well established and here for you

The Team

service with a smile

Meet Our People

At Young’s, we make sure that all of the staff we hire love teaching and working with children! We look for enthusiastic, energetic instructors! In addition to those qualities, it helps if they have a gymnastics and/or cheerleading background but it is possible some staff we hire may not have any background in either of those disciplines. In those cases, we have an extensive training program that we employ within our facility and we use materials from USA Gymnastics’ teaching university. When hired, each of our instructors must pass a thorough background check through USA Gymnastics and/or USASF, the national governing cheerleading body. In addition, new instructors must pass the USA Gymnastics safety certification test and also the instructor course within 30 days of being hired. We also provide CPR training annually for our staff as well.

Needless to say, but at Young’s we constantly strive to provide the best instructors possible for our students and safety in the gym is our number one priority! And just as a side note, but some of our best instructors from the past have been teachers, usually Seminary students from Southeastern here in Wake Forest, who had zero gymnastics knowledge when they began!

coaching today's youth as a way of life

Management

Alan Young

Owner

Alan is a true Wake Forest native and a 1985 graduate of Wake Forest-Rolesville High School. He is one of few who can actually claim to have been born in the town of Wake Forest. Having grown up in the town, Alan realized the need for a quality facility that offered gymnastics instruction for children as there had been none when he was a child. After graduating from NC State University, Alan began his endeavor of opening a gymnastics and cheerleading school in the town during the fall of 1993. The doors opened for business on February 28, 1994 in the upstairs portion of what is now the Cotton Company in downtown Wake Forest. Since that time Young’s Gym has grown into what it is today: a stand alone 8,000 sq. ft air conditioned facility that houses the premier gymnastics and All-Star cheerleading program in the area.

Shannon Young

Owner

Shannon is a Durham native and former middle school teacher of six years. She and Alan met in 1991 while teaching summer cheerleading camps together at NC State University. She is a graduate of Western Carolina University where she was a Catamount cheerleader for three years. After cheering in college, Shannon spent three seasons cheering for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers as a member of their cheerleading squad, the Topcats. She began working at the gym at the end of 2001 and took over the day to day operations of the business office and began revamping the all-star cheerleading program, the Wake Forest All-Stars. Alan finally got smart and married her in May of 2003! Shannon is the heart and soul of the Wake Forest All-Star cheerleading program and prides herself on running a very successful and well organized program. She and Alan welcomed the birth of their twin boys, Colby and Brody, on April 30th, 2007 and their third son, Casey, was born on November 4, 2008! Team Young is quite busy now as you might would imagine!

Lisa Pitzer

Office Manager

Lisa has been managing the business office of Young’s for more years than any of us can remember and is probably more recognizable to most of our clientele than either Alan or Shannon. You will most likely speak to her on the phone when you call. She has helped relieve Shannon of the every day duties of the business office. If you asked either Shannon or Alan who is the most vital employee in the organization, Lisa’s name would be the first one out of their mouths. Both of Lisa’s girls, Jordan and Jenna, cheered for the Wake Forest All-Stars and her family has been involved in the program for years, long before she began working in the office. Lisa is a vital part of the Wake Forest All-Star program!

take a closer look

Coaches & Staff

Alex Powell

Bio coming soon!

Lloyd Tolson

Bio coming soon!

Nikita Collier

Bio coming soon!

Karsten Love

Bio coming soon!

What People Say About Us

Testimonials

"Two of my daughters have cheered in the All-Star Prep division at Young’s and it really is wonderful preparation for further cheerleading and for life. They learned great skills, what it takes to be part of a team, how to be competition-ready and much, much more. Thank you for offering such a great program!"

Carla Turchetti

"WFAS is not only a gym, but a family that I am so proud to be a part of. There are not enough words to describe how thankful I am to be part of such a loving and special community of coaches, athletes and families! Thank you for everything you do for us!"

Ryan Strevig

“Cheering with WFAS teaches so much more than tumbling and stunting. We feel our daughter has learned so much about team work, grit, and determination. We can truly see how the work she does in the gym transfers over to school and other activities."

Kate Sanner