Lanny & Belinda West, Owners

The West are known in the Valley as the cheer experts!  If cheerleading is involved, then the West have something to do with it.  It's a common fact~everyone knows them and their love for the sport of cheerleading.  They are well known all over the East Coast in the cheerleading industry.  This is a family run business and everyone is treated as a family member at Cheer Storm Allstars.

After coaching numerous rec squads, being a part of the first Allstar Cheer program in the Roanoke Valley many, many years ago (Cheer Force) under the direction of Happy Hooper, coaching high school squads and award winning state squads like William Byrd, Belinda felt it was time to take on yet another venture and Cheer Storm was formed.  Cheer Storm Allstars was started due to the need of a quality program in the valley where everyone is treated as equals.  There would be no stars on the squads but instead a team full of stars.  Each child shines in one or two areas of cheerleading but put all of those on a squads together and it sparkles.

After five years at Cheer Storm the West took on another battle.  Belinda was told she had Breast Cancer.   As expected, the cheer community jumped in to help the family during this battle, not only local but from many states.  All of her doctors now know about competitive cheerleading.  That would be the first question they would ask at her office visits "so how is the cheerleading community Mrs. West".  Of course all surgeries, treatments and visits had to be worked around cheerleading and competitions.  They got involved in Battle at Byrd~Cheering 4 a Cure which Lanny is the director.   It was also that same year the coaching staff had spoke about starting a cheer squad for "special needs" athletes.  No stopping the West family.  They took on that challenge also and started the Tornadoe squad.  They are always the hit of the competitions.

Lanny not only knows anything you need to know about cheerleading but he has also coached basketball for 10 years and continues to this day to coach his grandson's team.  You will always see him at the gym on Sunday on the floor with the other coaches, at the football field or on the basketball court.  He is very proud of his daughters as they coach the Cheer Storm squads and enjoys watching the young athletes progress.  Of course he also has a full time job Gene West Painting Company.

Jessica West Sutphin, Coach

Jessica started cheering at the age of 5. She cheered in Middle School for 2 years where she served as dance captain and captain. She also cheered for her High School all 4 years with 3 years on Varsity where she again served as dance captain and captain. Her high school squad won many dance and cheerleading competitions. Jessica was part of the first squad from her high school to ever go to the VHSL State Championships her senior year. She was awarded individually the First Team All-Blue Ridge District Cheerleading Award her Sophomore, Junior, and Senior year. She also won the Leadership Award, Dedication Award, and Most Valuable Cheerleader Award during her years in high school. She won the UCA Cheerleader award and was offered a job teaching UCA Summer Camps. Jessica was invited 4 years in a row to cheer at half time @ the Pro Bowl and in Macy's Day Parade. Along with cheering in high school she also competed for 3 years on the first ever co-ed all star program in the Roanoke area where she also served as captain for 2 years. She was coached by the legendary Happy Hooper who is nationally known and recognized in the cheerleading industry! Aside from cheerleading, she also competed on several competitive dance ensemble teams for over 10 years winning countless gold medals. She has coached cheerleading for 10 years. She coached the All-Star squads at BGA Jags before Cheer Storm began. Her squads at Cheer Storm have been very successful winning against other top programs in the country! She also coached William Byrd High School for 3 years where her squad won many District, Regional, and State titles. She coached the squad that still holds the highest record out of all A, AA, and AAA schools with a nearly perfect score of 296.5 out of 300! She is Safety Certified through the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA). Jessica holds a degree in Social Science and Administration of Justice both in the Honors and Deans List level. She is married and has two kids- a son, Jaylen and a daughter, Jasia. She currently works for the Roanoke City Court- Criminal Division and would eventually like to work in a field dealing the troubled youth in our area helping them get on a straight path and assist in leading them to a successful future.

Monica West, Coach and Choreographer

Monica is considered "a horse of a different color". In fact, in the world of cheerleading, she's a pretty big deal! Following in her big sister Jessica's footsteps she began cheering at the age of 3 as the mascot of her sister's squad. She cheered for rec while also competing on many dance ensemble teams which won one gold medal after another. She cheered 2 years in Middle School where she led the squad as Captain. Monica cheered Varsity all 4 years in high school surpassing the JV squad all together. In high school she was Dance Captain of Varsity her Sophomore year and Captain her Junior and Senior years. As captain, she led her squad to 2 VHSL State Championships! She was named Second Team All District her Sophomore year and First Team All District her Junior and Senior years. Monica was also awarded the Most Valuable Cheerleader Award her Junior and Senior years. Aside from competing on dance teams and her high school teams, Monica also cheered for the local all star program under Happy Hooper before he moved away. Her talent at age 11 put her straight on the senior team with the high school kids. She was invited 6 years in a row to cheer during half time at the Pro Bowl and in the Macy's Day Parade. After high school she worked for 2 years during the Summer as a Staff/Camp instructor for Spirit Xpress teaching high school and all-star programs along the East Coast. She lived in Atlanta for a short while where she coached for Georgia All-Stars. She moved back home when her family decided to open Cheer Storm All-Stars. Monica's squads at Cheer Storm have been more than successful. She also coaches high school cheerleading at William Byrd. Her squad as won 3 out of 4 state titles under Monica's coaching. She is jokingly called "Lord of the Rings" as she has the most state championship rings out of anybody in the state of VA with 5 total rings! She's been named District Coach of the Year 2008 & 2009 as well as Regional Coach of the Year 2008 & 2009. Monica is the most talented choreographer in the Roanoke area by far! She choreographs all of WBHS's routines which again holds the state record to this day. She is the choreographer of all squads for Cheer Storm so we're very lucky to have our personal choreographer at all practices to make creative changes quickly needed at hand. She also does private choreography for other high school and all-star programs. She has worked with over 15 different high schools. Her award winning choreography has been recognized locally, state wide, and nationally. Monica is safety certified through the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA). Believe it or not, she does have another full time job as a hair stylist. We're extremely fortunate to have Monica on our coaching staff. In her own words "I don't mean to toot my own horn in my biography but I will.....toot toot!"

Mike Bass, Coach and Tumble Coach

Mike cheered in high school his Junior and Senior year which placed in the top 5 at the VHSL State Championships both years. His love for cheerleading led him to pursue cheering at the collegiate level. After finishing high school he went to Methodist University in NC and was part of their nationally ranked co-ed cheer squad. His college squad finished 3rd in the Nation at the College Nationals in Daytona Beach, FL! While in college, he worked for two well known cheerleading companies, Champion Cheer and Edge Cheer and Dance, teaching summer camps to middle schools, high schools, and all star programs! As part of their staff he also assisted in competitive cheer competitions put on by the two companies. He is currently in his 4th year with Cheer Storm as well as currently coaching the State Championship team at William Byrd High. He is safety certified through the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA). Mike has a degree in Secondary Education and Mathematics.