MEET THE STAFF

Devon has coached cheer at HCDC since the opening day. She has developed into an athlete favorite with her upbeat personality, endless energy, and constant motivation. Devon’s passion for the sport of cheerleading is evident in her coaching. A lifetime cheer athlete, Devon loves passing on her knowledge to others.

Annalie Cummings has been competing in competitive cheerleading since she was 7 years old. She has experience in all positions (flyer, base, and backspot). She loves cheerleading and passing on her knowledge and experience. In her free time she enjoys hanging out with friends and family and just relaxing.

Kaytlin competed in All Star Cheer from ages 6-19, during which time her teams won Cheer Sport, placed top 3 D2 Summit, and won at the US Finals! Kaytlin then went on the cheer at Lenoir Rhyne University, and in 2019 her team at LRU won the National Championship in Daytona!

Coach Janae enjoys coaching young children to cheer! She enjoys preparing them for cheer teams they eventually wanna be on. She’s also an elite athlete at HCDG.

I’m a Hillsborough local and a mom to a 3-year-old son. I danced for 10 years then fell in love with the sport of cheerleading at 11 and haven’t looked back. I cheered competitively from 13-19 and all throughout my school years. I’m excited to continue my love for cheerleading as a coach!

Cheerleading has been a longtime passion of Robyn’s, and she is excited to get to share her love for cheerleading through coaching. Her main goal is to help athletes be the best they can be, both on the mat and off. Robyn understands how difficult cheerleading can be, but she also knows how rewarding it is in success and in failure. As a coach, she hopes to watch your athlete fall in love with the sport like she did.

Addie is a junior at UNC Chapel Hill majoring in Psychology and Human Development. She did gymnastics for 10 years and competitive cheer for 5 in her hometown of Morganton, NC. She loves shopping, going to concerts with friends, lake days, and walks with her dog, Ramsey!

HCDG welcomes World Champion Jose Palma to our Cheer and Tumble staff! Jose is a skilled coach specializing in building and tumbling. His background includes 18 years of experience with athletes from 3 years old and up, in many divisions. Jose’s award-winning history includes: As a coach: Panamerican ICU Champion (Costa Rica 2019) 2X Silver Medallist ICU Worlds (Orlando 2019/2021) ICU World Champion (Orlando 2022) ICU World Champion (Orlando 2023) As an athlete: ASF World Champion (Orlando 2024) on Code Black.

Candace holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Shaw University and a master’s degree in biomedical science from UNC. She has been teaching locally for 17 years and her choreography consistently ranks at the top in many competitions. Candace has danced for over 20 years and auditioned and was accepted to attend Talent Unlimited High School in New York City where she performed with numerous dance companies throughout the country. She is a former National Dance Competitor. Candace choreographed the dance “Lose Control” which was performed on BET’s Television Show 106 and Park on Wednesday, April 12th, 2006 for “Wild Out Wednesday”. Candace has taught dance since she was 15. She continues to be recognized for being one of the top all-around dancers on the east coast.

Abby began her dance training at the age of 5 and has studied tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, modern, and hip-hop. In high school, she danced competitively with Steps on Stage Academy of Performing Arts, winning national awards with their senior company. She was also a member of the national award-winning West Johnston High School dance team. Abby was the first runner-up in the Miss North Carolina Pageant held in June 2023.

Alexis Hobgood is a Hillsborough native and began her dance training at the age of two. She has trained in lyrical, tap, contemporary, musical theater, hip hop, ballet, pom and jazz. Alexis became part of a competitive dance team at the age of six. Throughout her career as a company dancer, she has had the opportunity to take classes from many well-known professional dancers and choreographers, such as Travis Wall and Brian Friedman. She also competed against some of the top studios on the east coast. Alexis attends the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she studies at the Kenan Flagler Business School. During her free time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with friends. She is super excited to share her passion for and knowledge of dance with others!

Taylor Hobgood began dancing at age two in Hillsborough, North Carolina. She has trained in ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, tap, musical theater, pom and hip hop. Taylor competitively danced throughout middle and high school and has competed against top studios across the country. In May of 2020, she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with degrees in Psychology and Sociology. During her time at UNC-Chapel Hill, Taylor was a four year member of the UNC Dance Team and cheered for Tar Heels from the sidelines! She competed yearly in the National Dance Association’s Collegiate College Championship, and was a member of the team that placed 6th in the nation in 2019!

My name is Tori Owens, and I started dancing at In Motion Dance Center in Winston Salem, NC at the age of 4 and continued until graduation. Additionally, I competed with the Dance Elite competition team at In Motion from age 13 until graduation. I was also a member of the Reagan High School Raiderettes Dance Team for 3 years. During the summer between my junior and senior year of high school, I was fortunate to attend NC Governor’s School East for dance.

Ashleigh Paschall was born and raised in Hillsborough/Durham area and competed in competitive cheer and dance since the age of three. Ashleigh enjoys sharing her passion for dance and cheer through teaching. Fun facts – Ashleigh is a die-hard Duke fan and has been a hair stylist for over 11 years!

Marie Rouser began dancing under Jo-Ann Stevens in Durham, NC. She graduated from Belhaven College (now Belhaven University) in Jackson, Mississippi in May 2007 with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Business Administration and a Minor in Dance. There, she studied under Cynthia Newland, Laura Morton, Britta Wynne, Stephen Wynne and many others. She volunteered as a counselor for the USA International Ballet Competition Dance School in 2006 and 2010. Marie owned and operated her own dance studio in Hillsborough for 7 years then taught at Arts Alive in Burlington for several years before becoming their interim director in 2016. Over the years, she has taught ballet to a handful of ice skaters. She planned and choreographed many dances for herself and others throughout her dancing career and led dance/worship arts ministries at local churches. Marie is passionate about teaching dance and making sure children, teens and adults learn correct ballet technique to help them excel as a dancer.

Emma danced at Vancouver’s Northwest Classical Ballet where she enjoyed dancing a variety of roles, including contemporary, lyrical and classical ballet pieces. Emma has taught at Fison NW, BodyVox, Metropolitan Performing Arts. She has also danced with the Oregon Ballet Theater. Emma is also an EC teacher in the Wake County School system. She enjoys spending time with friends, traveling and chasing after her Maltese pup, Pearl!

Alex has been dancing competitively for more than 10 years and is currently a member of the HCDG topaz dance team. She is a former platinum level gymnast placing in the top 5 at the state and regional level numerous times. Alex is USAG certified and loves to connect with and teach students of all ages.

Sophia is a competitive dancer on the Topaz company team at Hillsborough Cheer, Dance, and Gymnastics. She has been dancing for 10 years and has received many awards in the elite category for her achievements. Sophia enjoys working with students of all ages to share her love of dance!

Brenna has been dancing competitively since the age of 6. She is currently a dancer on the Topaz team. She has competed in local competitions where she won many judge’s awards and top scores. She has also attended several dance workshops with professional dancers and choreographers. She’s currently attending a year-long commercial dance intensive through CDI’s Edge program. Brenna competed in gymnastics through the platinum level before she decided to focus solely on dance. She has been dancing in jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, contemporary, ballet, and musical theatre. Brenna is a junior at Eno River Academy in Hillsborough and will graduate in 2025. She loves to choreograph but mostly she loves helping young ones fall in love with dancing.

Savanna is a competitive dancer on the Topaz Dance Team at Hillsborough Cheer, Dance, and Gymnastics. She has been recognized at competitions across the South-East region for her performances. With 13 years of experience, her passion is certainly inspiring others through movement. She is USAG certified with experience in acrobatics and tumbling. She loves teaching young students and helping them get closer to achieving their dance and tumble goals!

Dance Artist · Educator · Choreographer · Mentor

Forrest is a Florida native, and received their AA from Valencia College and BFA from Florida State University, both in dance. They performed with the West Virginia Dance Company for five seasons and have worked at the American Dance Festival (ADF) for seven summers as the Audience Services Assistant. Forrest has been on faculty at the Center of Performing Arts, ADF’s Samuel H. Scripps Studios, The Ohio State University, Heartfelt Pole Studio, Valley Dance Studio, and the Academy of Arts at January’s, teaching movement classes in Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Social Dance, Movement Analysis, Dynamic Stretch, and Conditioning.

Forrest recently graduated with their MFA in dance from The Ohio State University. While attending OSU, Forrest received the Graduate Associate Teaching Award, led a curation team for the international dance film festival DANCE@30FPS, and received over $10,000 in funding from the university for their graduate thesis work. Forrest recently relocated to Durham, NC where they continue to perform, teach, choreograph, and inspire the future generations of dancers.

Amanda is a performer, director, choreographer, and educator from New York City. She has toured North America with Sesame Street LIVE!, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood LIVE!, Angelina Ballerina, and was also a part of the Annie national tour as a kid! Her regional theater credits include: The Prom, A Chorus Line, Hairspray, Memphis, Cabaret, Grease, West Side Story, South Pacific, Saturday Night Fever, Mamma Mia and All Shook Up. She has worked alongside some of Broadway’s greats on pre-production and workshops for the Broadway shows Jekyll and Hyde, Prince of Broadway, and Chasing Rainbows. Her director and choreography credits include Bring It On: The Musical, A Chorus Line, The Addams Family, Wonderland: Alice’s Rock and Roll Adventure as well as many cabarets and showcases. She was also the creative assistant for Wine Lovers: The Musical on Norwegian Cruise Lines. TV/Film credits include Monsters Inside Me and A Party To Die For. Amanda received her Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts from The New School with a concentration in Creative Arts Therapy. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the young performers at Hillsborough Cheer, Dance, and Gymnastics.

www.amandaleighlupacchino.com

Kenzie is a former level 9 gymnast. She has learned a lot along the way— safe execution of drills and the skills they turn into. Kenzie is USA Gymnastics certified. She holds the female weightlifting record for Cedar Ridge High School in the bench press and pound-for-pound! Kenzie enjoys sharing her love for this sport with the girls she coaches & can’t wait to see their growth & improvements!

Coach Jason is USA Gymnastics certified. Jason enjoys teaching fundamental gymnastics to young students. He is also lifeguard and CPR certified. When Jason is not in the gym coaching, you can likely find him in the pool where he is an All-Conference swimmer, or at camp, where he is a counselor!

Coach LG is USA Gymnastics certified. LG enjoys coaching young children in gymnastics and tumbling. LG herself is a gifted tumbler and enjoys passing on her love of tumbling to her students. LG is a fun and creative coach!

My name is Jessie and I’m a graduate student studying clinical mental health counseling at UNC. I did gymnastics for fourteen years, competing in DP and Xcel for nine. I began coaching the sport seven years ago and have loved it ever since. Ensuring that practice is productive and enjoyable is my biggest goal every time I step onto the floor. In my spare time, I like to spend time with loved ones and take naps. I also like to tumble every now and then, so you may see me throwing a back tuck or two after practice.

Coach Judi has been coaching gymnastics and diving for over 3 decades. A former competitive Swimmer and Diver herself, she started her coaching career with the YMCA in the Aquatics Department. From that point, she ventured into Fitness and owned a Fitness Center and in in-home Personal Training business, before retiring to raise her daughter. Beginning a new career as a Physical Education teacher, Coach Judi began coaching a High School Gymnastics team for a school in Roselle, Illinois. That experience turned itself into coaching a USA Gymnastics team at a gym in Illinois, opposite her own daughter’s gymnastics team. Eventually, Coach Judi received a master’s degree in education with a focus on curriculum designing and took her knowledge to a variety of gymnastics gyms to help redevelop recreational programs. In 2013 Coach Judi began coaching a newly developed Xcel team in Naperville, Illinois. She has been coaching a team level ever since as a professional Gymnastics Coach. Coach Judi keeps up to date with new training techniques utilized in the gymnastics industry as well as keeping up to date in the world of health and wellness.

I have been doing gymnastics since I was 4 and competed at level 5 until I switched to competitive cheerleading when I was 14. I was on the cheer team at my middle school and am currently on the Drill Team at Person High School and the cheer team (Avalanche) at HCDG. In my free time I enjoy spending time at the lake and hanging out with friends.

Jessica is a long time HCDG parent. Jessica enjoys traveling, raising puppies, and being with her family.

Sydni is a long time HCDG Parent. Sydni enjoys watching cheerleading, spending time with family, and traveling to Florida!

Jenny is an HCDG Cheer Mom who spends most of her time at the gym, helping out whenever needed! Jenny enjoys spending time with family and friends and loves watching her daughter cheer!

Samantha is a long time HCDG parent, and Loves watching her girls CHEER!

I found my love for cheer through my daughter. My number one favorite thing to do is watch my girls succeed in life. I love being a part of the HCDG family. A job that started out just checking kids in turned out to be so much more. I make sure every kid that comes through our doors is seen and heard.