Proud parent takes helm of Silver Spirit Cheer Club

Most aspiring entrepreneurs don't go into business with the goal of breaking even, but 33-year-old Johnson Lane resident April Eddy said that would be just fine.

"I'm not in it to make money," she said. "If we can keep it going, and make it break even, then I'll be happy."

Eddy recently purchased a majority stake in the Silver Spirit All-Star Competitive Cheer Club. She said she was motivated by both a love for the sport, and her love for her three daughters: Brooke, 8, Jessie, 6, and Kaylee, 10 months.

"My girls love it," Eddy said. "It's a way for them to build self esteem, to perform in front of an audience."

She said ages of participants range from 6 to 18.

"I have three daughters, and the youngest is not even a year old yet, so I have almost 20 more years of this," she said.

Eddy purchased the company from cheer veteran Paige Young, who still retains partial ownership. To maximize cost-effectiveness, Eddy moved the operation from an Airport Road facility to a subleased space half the size in the back of Line Drive U off Johnson Lane.

"The first practice is July 15, and we're ready to be here," Eddy said. "There is an excited nervousness, definitely a bit of entrepreneurship involved, but I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for my girls."

Eddy, who was a cheerleader in high school, said last year's membership was around 50 girls, and she hopes to enlarge that number.

"We do about eight competitions a year, mostly in California and Las Vegas," she said. "There are three parts to competitive cheer: dance, tumbling and stunting. This is not the kind of cheerleading I did in high school. We never did back flips."

"With all the athletic moves, it's a whole other level of cheerleading," added April's husband Brent, a teacher and football/golf coach at Douglas High School. "We want people to know what's available for kids in the community. Kids are always looking for something and maybe this is the perfect fit."

Eddy said the cheer club is open to boys. He said having the batting cages and mini-golf course of Line Drive U in the same building makes for a great family destination.

"The economy has hurt," he said. "This is a pay-to-play sport, but we want parents to realize how important extracurricular activities are to their children."

April Eddy said the Johnson Lane location allows the club to pull kids from both Carson Valley and Carson City.

"As of now, we have about 50 kids that share four squads," she said. "We're hoping to get as many we can throughout the year."

Eddy is also setting up a nonprofit booster club, which will provide scholarships to participants who can't afford tuition.

"It will be a separate entity with sponsors from around the community," she said. "We're also hoping to perform during half-time at a UNR game, and we'd like to do an end-of-the-year performance for the parents."

The new Silver Spirit is located at 2577 Nowlin Drive. Practices are 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Public tumbling classes are noon to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Silver Spirit is also teaming up with Tumbleweeds for a tumbling clinic 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. August 10-13. For more information, call 315-1776 or visit www.silverspiritcheer.com.