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Gym South launches cheerleading program with experienced coach

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@TheCitizenNews.com

Gym South in Fayetteville is looking to get into competitive cheerleading and they believe they have found the right person to lead them, Darryl Lyons.

Lyons, a former cheerleader at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock and head cheerleading coach at Mississippi State University, is the cheerleading program director at Gym South. He is looking to make the Gym South squads as competitive as teams from the north side of Atlanta that are nationally recognized.

One way Lyons hopes to achieve ultimate success with the cheerleader program is by creating feeder programs at the facility. There are blue and white levels for each age group, ranging from 3-5 to 18 and up. Blue squads are able to perform tumbling, while white squads are more novice and learning to perform the tumbling skills necessary to progress to the next level.

Lyons, who has served as a coach at both the high school and collegiate level, has also judged national competitions for both levels including some of the ones seen on ESPN. He knows what judges are looking for and feels confident he can lead his gymnasts to winning titles. Gym South will also be offering camps and clinics for individuals and teams and is also available to provide game material and choreography ideas for high school teams.

Cheerleading’s popularity has risen in recent years and Lyons cites the fact that the sport is now more athletic and challenging as reasons why. He also stated that the increase in colleges providing scholarships for cheerleading was an added incentive for young men and women interested in becoming involved in the sport.