerleading and tumbling, offering a variety of different training sessions to help your athlete progress. Our goal is to help each athlete that chooses to call our facility home reach their highest athletic potential, regardless of athletic development, limitation, age, gender, or natural ability.
Topic of Discussion is dedicated to creating an unmatched positive atmosphere that will leave an everlasting impact on each and every athlete that enters our facility. We are known for our energy and the positive environment that we create for our athletes to train. Our goal is to make sure that our athletes are properly executing and safely progressing in their skills, but most importantly that they’re having fun while they’re doing it.
It is super important to us that our athletes feel like they have a place of belonging. That they feel genuinely loved and supported in their craft, but also beyond the sport. As a brand, I am proudest of our leadership and the way that we carry ourselves as a program.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
The Bible app keeps me on my feet!
Pricing:
- $75 Class Monthly Tuition
Contact Info:
- Website: topicofdiscussionsports.com
- Instagram: @topicofdiscussionsports
- Facebook: @topicofdiscussionsports
