Meet The Team
Julie Hutchens
Founder & CEO
Julie Hutchens is the Founder and CEO of Excite! Gym & Cheer, a multifaceted facility offering premier programs for tots through college athletes in gymnastics, cheerleading, and Acro. Julie's early passion for dance, music, and community involvement was nurtured while growing up in La Porte, Texas, where she worked at her father's Ben Franklin store and observed her mother's dedication to teaching piano. Her parents' commitment to community service instilled in her a lifelong value of helping others. Julie attended the University of Oklahoma as a dance major and was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta. Julie got her first experience at Kids in Action in Kingwood giving credit to Diane Havens who played a pivotal role in developing Julie's vision, teaching her how to creatively integrate sports, dance, musicality, and more into each class, maximizing the learning experience for every student. During a period of moving nine times in eleven years, she managed and started various preschool, dance and homeschool programs in Wisconsin and Tennessee, and then when moving to Dallas this led to the founding of Excite! in 2001. Married to Kevin since 1986, Julie is a proud mother of two, Nick and Alison, and loves spending time with her grandchildren, Hutch and Byrl. She has been honored with numerous awards, including the HV Mayor Award, Business of the Month, and Rotarian of the Year. She is a Past President and charter member of the Highland Village Rotary and an active member of the Flower Mound New Century Lions Club, the Highland Village Business Association, and the Flower Mound Chamber. Excite! has received recognition by the Town of Highland Village and other organizations. With over 45 years of experience in coaching and teaching dance, her passion for working with children and teams remains unwavering. Her vision has always been creating a gym that fosters lifelong friendships and a true sense of family ("Ohana") has become a reality, with former athletes returning to Excite! with their children and having a loyal staff, many of whom have been with the gym for 10+ yeas and some even 20. Julie's is proud that the gym has grown into a welcoming community cornerstone where athletes of all levels and ages can thrive. She absolutely credits her staff and is so thankful to all the families that trust Excite! with their kids. Julie Hutchens hopes her testament the power of passion, perseverance, and community spirit can move mountains. She is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of so many lives and treasurers every smile, story and laugh at Excite!. Just call her Mama J.
Directors
ALISON HOWARD
CAITLIN CRANE
Alison Howard is the Cheer Director at Excite! And is from Flower Mound, Tx, and has been a part of Excite! Since it opened as an athlete. Growing up she was a competitive gymnast through Level 8, and qualified for regionals twice and also won state on Floor and Vault. In 2001, she then decided to make the switch to cheerleading. She cheered at Excite! From 2001-2007 and cheered at FMHS during her high school years. Her senior year, she competed on the World’s team that received 4th place at The Cheerleading Worlds. After graduating high school, she continued on to Stephen F. Austin State University and was a member of their Small Coed Cheerleading Team from 2007-2009. She then decided to transfer to Hawaii Pacific University after receiving a scholarship to be on in their cheerleading program. She cheered on their Small Coed team and won two NCA National Collegiate Titles with them. Her senior year of college, she made Team USA ALL-Girl and received a Gold Medal with them at the ICU World Championships. In 2012, she graduated from HPU with her bachelor’s degree in Journalism. After Graduating, she felt it was time to come home and has been working at the gym ever since. During her time back, she has competed at World’s and has received a Silver Medal. She has also won 2 NCA Nationals Titles, 2 gold medals at All Star Worlds, and has received 2nd at The Summit as a coach. She currently lives in Corinth with her husband Eli, their two sons Hutch and Byrl and their dog Hercules.
Caitlin Crane is the Gymnastics Director and Acro Head Coach for Excite! Caitlin began gymnastics at two years old, but was in the gym with her sisters well before that! She fell in love with the sport and became an optional level gymnast. Caitlin also cheered competitively through high school and won several national titles, and went on to cheer at UNT, where she was the captain of the Coed team and studied Marketing. Caitlin has coached at Excite! Since 2012, and has coached all ages and programs. With experience coaching preschool classes, camps, a cheer team, recreational classes, and gymnastics team, she has a true love and understanding for all that we do at Excite! Caitlin is from The Woodlands, Tx and moved to the Dallas area in 2012 when transferring to UNT, and found her new home through working at Excite! Caitlin currently lives in Corinth, TX with her partner Stephen and their baby boy Easton.. She also has 3 fur babies—Marley, Luna, and Bear. She is involved in several recreational leagues, and loves to play games with friends.
PATTY MILLER
Patty Miller is Office and Billing Director. Patty has been a part of Excite! Gym and Cheer since 2002, as a parent of a cheerleader, team mom, Co-President and President of Booster Club. Before working at Excite! Patty attended Pittsburgh State University and has had various jobs to include EKG Technician, Mortgage Processor, Church Childcare Provider, Godiva Chocolatier (employee of the year 2008), Crossmark, Gurus 2 Go and many volunteer positions with church and children's schools. Patty has been involved with Highland Village Rotary and Women of Flower Mound. Due to her involvement she was Highland Village Rotarian of the Year both in 2019 and 2022.
WICAM SMITH
Wicam Smith is the Tumbling Director and an All-star cheer coach at Excite!, as well as Head Acro Coach! Originally from New York, Wicam was raised in Westchester County, just north of NYC. After graduating high school, he went on to attend the University at Buffalo where he earned a bachelor's degree in Communication. While at UB he was a cheerleader and competed with UB Cheer for the duration of his education. He went on to study and cheer at Hawaii Pacific University where he earned a degree in Human Resource Management. He was a member of the Large Coed Cheer team with which he won NCA Collegiate Nationals in 2011 and 2012. After college he took his passion for the sport and accepted a position at Excite! Wicam has worked with kids and been an educative administrator since 2007. He coached All-star Cheer part-time in both Western New York and Honolulu, Hawaii. He competed at the All-star level from 2013 - 2016 and earned a Silver Medal at the USASF Worlds in 2014. He currently lives in Lewisville, Tx and has family in New York, Connecticut and Atlanta, GA. In his free time, he really enjoys traveling, cooking, outdoor dining and swimming!
Senior Managers
BLAKE ALONZO
DESTINY STUDER
Blake Alonzo-Covington is the Pro Shop Manager and Cheer/Tumble class coach at Excite! Gym& Cheer. Blake Started cheer in 2009 at a former local cheer gym called Cougar Cheer where he won NCA his very first year! He then went on to win NCA Nationals 6 more times including 2 times as a coach at Excite! Blake also won a world championship title in 2012, and placed 4th at Worlds in 2016. He also won All Star Worlds with Stealth in 2022 and Coex in 2023. After high school, Blake went on to be a part of the National Cheerleaders Association, where he was a head instructor for 8 years. Blake who is originally from The Colony, Texas, continued to cheer at the University of North Texas, where he was the captain of the coed cheer team in 2014. Since then, Blake has been at Excite! Since 2013 and has made history with the gym coaching the first team to ever represent Excite! in finals at The Summit, as well as the first full paid bid to The Summit! Blake Currently lives in Watauga, Texas with his husband Dillon, and their 3 dogs Hunter, Ryder, and Parker.
Destiny Studer is the Marketing Manager and All-Star Coach at Excite! Destiny has been with Excite! since 2004, where she cheered for 10 years. She started coaching as a Jr Staffer and became full time after graduating High School. Destiny grew up in Bartonville, Tx and graduated from Guyer High School in 2014, where she also cheered for all 4 years. She has multiple National Championship titles as an athlete and coach. She has taken several teams to The Summit and has a 2nd place title from The Regional Summit. She has also won both gold and bronze at All Star Worlds. Destiny currently lives in Lewisville, Tx with her dog Stella. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, crafting, and working out.
Additional Fab! Staff
ALYSSA PALNAU
BETH ANN WAGLEY
Alyssa Palnau is a Cheer coach at Excite! Gym & Cheer. Alyssa started All-Star Cheerleading as an athlete in 2010 at a local gym for 2 years where she got cheerleader of the year two years in a row. In 2012 she moved to Cheer Athletics Plano and competed there for 10 years. In the 2018-19 season she won NCA and the Summit. In the 2020-21 season she won The Cheerleading Worlds and in her final season of 2021-22 she won THE MAJORS on Cheer Athletics Panthers. After this, she went on to compete in STUNT for Texas Women’s University for their inaugural year. She is now in school working towards her BSN, RN, CRNA, and DNP at Texas Women’s University when she is not coaching at Excite! Gym and Cheer. A motto she loves telling her athletes is “Don’t practice until you get it right, practice until you can’t get it wrong.”
Beth Ann Wagley works in the Front Office. Before working at Excite! Beth Ann attended Stephen F. Austin State University and taught in LISD for 30 years. She lives in Lewisville with her husband Jeff. They love spending time with their two daughters, son-in-law, and granddaughter, Haven. In her free time, Beth Ann enjoys reading, decorating for the holidays, and doing projects around the house.
DANE MAHIEU
Dane Mahieu is a Tumbling Coach here at Excite! He was originally born in Orange County, California before moving to Texas. Dane was Homeschooled throughout his high school years, and then attended Navarro College in Corsicana, Tx where he earned an NCA Title. As an athlete, he has earned 2 All-Star NCA Titles, and as a coach has earned 2 NCA Titles. In his free time, Dane enjoys Jeep Wheeling, PC Gaming, and camping. Dane was an athlete here at Excite! in 2012 and began coaching at that time too! He also has 2 children.
DANNI GRAY
Danni Gray coaches cheer teams as well as tumble classes here at Excite! She also works with our Marketing department. Danni was originally born in San Antonio, Tx and now lives in Ft. Worth. She attended Stephen F. Austin State University where she earned her degree in Business Management. Danni was a 4X NCA Champion, 2018 World Champion, globed 4 time at the Cheerleading Worlds, and won all star worlds in 2023 with Coex! She was also part of the Utah Jazz Stunt team. Danni has been involved in cheerleading for over 20 years and has been coaching since 2009. She was an instructor for NCA College Staff for 3 years. In her free time, she enjoys attending concerts and working on arts & crafts projects! She also has 2 dogs, a yorkie named Lilly and a frenchie named Lil Dog.
DARLA COX
Darla Cox works in the front office here at Excite! Darla was originally born in Dumas, Tx and now lives in Flower Mound, Tx. She has 2 sisters, Lisa and Sharla, and 2 kids one of which cheered at Excite! Before working at Excite, she attended Texas Tech University where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Finance. In her free time, Darla enjoys listening to music and dancing!
EVAN ARROYO
Evan Arroyo is a tumbling coach here at Excite! Evan was born in Lewisville, Texas and went to Lewisville high school where he got into cheer his sophomore year. Evan has been with Excite since 2020. He has been cheering for 4 years and is currently a freshman cheering for The University of North Texas. Evan is very knowledgeable about tumbling and passionate about sharing his knowledge to anyone he can. In his free time, Evan enjoys working on his car, skateboarding, and partner stunting/ tumbling.
DUSTIN DOSHIER
Dustin Doshier is a Tumble, recreational, and Team Gymnastics Coach at Excite! He started coaching in high school, and after high school attended Hawaii Pacific University. As a summer job he became part of the UCA staff. He coached through college, and when he moved back from Hawaii, came back to Excite! He is now pursuing a masters degree in counseling. Originally from Denison, Tx Dustin now lives in The Colony. Dustin’s favorite quote is “Whether you think you can, or you think you can, you're right!
JANET COCHRAN
Janet Cochran is a Judge/Coach. Before working at Excite! Janet attended the University of Texas at Arlington for a B.A. in Health/Physical Education, and North Texas State University for a M.Ed. in Physical Education. She coached high school gymnastics teams in Irving ISD from 1982-2012 and began judging in 2013 and currently holds a level 10 rating. Due to her hard work, she has won the 2009 Texas TAHPERD Health Educator of the Year and the 2009 THSGCA Women’s Gymnastics Coach of the Year. Originally from Cherry Point, NC, Janet now lives in Arlington, Tx. Her family consists of her mother Faye Bannan, brother Pat Bannan, cat Felix, and horse Sandy. Janet’s favorite quote is “Before you abuse, criticize, and accuse, walk a mile in my shoes.” - Joe South 1969
JOHNATHEN BAGGETT
Johnathen started off his competitive career playing football until being introduced to tumbling in high school. This led to his participation in multiple All Star teams. Johnathen ended up receiving a scholarship from The University of Central Arkansas with their Large Co-Ed team where he cheered for 3 years (1 large co-ed, 2 small co-ed). During this time, he was hired by NCA to travel around the country coaching athletes of all ages ranging from middle school to elite college level. He finished out his BS degree of Exercise Sciences before moving down to Dallas to attain his Doctorate of Chiropractic at Parker University. Johnathen also had the opportunity to cheer at the University of Louisville on their Large Co-Ed team. After a year of traveling back and forth between Louisville and Dallas, Johnathen decided to stay closer to home and cheer with Navarro College as he pursued his doctorate. Currently, Johnathen is focused on his education while also striving to apply his knowledge & experience of the body to aid his clients in reaching their personal goals.
LORI STEPHENS
Lori Stephens works in the Front Office and as a Checker in the gym. Before working at Excite! Lori attended Washington University in St. Louis and worked at Walt Disney World, Gymboree, and from home. She’s been involved in Cub Scout Leadership, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and was a Team Mom at Excite! for many years. Originally from Tulsa, OK, Lori now enjoys reading, going to movies with friends, and traveling with her husband.
KEVIN BATES
Kevin is happy to be back coaching for Excite once again! He began coaching in 1989 and has coached men's and women's competitive artistic gymnastics, competition tumbling and trampoline, and every manner of recreational gymnastics and tumbling. Kevin previously coached at Excite from 2004-2007. "Stepping back in the gym at Excite has felt like coming home and I am so happy to be working with a top-notch staff and talented athletes once again."
MORAYNA JOHNSON
Coach Mo is a cheerleading and Tumble coach here at Excite! She began All-Star cheerleading at Excite! in the 6th grade. Went to Missouri Valley College for one year and moved back home to attend Texas A&M Commerce. She is currently working on a degree in Kinesiology. Coach Mo has been working at Excite! for two years now and wants to coach for a living. Coach Mo has a son who she plans to teach her ways with the cheerleading world.
SCOTT INMAN
Scott was born Hawaii and grew up military which moved him all around the country. He now resides in Dallas. Scott started cheering 12 years ago and cheered in high school as well as college. He has been a part of various competitive programs and won NCA All Star Nationals in 2019, 2020 & 2021. He also won the Cheerleading Worlds in 2021!
TAMMY HENTZEN
​Tammy Hentzen works in the office part time. She is from Louisiana but has lived in Flower Mound for 20 years. She has been a part of Excite since the beginning. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family.
TIA JACKSON
Tia Jackson is from Fort Worth, Texas and has been involved in cheerleading for the last 17 years. She spent several years as an all star cheerleader before cheering at Fossil Ridge High School where she made Varsity as a freshmen. She went on to cheer at Stephen F. Austin State University where she became a collegiate All American and competed for 4 years. She has experience working for the National Cheerleaders Association and Precision Choreography Camps. In her free time she loves reading, drawing, and playing with her nieces.
SYDNEY WILLIAMS
Sydney Williams is a coach here at Excite! She began competing in All-Star cheerleading at Excite! in 2013 and went on to Sam Houston State University where she was a Cheerleader on the All Girl Team. She was on the team from 2015-2019 and in 2018, she became a Collegiate National Champion. In 2019, she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology. Since then, she has been working at Excite! full time. She lives in Lewisville Tx with her dog Piper.
TAUSHA MCNACK
Tausha McNack is in the Front Office and oversees the Girl Scout badge training for troops. Before working at Excite! Tausha attended Rockhurst University, worked in the accounting department at a mutual funds company and at a computer company. Tausha also opened a daycare that successfully ran for 8 years. Originally from Kansas City, MO, Tausha now lives in Denton, TX with her husband Keith where they have raised three children, Breanna, Brandon and Brooke. Tausha has been with Excite for 9 years and her daughter, Brooke, cheered for Excite for 8 years. Tausha’s favorite quote is “There are no limits to what you can accomplish, except the limits you place on your own thinking.
TIA TRAVIS
Tia Travis is a gymnastics coach for Excite! Gym & Cheer. She was born in Tallulah, Louisiana and moved to Texas shortly after she was born. She began gymnastics at the age of 10. She trained and competed for about 6 years and won multiple state titles. When Tia was a sophomore in high school she began cheerleading at The Colony. She continued for the next 3 years and was the varsity captain her senior year. Tia cheered for and graduated from the University of North Texas with a degree in Kinesiology. She competed at college nationals in Daytona in 2018, 2019, and 2021, winning 1 first place title. She was also an NCA staffer for 6 years. In the spring of 2017 Tia competed with Excite! as a cheerleader on Passion and began working as a coach in October of 2019. She currently lives in Lewisville, Texas and she has a labradoodle named Leo. Tia loves to travel, eat Cajun food, and have fun with her friends and family.
TIFFANY PARKER
Tiffany Parker is a Tumble Coach at Excite! She was born in and currently resides in Dallas, Tx. She has an older sister, an older brother who is in the U.S. Navy, and her husband Matt. Before Excite, Tiffany graduated high school in 2008 and went on to cheer at Trinity Valley Community College and graduated in 2011. She then went to cheer at Tarleton State University and graduated in 2014 with her Bachelor's of Science. Tiffany has been a tumbling coach for 4 1/2 years, but before was a part of NCA Staff for 10 years. As an athlete, Tiffany has received a multitude of awards such as: Best Attitude, Most Improved, Best Tumbler, Best Jumps and is a 7X NCA National Champion and a 2X World Champion. In her free time, Tiffany likes to hike with her 3 dogs, and enjoys working out!
In Loving Memory
MARK RAGAR
Mark Ragar was a gymnastics and tumble coach at Excite!. Before coaching at Excite! Mark attended the University of Arkansas Little Rock and has worked with Pine Bluff School of Gymnastics, Lewisville Gymnastics Center, with National High School Teams Caroline Corkey and Wendy Cannon, and Irving High School. Due to his hard work, he won 2X Region 1 Coach of the year, 3 state championships with Pine Bluff, AR, Mark resided in Flower Mound Texas with his wife Karen. Together they have two sons. Mark's favorite quote was "We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." - T.S. Eliot.
