Derek is 38yrs old and from Dallas, Tx. Close to there he grew up cheering for the prestigious Spirit Of Texas on there Sm. Coed where he won NCA multiple times as well as taking home many other accolades. Before finishing HS he was already ranked a Pro Level athlete. After graduating he moved on to Cheer Athletics where he continued to cheer as well as taking a spot on their legendary coaching staff to begin his work as a choreographer. During his years there he coached & choreographed his teams to dozens of NCA championships as well as winning 2 World’s titles in 2008 and 2009 with Cheer Athletics Pumas & Cheer Athletics FierceKatz. Derek is currently USASF safety certified levels 1-6 in tumbling, stunts, baskets & is also green lighted by the USASF. This will be his seventh season working as a full time choreographer for SPIRITFX.
Derek has been in the all star industry for over 20+years & has worked for numerous gyms around the country. His services has lead him to many top finishes at Summit, D2 summit, Cheersport, Worlds, NCA College Nationals and over a dozen NCA tittles. He has worked with high profile programs such as Stingray Allstars, Cheer Extreme, Cheer Athletics, ECE, ICE, Rockstar Cheer as well as many others. Choreographed for college dynasty’s such as SFA, OSU, & USC. Derek has also worked with some of the best H.S. around the country in the Texas, South/North Carolina, and Chicago areas winning several NCA championships as well as many State titles and top finishes.
Derek’s philosophy as a choreographer is to create “smart routines” hitting all elements of the scoresheet and to produce clean routines. While also creating “wow” moments, showing your teams strengths & hiding their weaknesses. Derek is known for his dances, fast paced & high energy routines, packed full of innovative elements with lots of movement & great use of the floor. His strongest attribute is that his outgoing personality and energy is contagious to all he encounters. So if you’re ready to take your programs choreography to the next level, Derek would be a great choice for you!
Below are a list of recent testimonials about working with Derek:
“Derek was better than expected. After years of dealing with choreographers who act like they are better than anyone…Derek was the opposite. He was friendly, patient, funny, and motivating. My girls needed that. They are not hard core athletes and before choreography I was afraid if they could hack it with a professional choreographer. Throughout the day, Derek made sure to incorporate our ideas into the routine. He remained focused and finished the routine ahead of schedule. Because of the hurricane we just experienced, I felt unprepared before choreography. Some of our cheerleaders had only received 2 weeks of training before choreography when I had planned for at least 4. I was amazed that Derek was able to immediately point out the weaker athletes from the more experienced and made it work. The stunts he gave us are pretty aggressive but I’m glad he didn’t water it down based on our current abilities.”
Coastal Athletics
“Loved everything, disliked nothing. Our instructors were humble, knowledgeable, friendly and hardworking. Our routines are better than they have ever been. I cant wait to put them on the mat.”
Dan Cotton, Owner of Oregon Dream Team
