About Us
About Phoenix Stars
At Phoenix Stars, our goal is to provide affordable gymnastics and cheerleading classes in a safe and happy training environment. Since our launch in 2012, our program has continued to grow, and we have even acquired our own modern gym, with a nine-panel spring floor, based in a unit at Old Sarum in Salisbury.
Serving athletes of all ages throughout Wiltshire and the surrounding areas, we believe a positive attitude is key to a successful future. Get in touch with us today to find out more about how you can get involved.
Our Philosophy
We keep our fees as low as possible to enable all your athletes to attend. Improving athletes' confidence is another important philosophy of the club and we encourage athletes to develop leadership skills.
Competitions
Our first cheerleading competition was in July 2013 where we competed in Youth Level 1 and Junior Level 1. We are now in our 12th season, training almost 300 athletes in cheerleading and tumbling.
This season, we have 15 competitive teams, competing in Tiny, Mini, Youth, Junior, Senior, Under 18 Level 5, Non-tumble 5/6, International Open Level 5 and Masters. As of September 2023, we are welcoming new members to our gymnastics section.
About Our Coaches
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Jane “MJ” Usher
Programme Director
MJ is responsible for the Charity Management, accounts and health and safety for the whole of Phoenix Stars. In addition to her 20 years of experience in accounting, she is qualified in Health and Safety. MJ is also an assistant coach for Gemini, the Worlds Team and even dabbles in Mini Prep Level 1, which is where her heart is!
She is also especially interested in child psychology and has taken various courses over the years including Understanding Child Psychology, Autism Awareness, Level 2 Suicide and Self-Harm Awareness, and is a qualified Mental Health Counsellor.
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Elly Humphries
Head Coach
⦁ Level 6 Cheerleading CoachElly first got the bug for cheerleading when she was 13 years old at secondary school. She has competed with various teams but in 2012 decided that the time was right to start her own cheerleading programme. She has grown this together with her mother, MJ, and her sister Lauryn into a club with 275 cheerleaders and 150 gymnasts.
Now a Level 6 cheerleading coach, Elly has a positive attitude which is apparent in the way she deals with her athletes. She is an exceptionally talented choreographer of all the routines for the squads she coaches including, very unusually, the Level 5 routines, which have been taken to the World Championships.
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Lauryn Humphries
Cheerleading and Tumble Coach
⦁ Level 6 Cheerleading CoachLauryn has been coaching since she was 14 years old. An inspirational and passionate leader, Lauryn is the lead coach for our younger divisions. She has competed multiple times at The Cheerleading Worlds with PSC Gemini and has received National titles as both an athlete and coach. Qualified as a Level 6 cheerleading coach, Lauryn is passionate about coaching stunts, and you will see her at the front of the mat cheering on her teams when they compete.
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Abi Townsend
Gymnastics and Cheerleading Coach
⦁ Level 3 Cheerleading Coach
⦁ Level 1 Gymnastics CoachAbi has been coaching cheerleading and tumbling with Phoenix Stars since its formation in 2012. Alongside this, she has been a gymnast since she was 3 years old and has been coaching gymnastics with a local club since 2015. In 2022, she competed with the Worlds Cheerleading team PSC Gemini, where they came 10th.
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Poppy Burrow
Gymnastics and Parkour Coach
⦁ Level 2 British Gymnastics CoachPoppy is qualified in artistic gymnastics, trampolining, free running, freestyle gymnastics, and pre-school gymnastics. She is a previous regional judge in both men’s and women’s gymnastics. She has coached alongside some of the best national coaches and has coached a gymnast to come third in the British National Championships.
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Piper Cilliers
Tumble, Gymnastics and Cheerleading Coach
⦁ Level 3 BCQ Cheerleading Coach
⦁ Level 1 General Gymnastics CoachPiper is an experienced gymnast, tumbler, and cheerleader. She began gymnastics when she was 4 years old and her extensive knowledge in various areas has given her an excellent insight into coaching. She has been coaching alongside her mum for the last several years. She began cheerleading coaching approximately 18 months ago and has quickly progressed to having two squads of her own.
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Mae Burden
Cheerleading and Parkour Coach
⦁ Level 3 BCQ Cheerleading CoachMae is a Worlds athlete who has competed numerous times at the Cheerleading World Championships with her squad, Gemini. She is an accomplished tumbler and all-around athlete. Mae has a very bubbly personality and a “can-do” attitude which has earned her the title of Captain of Gemini for the last two years running. She loves working with all ages and especially enjoys coaching her new discipline of parkour on Friday evenings.
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Millie Walker
Cheerleading Coach
⦁ Level 2 Cheerleading CoachMillie is a tumbler and flyer on our Worlds team, Gemini. She has a very extensive background in performing arts, dance and drama and enjoys using this experience in her role as a cheerleading coach.
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Liv Hanlon
Gymnastics and Cheerleading Coach
⦁ Level 1 BCQ Cheerleading Coach
⦁ Level 1 BG Artistic Gymnastics coachLiv has recently qualified in Level 1 Artistic Gymnastics with British Gymnastics. She is a great all-rounder with knowledge of tumbling, dance (her mum is a dance teacher!), and cheerleading. She enjoys coaching all disciplines equally.
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Adam Abel
Parkour Coach
With more than 10 years of national competition and coaching experience, Adam has coached in community settings since the age of 15. At 17, he began coaching for a football academy, helping several players to sign for professional football academies and compete internationally within youth sections.
At age 19, he began coaching for Swindon Town women’s team and more recently has coached Southampton Women’s FC within the National Football League. He has also recently been training as a long-distance runner completing a 3:30 marathon and running 2 ultra marathons at 50-mile and 100-mile distances. Adam is enjoying using his previous coaching experience and commitment to training to coach the new discipline of parkour with us.
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Bella Taylor
Junior Coach
⦁ Level 1 BCQ Cheerleading CoachBella is an experienced tumbler, flyer and base and has previously competed with Worlds team PSC Gemini as a tumbler.
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Layla Spring
Junior Coach
⦁ Level 1 Junior Cheerleading CoachLayla is an experienced tumbler and has previously competed with Worlds team PSC Gemini as a tumbler and flyer.
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Debbie Woodroffe
Team Mum
⦁ Too Many Qualifications to MentionDeb has been Team Mum since 2014 when we realised we needed support at competitions. She deals with everything from spectator tickets, athlete bands, first aid and hugs. She is the biggest supporter of Phoenix Stars, and you will usually find her crying tears of pride at the side of the mat whenever her daughter Sophie is competing.