Premier Athletics Cheerleading & Gymnastics: Bright New Location, Same Excellent Coaching

Premier Athletics, an esteemed gymnastics and cheerleading studio in Lexington, moved to a new location in January, and general manager Dawne Perkins couldn’t be happier.

Now located in the Hamburg area beside Monkey Joe’s, at 1850 Bryant Road #110, the new facility has 22,000 square feet of space.

“There absolutely is not a better place we could or would rather be in Lexington,” Perkins said of the new location.

“The Hamburg area is full of young families, and we’re close to the (Interstate) 75-64 corridor, which is important because we draw from all over eastern and southern Kentucky.”

Teams and individuals travel up to 90 minutes for the top-notch coaching offered at Premier, home to the Kentucky Elite All-Stars and Gymcats.

The All Stars have produced more than 100 athletes at the collegiate cheer and dance level and have won 140 national championships, including a World title in 2010.

Premier benefits from its close relationship with the University of Kentucky cheerleading and gymnastics programs.

A number of Premier coaches have ties to the Wildcats, whose cheerleading squad has won an unprecedented 19 national titles.

In addition, the White Squad just won the 2013 Cheersport National.

Premier Athletics serves more than 500 families a week, offering cheerleading and gymnastics training for all ages, as well as a Little Explorers preschool program.

Little Explorers gives children 2-5 years old the opportunity to learn gymnastics, develop social skills and interact with peers.

Premier coaches work with middle school and high school teams, including Dunbar High, which just won its eighth national cheerleading title.

The Kentucky Elite program consists of seven squads for 3 to 18 year-olds. The 20-member teams are named Kittens, Sabers, Pumas, Cheetahs, Panthers, Jaguars and the Cats.

Also coming in March, “The Studio” will be the home to a new dance program, offering hip hop and dance classes for all ages, including mommy and me style classes.

The Studio also will serve as a new practice facility for the UK Dance teams coached by Dawn Walters. Its color, purple, was selected in  honor of “Cheers!” – one of the first all-star programs in the U.S. that was in Lexington in the 1990s.

With its sleek and modern design, the new Premier Athletics facility features brightly colored walls for the preschoolers to create an exciting, upbeat atmosphere.

“I love the whole facility,” Perkins said. “From the 2-year-olds getting all excited for the first time to the kids getting ready to go to college, every kid is my favorite.

“We just want to help kids be the best they can be.”