Storm Athletics brings elite Level 5 competitive cheer back to DeSoto County
OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. – For the first time in a decade, elite-level competitive cheerleading is returning to DeSoto County. Storm Athletics, a newly established program in Olive Branch, is preparing to field the area’s first Level 5 team since 2015.
Donald Holmes Sr., a veteran coach since 1994, is leading the squad to their first level 5 competition on Dec. 6 in Huntsville, Alabama. If successful, Storm Athletics will become the first Level 5 program in the history of Olive Branch and only the second ever in DeSoto County.
According to Holmes, the absence of a Level 5 program—the highest tier of competition involving complex stunts and aerodynamics—has forced local cheer families to travel north into Memphis for years. Since the closure of the DeSoto Starz program in 2015, elite athletes have typically commuted to gyms in Memphis to find the training necessary for collegiate cheer.
“DeSoto County would lose the athletes to Memphis because they would always have the ‘Hollywood’ programs,” Holmes said. “Bringing a Hollywood program here gives DeSoto County athletes and families an opportunity to actually stay close to home.”
In the world of competitive cheer, levels define the difficulty of tumbling and stunts. While lower levels focus on basics like back handsprings and tucks, Level 5 involves “bells and whistles” skills, such as full twisting layouts and complex spins in the air. These are the specific skills sought after by major collegiate programs like Ole Miss, the University of Memphis, and the University of Kentucky.
Holmes describes Storm Athletics as a “collegiate preparatory program.” The goal is to ensure athletes master college-level stunts while still in middle and high school.
“We have two cheerleaders that have D1 coaches looking at them,” Holmes noted. “Our mission is to empower athletes. I don’t want them to wait until they get to college to work on collegiate stunts.”
The team practices three times a week for three hours per session, focusing on tumbling, stunts, and competitive routines. They operate under the Open Series scoring regulations.
The squad will make its debut at the competition in Huntsville on Dec. 6. Holmes views this as a potential history-making moment for North Mississippi athletics.
“It’s almost full circle,” Holmes said. “We’re at the brink of possibly making history here.”
