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We are CERTIFIED in teaching Levels 1-6 for tumbling, stunting & tosses by the most prestigious company in the industry, the USASF (United States All Star Federation), as well as these certifications: AACCA Safety, CPR, & Stunt Training. We not only have a spectacular inner staff, we train every year with the nations best from across the country to bring more ideas & training from our outer circle of friends in the industry. With our wide scope of instructors we offer to our athletes top of the line choreography, the most updated skills, safe tumbling & stunting techniques, & current industry trends. Our Pride program was established in 1999, that’s a lot of competition experience.
WE ARE THE LONGEST RUNNING COMPETITIVE CHEER GYM IN THE PITTSBURGH AREA!!!
Our in-house coaching staff includes this experience:
Competitive collegiate cheerleaders, dancers and gymnasts
Team USA cheer competitors
Gymnastics judges
Cheer judges
Studio dancers
Cheer Worlds competitors
Dance Worlds competitors
Current school Teachers
Degrees in Exercise Science
Cross-fit Trainers
Volunteer fire “woman”
GYM OWNER & COACH – Chrissie Bianco
As owner and coach, Chrissie has been instructing cheerleading for over 30 years. She is originally from New Kensington, PA, and has 4 children, Justin, Ali, Mitchell, and Ava, all of whom can be found working at the family business in cheer or baseball. She met her husband, Matt, while cheering at the University of Pittsburgh. After coaching and choreographing for High School competitive teams, she started the Pittsburgh Pride All Stars in 1999. With her B.S. degree in Exercise Science, it is her passion to have health and fitness built into the teams training programs. She can be found coaching all levels in the gym from 1 to 6. She also coaches our CheerAbilities team. She is USASF credentialed, Safe Sport Certified, and CPR/First Aid Certified. She enjoys her new sport of golf and has 3 turtles.
Fun Fact: She loves nature and animals, especially lions, and is also a Leo. That is why we are the Pride!
ALL STAR DIRECTOR & COACH – Ali Collodi
Ali Collodi has over 20 years experience in the cheer and dance industry. She competed competitively in all stars for 17 years and competed at The USASF Cheerleading and Dance Worlds for 9 years in total. Ali attended and graduated from Morehead State University, where she won UCA College Nationals in both 2015 and 2016. Ali was also selected to be a member on The US National All-Girl Team and won two gold medals in 2015 and 2016. Following graduation, Ali has coached numerous Summit and Worlds finalist teams since 2016. She is an expert in stunt technique and loves bringing the collegiate look to the all star world. Ali has also worked for international cheerleading companies, All Things Cheer and PURE Technique Camps, since she was 18. She continues to work for these organizations and has gotten to travel to countries such as Australia, Norway, Finland, Canada, and all over the US to share her knowledge in the industry, instruct camps and clinics, as well as do choreography.
Fun Fact : Coach Ali loves to roller blade
TEAMS DIRECTOR & ALL STAR CHEER COACH – Jabar Cancer
Coach Jabar has been coaching competitive cheerleading for the last 26 years! He has coached for Pop Warner, Competitive School, and All Stars. He is also a 2 time Bronze Medalist Worlds coach and Summit Finalist coach! Coach Jabar has experience in all levels and ages from Mini-Collegiate divisions. He also Travels across the US for choreography and stunt technique camps/clinics. Outside of Coaching and cheerleading coach Jabar loves going to the beach and casino!
Fun Fact: Coach Jabar is from Schenectady, New York!
CHEER MANAGER, SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER, & ALL STAR CHEER COACH – Sema Konur-McIntyre
Coach Sema is originally from Leesburg, VA and has over 20 years experience in coaching competitive youth sports. She was an athlete turned coach who not only has experience in coaching, but is a former All Star Director and Gym Owner too! She currently is USASF credentialed, Safe Sport Certified, CPR/First Aid Certified, and a former Varsity All Star Judge. Sema is a Bronze Summit Champion as well as a Top 10 Summit Finalists Coach! She has many national titles under her belt as a former all star athlete. During her free time Coach Sema loves to cook, organize, take long hot bubble baths, and spend her free time outside in nature!
Fun Fact: Coach Sema has 5 siblings and her favorite color is orange!
TUMBLING DIRECTOR & ALL STAR CHEER COACH – Ava Welling
Coach Ava is the Tumbling Director at Pittsburgh Pride as well as an Elite Cheer Coach. She began cheering at Pittsburgh Pride when she was 4 years old. With Pride, she competed at The Cheerleading Worlds for 6 years and at the Dance Worlds for 2 years. She graduated from Indiana University of PA with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and a Minor in Economics. Coach Ava also cheered at IUP for 4 years. She was the captain of her team as well as the student coach of the program. She began working at Pride as a Junior Coach while in high school and has been coaching full time since graduating college. Coach Ava has experience coaching levels 1-6, choreographing routines, judging competitions, and running a variety of camps.
Fun Fact: Ava loves to run and go hiking
ALL STAR CHEER COACH – Lucy Baker
Coach Lucy has been part of the cheerleading world since the age of 6 and began her all-star cheer journey at 10 years old with Pittsburgh Pride. As an athlete, she cheered at Pride for 8 years and danced for 1 year, earning the opportunity to compete at The Cheerleading Worlds three times and The Dance Worlds once. Now as a coach at Pittsburgh Pride, Coach Lucy is passionate about helping athletes grow in skill, confidence, and character. With a deep love for the sport and the program that raised her, she brings energy, experience, and heart to every practice and performance.
Fun Fact: Coach Lucy also works for the Pittsburgh Steelers!
ALL STAR CHEER COACH – Juliona Bele
Coach Juls has been tumbling for as long as she can remember, but officially started gymnastics at 9 years old and started competing at 11. She competed until she was 13 and then switched over to cheerleading at Bethel Park High School. Juls started lessons at Pride the next year and fell in love with the gym!! Once she started coaching she developed a great relationship with the coaches and athletes here at Pride. Her senior year, she decided to try all star cheerleading and competed at Pride on Senior 6, Purple Reign. After having such a great experience, Juls decided to come back another year as a crossover to compete on Senior 5 (Beast Mode) and Senior 6.
Fun Fact: After spending so many years at Pride, purple has become her favorite color to wear. Coach Juls owns over 47 purple clothing items!
ALL STAR CHEER COACH – Skylar Clawson
Coach Skylar cheered for over 11 years, with experience in both school and all star cheer. She cheered for Trinity from elementary through high school and she was varsity captain her senior year. Skylar did all star cheer for 7 seasons and competed at the Cheerleading Worlds many times. She graduated from Ohio State University. She is beyond excited to get back into the sport she loves, but as a coach this time. Skylar wants to make a positive impact and support young athletes on and off the mat. She is looking forward to teaching, learning, and growing alongside the amazing athletes and staff at Pride.
Fun Fact: Coach Skylar is a Pitt student!
ALL STAR CHEER COACH – Lindsay Lang
Coach Lindsay has been a cheerleader her entire life. She started cheerleading in kindergarten and continued her cheer career all the way through college. She has coached rec cheer programs & led cheer camps within the community. As many of you may know, her daughter Cassadee is part of our cheer family, which is what made Lindsay take the leap back into the cheer world, this time as a coach.
When not at Pride, Lindsay can be found spending time with her husband and 4 children. Lindsay is also a fitness coach and loves to always be active or working out.
Fun Fact: Not only is Lindsay a #1 cheer mom, she can also be found cheering loudly at the baseball field every weekend rooting for her boys!
ALL STAR CHEER COACH – Mikellynn Tsangaris
Coach Mikellynn has been coaching all ages and levels of cheer and tumbling for the past 10 years. She previously was the head coach and director for Canon McMillan Cheerleading program for 4 years and a tumbling coach at KTA. Mikellynn cheered through her adolescent and high school career as both a high school and all star cheerleader and was Varsity Captain. She is a mom of 2 and Realtor. In her spare time she enjoys the beach and vacationing with her family.
Fun Fact: Coach Mikellynn used to work on Broadway theater in NYC
ALL STAR CHEER COACH – Sami Uram
Coach Sami has 17 years of cheer experience with All-Star. She also did college cheer at Slippery Rock university for 3 years, and in 2025 her coed team won NCA Nationals. She was captain of the Canon-Mac cheer team her senior year of high school. Sami is currently a senior at Slippery Rock University pursuing a Special Education Transition Degree. Coach Sami has a big love for this sport and is so excited to be on the coaching side.
Fun Fact: Coach Sami is left handed.
TUMBLING INSTRUCTOR – Jena Baldwin
Born and raised in the Pittsburgh area, Jena has been involved in the world of All-Star Cheerleading since she was 11 years old. She’s coached all levels and ages. Over the last 12 years Coach Jena coached for two different programs, Pennsylvania Storm and Pittsburgh Pride. She’s so blessed to be able to work with so many great kids and happy to have found a home at Pride. Her hobbies include home improvement and reading.
Fun Fact: Jena has 2 title belts in MMA and used to be a cage fighter! She also has a pet snake
TUMBLING INSTRUCTOR – Sherri Bayer
Coach Sherri Bayer has been in gymnastics as a competitor, now a coach, since the age of 8. She has enjoyed gymnastics as a professional being involved with choreography and competitions. Coach Sherri has been coaching gymnastics since the age of 19! She is a mother of 3 and knows the challenges facing today’s parents and the joys of seeing the hard work of our children pay off. Her hobbies include spending time with her family and giving back to her community!
Fun Fact: Coach Sherri is a volunteer firefighter at the Peters Township Fire Department.
TUMBLING INSTRUCTOR – Charlotte Graham
Coach Charlotte is 22 years old and a retired gymnast. Coaching is how she shares her strong passion for tumbling, strength, and flexibility training! Charlotte loves to spend her free time with her friends and family, as well as going to the gym.
Fun Fact: Along with coaching, Charlotte is also a hair stylist!
TUMBLING INSTRUCTOR – Mistydae Junko
Coach Misty has been teaching tumbling and private lessons at Pittsburgh Pride since 2015, but her coaching career began back in 1992. She has spent many years coaching both USAG and High School Gymnastics teams, and is currently an Assistant Varsity Sideline/Comp Team cheer coach at Upper St. Clair High School. As a certified PIAA/WPIAL Gymnastics Official since 2003, she also enjoys judging high school gymnastics meets. Coach Misty works as a Health & PE teacher at Moon Area High School. In her free time you can find her at USC and Pitt Football games with her family.
Fun Fact: Coach Misty’s daughter, Bryn, cheered at Pride for 11 seasons and is currently a cheerleader at the University of Pittsburgh!
TUMBLING INSTRUCTOR – Kaitlin Ruscello
Coach Kaitlin started competitive gymnastics at the age of 5. She was a level 10 J.O National competitor for 6 years and competed 2 years as a National Elite. She went on to get a full scholarship for gymnastics at the University of Pittsburgh, where she received a BS in Exercise Science and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. She has taught gymnastics intermittently over the years and has experience in sports specific speed/agility and rehab. She lives in Peters Township with her husband Brian and two children Roman and Vivienne.
Fun Fact: Coach Kaitlin was born & raised in New Hampshire.
TUMBLING INSTRUCTOR & JUNIOR COACH – Melina Burdelski
Coach Melina has been cheering for 13 years, and 7 of those years have been at Pride! She decided to be a “super senior” this year to get in one last year of cheer. Coach Melina started coaching when she was 14 and has loved it ever since. She also graduated from cosmetology school, and is a licensed cosmetologist. She looks forward to continuing to coach at Pride, and helping as many athletes as possible!
Fun Fact: She has 3 pet birds!
TUMBLING INSTRUCTOR – Mia LaMolinare
Coach Mia is in her sixth season with Pride. This season, she is a member of our U18 Level 4 team, Majesty.
Fun Fact: Coach Mia’s teams have placed in the top ten at summit twice!
TUMBLING INSTRUCTOR – Avery Maceachern
Coach Avery has cheered at Pittsburgh Pride for 8 years. She is also a member of her high school cheer team and is a senior this year. Avery has been coaching for 2 years and she loves it. She is excited to continue coaching here in the Lion’s Den!
Fun Fact: Coach Avery’s high school team won WPIALS and States this year!
TUMBLING INSTRUCTOR & JUNIOR COACH – Karleigh Marcischak
Coach Karleigh has been at Pride for 7 years, and on Purple Reign for 4 years. She has been coaching for 3 years! Coach Karleigh is a senior in high school.
Fun Fact: She has been cheering for 16 years!
TUMBLING INSTRUCTOR & JUNIOR COACH – Willow Mason
Coach Willow has been cheering for 10 years and 8 years have been with Pride. She has cheered in every position and loves tumbling. Willow can be seen coaching tumbling as well as our Mini & Tiny Prep teams. She is passionate about instilling confidence, teawork, and the love for cheer in athletes.
Fun Fact: Coach Willow has a chow chow named Bamboo!
TUMBLING INSTRUCTOR – Vivian Sliski
Coach Vivian was an athlete on various teams here at Pride for 5 years, and has been coaching for 2 years! She is also a member of the Upper St. Clair HS Varsity & Competition cheer team. She has been cheering for USC since she was in 3rd grade. Vivian absolutely loves working with younger kids and creating a fun and positive environment and introduction to tumbling for all ages!
Fun Fact: Coach Vivian has lived in 4 different places throughout her life.
TUMBLING INSTRUCTOR – Sofia Wittman
Coach Sofia has been cheering for 11 years and for 10 years at Pride. She is currently a Junior in high school. Sofia’s favorite thing to teach athletes is strong technique, confidence, and love for the sport.
Fun Fact: Sofia is a base on Beast Mode this season.
OFFICE STAFF – Gabby Bach
Gabby started working at Pittsburgh Pride in 2023. As a crucial part of our office staff, Gabby helps keep our business organized. She recently got married & lives with her husband and their 2 dogs, Leah and Gauge. In her free time, Gabby enjoys reading & thrifting vintage clothes.
Fun Fact: Gabby does not come from a cheer background, so this world is new to her and she loves being a part of it!
OFFICE STAFF & ALL STAR CHEER COACH – Alyssa Pitarys
Originally from New Hampshire, Coach Alyssa just moved to the Pittsburgh area! She comes to Pride with a strong background in cheerleading and the sport industry as a whole. Alyssa recently graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in Sport Management. She has been around cheerleading since the age of 5 and was an athlete for 17 years. She has been coaching consistently for 3 years. Alyssa cheered & coached at East Celebrity Elite Londonderry in NH. She also cheered on her varsity high school team and won a State Championship! Throughout college Alyssa was captain of her team, as well as a coach for all star teams, a high school team, and a middle school team. Outside of cheer, Alyssa loves reading & watching sports.
Alyssa can be found working in the office, coaching tumbling, & coaching teams in our Prep Program.
Fun Fact: Coach Alyssa loves golfing & snowboarding.
OFFICE STAFF – Chrissy Wittman
Chrissy has been working in the office since 2018. She has 4 kids – all 3 of her girls have been athletes at Pride, on both elite and prep teams, as well as taking tumbling classes and private lessons. Her youngest daughter, Sofia, is a current athlete on Senior 5 and coaches tumbling classes. She has an undergraduate degree in business from the University of Pittsburgh, and a graduate certificate from Oregon State University in business analytics. She loves solving business problems and staying organized by making spreadsheets. In her free time, she enjoys watching her son play baseball, flag football, and basketball, and traveling around with her daughter to cheer competitions for both all-star and school cheer. She lives in Mt. Lebanon with her husband, Tom, and their children Sofia and Luca. Her daughter, Maddie, is a sophomore at Westchester University, and her oldest daughter, Kayleigh, is a high school math teacher in the Philadelphia area.
Fun Fact: Chrissy loves softball and plays in an adult league a couple of nights a week.
OFFICE STAFF – Janelle O’Neill
Janelle graduated from Upper St. Clair high school and married her high school sweetheart (even though at the time they were just friends and both needed a date to prom). Janelle attended Pitt and is a pediatric dental hygienist. She has 3 children. Her son Michael played hockey growing up and at IUP. He continues to play in an adult league. His wife Lauren also played hockey growing up in Canada and played on the same adult league team with her husband before giving Janelle two granddaughters that she loves spending time with. She started as a parent of Pride back in 2003 for her two daughters Maddie and Monica and not long after that she started helping at the front desk. Maddie was on the 1st Pride cheer team to get to Cheer Worlds and Monica was on the 1st Pride dance team to get to Dance Worlds and she loved traveling and watching them compete over the years. Her love for Pittsburgh Pride and the Bianco family keeps her at the gym.
Fun fact: Janelle was on the 1st and only Pep Squad at Upper St. Clair High School for hockey.
OFFICE STAFF – Summer Barkley
Summer was born in Manassas, VA, grew up in Follansbee, WV, and eventually made her way to Bethel Park right before the start of her freshman year of high school. She graduted from Bethel Park HS in 2022 where she did game day cheer for 2 years. She is currently attending Penn State University as a Secondary History Education student! In her free time she loves reading, hanging out with friends, and watching SNL. You can strike up a conversation with her on just about anything; she’d love to hear all about it! Even though she only works during summers, she has loved getting to know the Pride family, and cant wait to see whats in store!
Fun Fact: She has 7 chickens!
