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Meet Our Elite Staff
Coach Tammy
Our Director/ Owner, Tammy James has been coaching all facets of cheer since 1991. She is credited for starting the Penn State Harrisburg University Cheerleading Program, as well as a key-contributor in forming the Stampede cheerleading program. She was the head cheerleading coach at Middletown Area High School and coached/ directed the Middletown Youth Cheer Program for numerous years. She then went on to own and operate her own Competitive Rec and All Star program. Altogether, Tammy’s teams have won over 100 1st place and National titles including numerous U.S. Finals titles, Reach the Beach titles, Cheer and Dance Extreme titles as well as ECA, UCA and NCA titles. Her genuine love for the sport, her proven ability to help athletes succeed and her desire to develop cheerleaders physically and mentally is what has helped her build thousands of successful Elite Cheerleaders.
Coach Alex
Our Tumbling Coach/ Owner, Alex Kimmel has over 20 years of experience in the industry. He started his cheerleading career at CDYCA and then cheered for Central Dauphin high school. He went on to cheer for Cheertyme Allstars, where he placed 7th at the world championship. He continued his career at Top Gun Allstars in Miami, Florida where he was on large coed and an alternate for 005. After aging out, he became a USASF Certified Safety Judge and choreographer for over 100 Allstar gyms around the world! Alex's choreography has lead multiple Allstar teams to world championship titles. He continues to be a leader in the cheerleading industry with over 100 national championships. His passion for the sport is infectious and his dedication to every athlete’s personal development in his gym is apparent in the way he teaches and mentors. Alex’s belief is that perfection before progression is what builds an Elite Allstar Cheer Program.
Coach Emily
Coach Emily has been in the cheerleading and gymnastics industry for 18 years. She was a competitive gymnast with the Gymnastics Center of Hershey for 12 years and cheered for all star, collegiate and recreational teams for a total of 10 years. For the past 5 years, she has dedicated her time to teaching gymnastics, tumbling and cheerleading to athletes of all ages. Coach Emily is an extreme asset to Hershey Elite and brings us the competitive edge and insight of a highly-trained gymnast. Her primary focus is on teaching and enforcing the use of proper technique. Her goal is to ensure that all athletes perform at the high standards set by the judges they will encounter, but most importantly ensuring that all athletes are avoiding injury. Coach Emily wants all of her athletes to realize that competitive cheerleading is so much more than just winning. She hopes that every athlete, win or lose, will walk away from every season feeling more confident, proud and with a sense of overall accomplishment. The lessons they learn here will be something they carry through the rest of their lives and she hopes to be one of the many positive influences that the sport of competitive cheer provides.
Simone Cotton cheered for 18 years her cheer experience includes cheer for Harrisburg East Shore Royals, Swatara Middle School, Central Dauphin East High School and The Lincoln University of PA. There she was selected as All CIAA cheerleader. She has been coaching for CDYCA for 5 years now. She has a bachelors in Political Science with a minor in Spanish & History from Lincoln University of Pennsylvania . She obtained her masters in Public Administration from Shippensburg University. She currently is a Service Coordinator for United Disabilities Services in Lancaster, PA.
Coach Simone
Coach Kristen
Coach Kristen has been coaching Tiny, Mini and Youth cheerleading since 2013 alongside our Director, Tammy. Her favorite part of coaching is seeing an athlete light up when they learn a new skill. The joy and confidence on their face makes all of the hard work worth it. Her goal for this season is to have the girls build strong relationships with their teammates and have fun learning basic skills that will provide a strong foundation for harder ones.
Coach Lizzi
Coach Lizzi has been a cheerleader for the past 10. In addition to personally cheering, she has been coaching cheer for 4 years. She loves encouraging and directing our young athletes to become the best version of themselves, but her favorite part about coaching is the bonds that forms between her and her athletes. "It feels like I've been gifted a bunch of younger siblings!" Her goal for the girls this season is to build their confidence and provide a safe and nurturing environment for them to grow and develop.
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