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!"

Christina Bryan, Coach

Christina is a 2005 graduate of William Byrd High School.  Christina has been involved in cheerleading since the age of 4 where she cheered in the Vinton Rec cheerleading program until the age of 11 in 6th grade. She made the William Byrd Middle School cheerleading team in 7th and 8th grade and she served as dance captain both years.  She also cheered at William Byrd High School for 4 years where she served as dance captain all 4 years and competition captain her senior year.  She was a member of WBHS Competition Squad her Sophomore, Junior, and Senior year where they won 2 District Titles, 2 Regional Titles, State runner-up in 2005 and were crowned STATE CHAMPIONS in 2003.  She was also awarded Most dedicated her junior year and First Team All District and the loyalty award her senior year.  Aside from cheering she was also part of numerous competitive dance teams for 10 years where her teams won many Regional and National awards.  Along with her team titles she won individual awards for her abilities including several scholarships including her senior year when she was awarded a full scholarship.  Christina joined the Cheer Storm staff after the first year and has been coaching here 5 years where she has been part of an awarding winning program ever since!  Christina is Safety Certified through the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA).  She is a graduate of the Radiology program at Virginia Western Community College where she was the president of her chapter's Lambda Nu national honor society for the Radiologic and imaging sciences.

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.

Stephanie Thomas, Coach

Stephanie brings with her both tumbling and cheerleading experience. She began gymnastics at the age of 4 and started competing at age 8. She was also a member of the 9.0 Club. Her cheerleading experience includes cheering 2 years for Middle School and 4 years on Varsity for High School where she served as Captain her senior year. In high school she was a 4 time State Championship Participant. Her team placed in the top 5 of the state all four years: 1 time 5th place, 1 time VA State Runner Up, and 2 Time STATE CHAMPIONS. She was a member and captain of the team that currently still holds the VA State Record out of A, AA, and AAA Division schools with a score of 296.5 out of 300! She is a 10 time All American Cheerleader. She has also won several regional "best jumps" and "best tumble" awards. Stephanie was featured as an All-Star Showstopper in the February 2007 issue of American Cheerleader Magazine! She competed with another local all star program before coming to Cheer Storm as a cheerleader for the Senior team winning several regional and national championships and later became a coach after graduation. She is one of our "originals" as she's been with us since our first year of operation! Stephanie is safety certified through the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA). Currently a Junior at Jefferson College of Health Sciences she is majoring in Health and Exercise Science and Healthcare Management. Her goal is to eventually own her own gym/spa specializing in women's health.

Bobby Lozano, Coach

Bobby brings with him over 6 years of experience in the cheerleading and dance industry. He was dance captain for jazz, hip-hop and lyrical groups at Dance-Off in Red Bank, NJ. While living in NJ he cheered for Tom River North High School's competition squad in 2005-2006. After moving to Roanoke he became a competitive cheerleader for Synergy Allstars where he served as captain of their senior squad. While cheering for their older team, he was also part of the coaching staff for their youth squad as well as assistant choreographer for the youth and senior squads. Aside from cheering/coaching at Synergy, he also coached the tumbling classes, as well as a few of their other cheer classes. He left Synergy to become a member of one of the top premier programs in the Southeast- Cheer Extreme in NC. He was captain for the senior coed level 4 squad and was selected to compete at the Worlds for coed open level 5! At Cheer Extreme, he was the assistant coach of the junior level 4 which he also helped choreograph. He coached along side one of the top All-Star Cheerleading coaches in the nation- Ben Pope. Bobby was also the assistant coach for the Cheer Extreme flyer class where both new and advanced flyers worked on and perfected new stunts and skills. While at Cheer Extreme he also earned experience in cutting and creating cheer music. Aside from cheerleading, he was the 2008 choreographer for the Cave Spring High School Dance Team- hip hop routines as well as for the 2008 Cave Spring High School Flag Core. We're very fortunate to have Coach Bobby on board with us at Cheer Storm as he has a wide range of experience in all aspects of the cheerleading industry!

Kayla Smith, Jr. Coach

Kayla has been cheering since the age of 5. She was part of the first ever all-star program in the Roanoke Valley with Happy Hooper at the age of 8 and has been competing at the all star level ever since! She cheered with BGA Jags for 3 years until Cheer Storm opened which she immediately joined. While at Cheer Storm she has won many Regional and National titles. Her squads have won many specialty awards as well. Kayla is a 10 time All-American being invited to the NFL Pro Bowl and Macy's Day Parade! She is part of the coaching staff for our younger squads and is a member of our senior team. Aside from all star cheerleading she has cheered 6 years for her school squads. She cheered for Middle School in 7th grade and for the High School JV Squad her 8th grade year! Kayla made Varsity as a Freshman and is currently in her 4th year with the squad where she serves as Captain. She was also on the Competition Squad all 4 years. Her high school squad won majority of the District and Regional Competitions and 3 out of 4 VHSL State Championships in the years she was a participant! She was also awarded the "Sizzling Sophomore" award, Second Team All-District and First Team All-District! Kayla is safety certified through the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA). She plans to attend a four year university and major in Criminal Justice.

Lindsey Matko, Jr. Coach

During the past 10 years, Lindsey has competed on rec squads and with 3 different all star programs in competitions in many states:  South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, Texas, Maryland and Virginia on many National Championship Teams, Grand Championship Teams, and First Place Teams with the Premier Sharks in Knoxville, TN, Cheer Extreme in Kernersville, NC and currently with Cheer Storm All-Stars. She has won many regional and national championships in the individual jumpoff, tumble off and individual routine divisions. We're very lucky to have Lindsey as part of our program as she has the most individual titles out of anybody else in Roanoke and surrounding areas! She is a 10 time All American Cheerleader! She has been invited 4 years in a row to the Hawaii Scholarship Invitational to perform at the NFL Pro Bowl. She cheered 2 years in Middle School and has cheered 4 years in High School at Cave Spring on both the sideline and competition squads. Her squad was a state qualifier. Lindsey was awarded Virginia All District First Team and Virginia All District Second Team! She is safety certified through the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA). Lindsey plans to pursue a degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Spanish at a four year University. Lindsey also intends to cheer at the collegiate level!