Meet our Coaches
Cheryl Thomes (owner, director and Senior Elite Coach)

Cheryl Thomes (Owner, Director and Senior Elite team Coach) Cheryl is the Founder and director of the USA Wildcat All Star Cheerleaders, established in May of 1997.  She is also the Owner of the USA Wildcats LLC and The Cheerleading Training Center. Cheryl has been very successful at coaching at all levels from Pop Warner through College. She has been the head coach of the USA Wildcat Senior Elite team since the beginning. Cheryl's Senior Elite team has advanced to the Cheerleading Worlds 3 years in a row where they competed with the best of the best. Her Junior High, High School, All Star and College teams that she has coached are all nationally ranked and holds 14 national titles combined. Cheryl is AACCA Safety Certified. She was named 1994 Coach of the Year for the Olympian Club of Waterbury. Cheryl was also named who's who among High School Coaches in American Cheerleader Magazine.  The USA Wildcats hold numerous national titles and National Grand Champion titles while under her direction. Cheryl was the assistant cheerleading coach of the nationally ranked Southern Connecticut State University Cheerleading squad from 1992-2005 and starting coaching at SCSU again in 2007.  She is also the assistant cheer coach for the nationally ranked Quinnipiac University Cheerleading squad from 2006-present. She is first aid and CPR safety certified and also holds an A.A.C.C.A. certification. Cheryl is also credentialed through the USASF for levels 1-5 in tumbling, stunting and basket tosses.  Cheryl does choreography and private coaching for numerous teams across the state and New England.

Leann Raponey: (Senior Red and Senior Open North Haven)  

Leann is presently coaching the Senior Red team in our Waterbury gym and is very excited to be coaching the Senior Open team in the North Haven Gym.  This is her 7th year with the USA Wildcats, and the teams she has coached, have won numerous National Titles.  She also was the cheer coordinator for Bristol Pop Warner for many years and a former junior high and pop warner cheerleading coach for 12 years.  The pop warner teams she has coached have Advanced to the New England Regionals every year in their respective divisions and her junior high team has won a New England Championship.   Leann is AACCA safety certified and has her NCA judges certification. She is also USASF credentialed.


Gretchen Colagrossi: (Senior Red and Senior Open, North Haven)

Gretchen is presently coaching the USA Wildcat Senior Red Team in our Waterbury gym and is very excited to be coaching the Senior Open team in our North Haven gym. She is the former cheer coordinator for Waterbury Patriots Pop Warner and has also coached at Pop Warner and Junior High levels for 6 years. Her teams have advanced to regionals every year and have placed in the top eight in the respective division.  In her five years of coaching for the USA Wildcats, her all star teams have won numerous National Titles in the respective divisions. Gretchen is AACCA safety certified and has her NCA Judges certification.  She also has 26 years of dance experience, and has attended many dance workshops all over the New England and the Tri-State Area. Grethen is also USASF credentialed.
We finally learned
What life is all about...
The secret of success
Comes hard....no doubt!
We trained, we sweated
We ached, we cried...
And found out we got better
Each time we tried!
We were pushed, yelled at,
And preached at, too....
But the more this happened,
the more that we grew!
"You can be anything
you want to be!"
This voice kept shouting out at me.
Yet who can we blame for such a daring approach?
That Special Friend I call MY COACH!
Jennifer Fontano (Mini and Tiny)
Jamie Raponey (Senior Red and Youth)

Jamie is presently coaching the senior red team.  Jamie has been involved with cheerleading for 11 years.  She cheered for Bristol Pop Warner, St. Anthony School, Bristol Central High School & USA Wildcats.  She coached for Bristol Pop Warner for 3 years, and all of her teams advanced to regionals.  She helped coach the Senior Prep Red team to 2 national titles last season and is a 2 time national champion herself (Senior elite, 2002 All Star challenge; Open, 2005 American Open).  She is a member of the USA Wildcat open team and also is safety certified.

Jen started coaching the USA Wildcat Minis in 2005 and our tiny team in 2006.  Every year our Mini team has accomplished numerous first place wins. In 2008 our minis won their first 2 national titles. She has over 20 years of cheerleading and dance experience.  She coached Kennedy high school of Waterbury from 1991-1998.  In 1991 they were runner-up in the Class L State Competition under her direction.    Jen is first aid and CPR safety certified.
Brittney Colagrossi: (Youth)

Brittney has been a member of the USA Wildcats since 2003.  In her first year cheering for the Wildcats they  captured one national title at WCA in Nashville TN.  Her 2nd year she cheered on our Senior Prep team where they captured 2 national titles at the American Open and Jamfest.  This past year in the 2005-06 season her team won 4 national titles in Indianapolis IN, Athletic Championships, American Open and Jamfest.  In 2006,07 and 08 Brittney has brought the youth team to 2 very successful seasons.  Brittney is a student at UCONN where she is is working on a degree in Fashion Merchandising.

Rob Boyles (Tumbling Coach and Senior Elite)

Rob started cheering in High School.  His gym teacher introduced him to All Star cheerleading in 2003.  He was hooked.  Rob taught himself how to tumble and then as he got into more competitive cheerleading he learned proper techniques from Manny at CATS Gymnastics. He has trained with some of the best All Star programs in New England including the USA Wildcats Senior Elite and Open teams where he cheered in 2006.  Rob also coached at Star Tyme All Stars in 2006-07 where his team won a few national titles.  He is now a tumbling coach for the USA Wildcats and also coaches the Senior Elite team.  Rob is USASF credentialed to level 5 in stunts, tumbling and tosses. He does choreography for numerous teams in New England. His enthusiasm brings so much energy into the gym.  Rob plans on coaching with the Wildcats for many years to come.

Victoria Goldberg- Tumbling Coach

Tumbling Coach-Victoria Goldberg-Victoria has been involved with gymnastics since she was 3 years old.  She started competing at the age of five.  She grew up in Valparaiso, Indiana.  Victoria made the gymnastics team for Valparaiso High School as a freshman.  She competed in Sections, Regional's, Semi-State and State competitions. Victoria was the captain for her high school gymnastics team during her senior year.  She went on to college where she taught cheerleaders to tumble and she, herself, cheered for Northwood University in Michigan.  Victoria graduated with a Fashion Merchandising Degree with a concentration on advertising.  Shortly after college, Victoria moved to Connecticut where she continued to teach gymnastics to all ages, infants to adults.   Victoria takes pride in implementing Claudiu Catalin Varlem's techniques as part of training her students.   Claudiu was a World Aerobic Champion and a gymnastic coach in Bucuresti, Romania. From 2003-2006 she owned her own Cheerleading Training Center .  Victoria has helped train many National Champions, not only gymnass, but also cheerleaders.  Victoria lives in Newtown, Connecticut with her loving husband, Dr. Scott Goldberg, as well has her 15 year old daughter Hanna.  Victoria is very happy to be a part of the USA Wildcats staff.  The USA Wildcat spirit has rejuvenated her energy.  She loves working with the athletics at USA and looks forward to a bright successful future.



Amy Butler- Youth

Amy Butler- Youth


Katie Card- Minis and Tinys

Katie started cheerleading when she was 8 years old.  She has cheered for the Waterbury Knights, SS. Peter and Paul School, Holy Cross High School, and this is Katie's 5th year on the USA Wildcats Open team.  She has been coaching for 7 years at the Pop Warner and Junior High level. Katie just graduated with a bachelor's degree from the University of Connecticut in Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in Early Childhood Education and Development. She plans to attend the University of Bridgeport to achieve her master's degree in Elementary Education.
Sherrie Gemmell: (Senior White)

Sherrie is presently coaching the Senior White team in our Waterbury gym. She joins the USA Wildcat staff bringing more than 25 years of coaching experience.  Her experience includes coaching teams in the Pop Warner program, middle and high schools, and all-star.  Sherrie has coached many of the teams in these programs to local and regional titles.  She is the former director of the Cheer Force Cobras where she successfully coached various teams to national ranking and titles in their respective divisions.  She remains active in coaching Pop Warner team and a local middle school team.   Sherrie is AACCA safety certified and has her NCA judge’s certification. She is also USASF credentialed.
Usaallstar@aol.com
e~mail Cheryl
coachleelee12@
yahoo.com
e~mail Leann
gcola31@aol.com
e~mail Gretchen