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FOE All Stars opens in Walker, offering cheer, tumbling, stunt programs and college pathways
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Summary
FOE All Stars, a new cheer and tumbling gym in Walker, opened after a rezoning process and drew about 400 people to its March open house; owners say spring training, tumbling classes and college‑pathway coaching will be the gym’s core offerings.
FOE All Stars, a new cheer, tumbling and stunting gym, has opened in Walker and is offering spring training, tumbling and stunting classes as well as a college pathways program, owners told the Made in Walker podcast.
"FOE stands for Family Over Everything," owner Tank Johnson said, describing the gym’s focus on building a supportive team culture. Tank said the facility’s open house in late March drew strong community interest — "last check, we had over 400 people come through the door." The owners thanked the community for the turnout.
Braden, the gym’s head coach and co‑director, described how he began cheer in middle school and later competed on scholarship. "I went from thinking I was just gonna do it on a dare to taking it all the way through college on scholarship," Braden said, explaining why the gym emphasizes both athletic development and mentorship.
The gym is offering a two‑session spring training program, tumbling classes run in partnership with Prestige Athletics, and stunting classes taught by FOE staff. Registration for the spring training second session runs from April 13 to May 15, and FOE plans tryouts in May for official all‑star teams. "We partnered with [Prestige Athletics] to offer some tumbling classes," Braden said, noting the partner coaches’ regional reputation.
Braden also said the club will offer a "club stunt" program — a sport he said recently achieved NCAA championship status and receives Title IX protections — and a college pathways program staffed in part by coaches who have college connections at Davenport, Grand Valley and Ferris State. "We have three college coaches on our coaching staff," he said, adding that the program is designed to help juniors and seniors find opportunities at the next level.
Tank described the facility’s family‑friendly features: a parent room with viewing area and projector, a high‑definition camera system so families can watch performances, a kitchen and a coffee station, and a conference room for private meetings. He said many athletes will train multiple times per week and the space was chosen to support families’ needs.
The owners said they worked with Walker’s Planning Commission to rezone the building so it could operate as an indoor gym. "The Planning Commission was great in hearing what we wanted to create," Tank said, noting the commission also advised them on matters such as parking during the winter months.
Owners said the location was chosen for regional accessibility: proximity to a major freeway allows the gym to draw families from Grand Rapids, Lakeshore communities and as far as Kalamazoo. Looking ahead, Tank said the gym hopes to be highly competitive in its classification and that success will be measured by athletes' personal growth as much as trophies.
The episode closed with hosts thanking Tank and Braden and directing listeners to FOE’s social channels for registration details and to the Made in Walker podcast for future episodes. Spring training registration and May tryout details were cited as next steps.
