“Celebrating 26 years as owner and manager at CHEER IT UP! Vickie has 40 years of cheerleading coaching experience, including 25 years as head coach of the 14- time UCA National Finalist Tahlequah High School cheerleaders and 25 years as the Senior AllStar coach at CHEER IT UP!. Vickie has over 100 National Championship squads in the AllStar Divisions. She coached the Tahlequah High School cheerleaders to two State Championship titles (Co-Ed Division and Class 4A) and two state runnerup title (Class 5A) in 2007 and 2018. She started the first-ever STUNT team at THS and won the first State Championship in that newly added NCAA sport. She was named Regional Coach of the Year three times and OK State coach of the year twice by the OSSAA and OCA. She was selected by the OCA to coach the East AllState cheerleaders in 1995. Vickiie was selected to the THS Coaches Hall of Fame in 2023 and is the first female coach of any sport inducted. Vickie has been voted as one of the top ten coaches in America by American Cheerleader Magazine eight times, is certified as a National Qualifying Judge, Level 1-4 USASF, and AACCA certified to coach cheerleading. Vickie is a certified member of the US Elite Coaches Association for Women’s Gymnastics, (USECA), the US All-Star Coaches Association (USASF) and served on the OSSAA Cheer Rules Committee for five years. Vickie opened CIU with Kevin Burgess in June of 1997.”
— Vickie Elliott
“CIU will always be my cheer home! I am the All-Star Choreographer for CIU, and I’ve won numerous national awards for choreography, stunts, and pyramids. Also, I won Grand Championships at US Finals and I am a D2 Summit Qualifier 2018 and 2019. I cheered at Westville HS and was on the state championship team in 2005. I danced on the NSU Majestics and earned a Bachelors degree in Business Administration, and my Masters degree in Special Education. I was a head coach at CIU for 8 years and coached at Omega Cheer in Fayetteville NC for 4 years. I recently purchased my own gym, Infinity Athletics, and I currently live in Colorado Springs, CO with my husband Dante, and my 6-year-old daughter, Avah.”
— Chris Lee Sutera
“Hi! I am Bri Buck and I graduated from Southmoore High School where I competed on the Sabercat STUNT team and have spent many summers of my childhood within the walls of CIU. I just graduated from Northeastern State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and a minor in Communication. I also work as a full time employee there along with coaching at CIU. I have had the opportunity to work at Cheer It Up going on five years now. I have taught classes ranging from Beginning Gym to Advanced Gym and a couple of Boys Gym in between! During this time I have been the head coach of our competitive gymnastics program. My goal is for all athletes to believe they have the ability to soar to new heights and with the right guidance and support they can do just that. Our coaching staff are constantly building not just skilled athletes but confident and resilient individuals who carry those traits wherever they go!”
— Briann Buck-Aerials Gymnastics Director
“My name is Addie Boulware. This is my 12th year at Cheer It Up! and I still love what I do! I was born and raised here in Tahlequah, OK and am currently a counselor at Tahlequah Middle School. I tumbled and cheered at Cheer It Up! when I was young, and it has always held a special place in my heart. I cheered through grade school and also in high school, where Mrs. Elliott was my cheer coach! I love that Cheer It Up! gives me my little kid fix. I currently am the All Star Cheer Director and I coach the Junior Diamonds. I also teach beginning and mom and me classes. Being at CIU teaching and coaching is an escape for me and always brightens my day!”
— Addison Boulware-All-Star Cheer Director
“I first started gymnastics/tumbling at the pre-school age like a lot of these girls! I started competing in gymnastics at age 9 and continued up until I went into high school. After I stopped competing I stayed around my home gym to help coach. I cheered throughout middle school and up until my sophomore year of high school. I love working with the kids and hope to provide them with the knowledge they need to succeed. My #1 goal is to have the kids finish my class knowing how to work hard & succeed!”
— Shelbi Goosen
“My name is Taylor Gunneman and I have been working at CIU for 2 years now! I am originally from Siloam Springs, Arkansas and cheered for my school sideline team and competitive! I also did all star competitive cheer for 9 years! I started at level 1 and ended on a level 6 worlds team! I have been awarded All State, All American, and I am the cheer captain for the NSU cheer team. I am working on a degree in Early Childhood Education with a minor in health and human performance! With my educational knowledge and cheer background, I am able to understand the kids more and help them improve quickly and have a great time while doing it! My favorite part about this job is getting to see the kids get new skills! I am always just as excited as they are!”
— Taylor Gunneman
“Hi!! My name is Tiara Harley. Aka Coach T!! I am from the Okmulgee area and have been cheering since I was able to walk and was a little mascot. I started competing in high school and was a Regional Champ my freshman and sophomore year. I cheered 3 years of college cheer and was a cheer captain my sophomore year at the JUCO i cheered at, where I achieved my Associates degree in science. I have been coaching tumbling here going on 3 years and am going on my second season of coaching all star cheer. The bonds I have made with the kids is something I will cherish forever!! I miss cheer with my whole heart but have loved coaching here and sharing the love and joy I have for cheerleading.”
— Tiara Harley
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— Lily Barnes
“Hi! My name is Karlie Long. I am from Pawhuska where I first started cheering in elementary then began doing competitions in high school! I am currently a student at NSU and a part of their cheer team! Cheer is something I am very passionate about, and I am glad that I have the opportunity to share my passion with these kids! My favorite part about coaching is watching all the kids’ confidence grow as they learn new skills!”
— Karlie Long
“Hi!! My name is Alayna McAlpine, i have been cheering for 9 years and I’m currently on Tahlequah Varsity Cheer Team and assistant coach on Tanzanites!! I love Cheer It Up and watching my kiddos grow and succeed in there skills!!”
— Alayna McAlpine
“My name is Mckenna Swim, and I am from Tahlequah. I am currently a senior in high school and have been cheering for 7 years, beginning at CIU and currently for Tahlequah schools! I also have experience as a main flyer on the two-time World Champion Adam & Eve cheer team and I bring that knowledge with me to CIU for our stunt and cheer teams. I want to instill in our kids to be their best and make sure they have fun while learning new things. I love coaching because I love to see the growth and hard work that the kids put in to get new skills!”
— McKenna
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— Grace
“I am from Eufaula and have been cheering for about 12 years. I have been on many competitive teams and have 3 national champion titles. I am going to school to be a nurse practitioner and am beginning my journey for that here at NSU! I love cheer and am so excited to be coaching at CIU to hopefully spread some of my knowledge to all my students and help them be the best cheerleader they can be!”
— Makalyn
“Hello! my name is Sami Tippett-Pifer, I am from Vinita Oklahoma, I did gymnastics up until til I was 13, which is what lead me into cheer competitions and sideline, which I am still doing to this day. I am majoring in Early Childhood Education, my goal for my students in my class is for everyone to succeed in what they want to succeed in, if they want to do something I am going to help them no matter the case. I love doing this because I have always had a strong interest in working and helping with kids in whatever way I can.”
