Ground Floor: Cheer Iowa Athletics offers cheerleading classes, clinics

NORTH LIBERTY — To many people, cheerleading is a school-sponsored activity performed at sporting events to motivate players and fans and promote school spirit.

To Marcus Walker, it's a serious competitive sport.

'Your body needs to be conditioned,' Walker said. 'You mind needs to be conditioned. You need to be 100 percent in.'

Walker grew up in the South — Shreveport, La. — where cheerleading is taken just as seriously as football. With his new business, Cheer Iowa Athletics, Walker hopes to bring the southern cheerleading tradition to Iowa.

Cheer Iowa Athletics offers cheerleading classes, clinics, and camps for ages 5 to 18, custom choreography, and competitive cheer teams at all levels. The business operates out of a gym in North Liberty.

Walker started in gymnastics at the age of eight and transitioned to cheerleading. In high school, he was offered the opportunity to coach at a National Cheerleading Association summer camp.

He has been teaching cheerleading ever since.

'Cheerleading is my first job and my only job,' Walker said. 'It's all I've done.'

Walker went on to coach cheerleading at Duke University and the University of North Carolina. The programs held top national rankings, and Walker was recognized as one of the top 100 cheer coaches in America by American Cheerleader magazine.

Walker opened his first business, Cheer Carolina All-Stars, 18 years ago in Hillsborough, N.C. He remains involved in that business.

Two years ago, Walker moved to Iowa to become assistant coach of the University of Iowa coed cheerleading squad. That year, the team achieved its first top 10 finish at the Universal Cheerleaders Association College Nationals.

While coaching the Hawkeyes, Walker met Alex Andre, who was a senior captain on the squad. When Walker decided to open a competitive cheer program in Iowa, he asked if Andre would join him.

'None of this would have happened without him,' Walker said of his business partner. 'He's an excellent coach with a lot of patience.'

In Cheer Iowa Athletics' first competitive season, two of its teams received bids to the U.S. Finals, which will be held in Chicago on April 11-12. One of those teams received a paid bid, which Walker said is reserved for the top teams in the country.

'Teams receiving paid bids are considered the elite of the elite,' he said. 'It's a huge accomplishment, and I am extremely proud of our kids.'

Cheer Iowa Athletics will be adding a second location in the Des Moines area for the 2015-2016 competitive cheer season.

At a Glance

• Owners: Marcus Walker and Alex Andre
• Business: Cheer Iowa Athletics
• Address: 1310 Kennel Ct., Units A & B‚ North Liberty
• Phone: (319) 640-6351
• Website:

  www.cheeriowaathletics.com

Know a company or manager who has been in business for less than a year that would be ideal for 'Ground Floor'? Contact George Ford at george.ford@thegazette.com