From the wall of the Attitude All-Stars gym at 1260 Progress Road hangs a banner declaring &uot;Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.&uot; Over the next few weeks and months, Teda Burrows and her team hope to make their own difference in the lives of local potential cheerleaders.

&uot;This is an All-Star program,&uot; Burrows says between classes. &uot;All of our instructors are trained by the National Cheerleading Association and have done gymnastics and cheerleading for their whole lives; there’s no volunteers. There’s a lot of good recreational leagues around here, but we wanted to take it to the next level.&uot;

Several of her squads have taken their skills to quite high levels; Burrows’ tiny tot (age 3-5) won a state title in December, and she’s coached several national champions. In less than a month of operation, she’s already rounded up three teams for her own gym; aside from Tiny Tots, there’s a Twinkle (second grade and below) group and a group for fourth-graders and below, and Burrows said that she’s got almost enough to start both ninth grade and below and high school teams. Her older girls practice Mondays and Thursdays, and her younger ones practice Wednesdays. On Saturdays, the gym holds a tumbling class.

&uot;We are having open enrollment,&uot; she said. &uot;We want to offer camps for the local recreational leagues and free coach’s clinics.&uot;

Stephanie Gunter hopes to use the All-Stars gym as a backflip up to the varsity squad at Churchland High.

&uot;One of my school coaches used to cheer here,&uot; she said. &uot;I’ve been cheering for my whole life, and I wanted to try a different group. I’ve already learned more movements. I’ve learned a lot in a few weeks.&uot;

Eva Wilson is another new All-Star.

&uot;A friend told me that this would be fun,&uot; she said, &uot;and it has been so far. The people here are really nice, and this is turning into a really nice gym.&uot;

After taking her squad through a set of moves, Burrows’ daughter Anna, one such certified instructor, took them over to the trampoline to work on their jumping skills.

&uot;I hope we can get enough girls to build our program better,&uot; said Anna, a graduate of Nansemond River High. &uot;The more girls we have, the more competitive we’ll become. We can be one of the best in the state.&uot;

For more information on the program, call 538-2300.

jason.norman@suffolknewsherald.com