05/18/2021
Warning ........
Long post but from the heart💙🖤💙....
We are Kim and Jeff Fleming, owners of TKO Cheer. First of all, let us say what a great time we had at the D2 Summit in Orlando and it has been an amazing season with the most championships and specialty awards earned in a season.
It has been an amazing journey. We started out as Dawson Tumble and Cheer through the Park and Rec in Dawsonville back in 1997 so that young people would have a place to learn tumbling. We were the first to put on the pink and black tiger striped uniforms and became Tiger Elite All-Stars just a few years later. We started all-star cheer and had to find places to practice. Yes, we used the park and rec, churches, and even a personal gym on a dirt road. We did this so our athletes would have a place to go and learn skills. We have so many fond memories of those start-up days some 20 plus years ago and want to say thank you to all those athletes, coaches, and parents who had confidence in us way back then to start up a cheer business. Tiger Elite All-Stars was successful but after 9 years the opportunity came to merge with a larger gym. Tiger Elite became Trinity Athletics. We are so thankful for that opportunity that Trinity Athletics gave us . During that 1 year-We learned who we were, what we were about, and what we needed to become. Kim and I made the commitment to buy the land and build our own cheer gym and decided that it was time to venture away from the old Tiger Elite to a newer and more bolder brand of cheerleading. In 2008, we became TKO Cheer and had a brand new facility that we build from the ground up that we could call OUR HOME. Well- The rest is history as TKO has blossomed into one of the most competitive small gym programs in the Southeast.
We have had the most incredible athletes come through the doors of our gym who are hard working down to earth individuals who are always more concerned about doing what is best for the team instead of what is best for them. We are proud to say that we can still call each athlete that comes through our doors by their first name. You were never just a number at TKO. TKO has always been about family and where each family was just as important as another family. This is what TKO has always been about. We have been so BLESSED for the last 13 years to serve Dawson, Lumpkin, Hall, Forsyth, Fannin, Gilmer, and White counties. Not only to provide a safe place to learn cheer and tumble but to prepare our athletes for all the obstacles that life throws at them. This place that we call HOME has served thousands of individuals just looking for a place to train. We have always strived to make it the best place to train in North Georgia.
Not only have we had great athletes at TKO but we have been fortunate to have an amazing group of coaches. As we have always said, it is our coaches who have made TKO Cheer so successful. We don’t go around boasting about all the banners and championships that hang in our gym because those are the high expectations that we have. Our incredible list of coaches include COACH Kyle, Ian, Brittney, Kim , Mustapha, Brooke, Summer, Tiffany, Rett, Sean, Tim, Jesse, Erika,and most recently Spencer and JP. We will always love you and will always consider you a part of our family. We cannot thank you enough for the countless hours you have given to TKO and for the success those hours have provided for our gym.
When you have the most incredible athletes and coaching staff, your teams are able to compete with anyone. We have enjoyed the friendly, professional,and competitive atmosphere as we competed head to head with programs like Georgia All-Stars, TAG, Revolution, ROCK athletics, Southern Elite All-Stars, World of Cheer, Atlanta Elite, Douglasville All-stars, Newnan Stars, MGA, Georgia Heat, and so many more. We thank you for making us better.
Kim and I would not be where we are today if it were not for the amazing parents at TKO. We love each and every one of you. We have been so BLESSED that we have avoided all the BIG DRAMA that goes around so many gyms. AS we have said for many years- we are blessed to have so many down to earth hard working families in our gym that simply want the best for their kids. What separates our parents from the rest is that our parents are willing to roll up their sleeves and go to work and fundraise so that theirs kids can participate in all-star cheer. We know that we have the best PARENTS in the entire world and we truly love each of you and thank you for all you have done for us.
After 24 years in the cheer business, our time has come to an end. We regret to say, it is time to officially retire. Time for us to step away from the gym life and enjoy each other and our family. We thank you from the bottom of our heart for everything you have done for us and for all the amazing memories you have provided. We love you and plan to say our personal goodbyes in the next few weeks. TKO will officially close its doors at the end of May.
This is not the way we planned to go out. We had hoped that one of our former coaches or someone else would return to take this program to the next level but all of these things recently fell through. We ask that you continue to keep the faith. These things are happening for a reason. It is time for every TKO athlete to move on to bigger and better things. Now you have the opportunity to showcase your skills. The most important thing we can tell you is to get out there and try-out. We are not leaving or moving away. We will always be here to support YOU and will always believe in you. Thank you for allowing us to be your cheer gym . WE LOVE YOU AND WILL ALWAYS BE HERE TO HELP YOU.
