Cheryl Thomes - Owner, Director and 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. 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 8 years in a row, where they competed with the best of the best. In 2011 her team placed 13th out of 84 teams. In 2012 they placed 8th out of 86 teams. This is her biggest accomplishment and most fondest memory.
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 1996 and Who's who of All Star coaches in 2009 in American Cheerleader Magazine. The USA Wildcats hold numerous nationals 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 1992-2009.
​In 2009, SCSU won their first UCA National Collegiate cheerleading championship. She was also the assistant for the nationally ranked Quinnipiac University cheerleading squad from 2006-2009 and was the assistant acrobatics and tumbling coach at Quinnipiac in 2010 and 2011. Cheryl is USASF credentialed in levels 1 through 5.

Alyssa Farrington
​Cheer Coach

Alyssa was previously a cheerleader for the USA Wildcats from 2000-2010. She coached our Junior Elite team from 2005-2007 and our Senior Elite team from 2007-2008.
Alyssa's fondest memory was when her Junior Elite team won Jamfest Super Nationals in Indianapolis in 2006. After high school graduation, Alyssa cheered on USA wildcats open team in 2007-2008 season. She then danced for the worlds bronze medalist open hip hop team, ECB's Street Elite in 2009-2010. Alyssa returned to coaching at the USA Wildcats. She coached our half year team three years in a row, along with our Junior 1 team in 2012-2013.
​She is looking forward to another great season with the wildcats. Alyssa is USASF credentialed in levels 1-5.

Amy Benjamin
​Cheer Coach

Amy is USASF credentialed up to level 2. She has coached at the mini level 1, youth level 1, youth and junior level 2 since she started with us in 2007. USA started a half year team (now prep divisions) in 2010-2011 season, and she coached the team for 3 seasons. Her teams have won numerous national titles in there respective divisions.
On top of coaching at Wildcats she is also am the cheer coordinator for Ansonia Coppers American youth football and cheer, and has coached numerous teams at all levels to local, state, regional and national championships.
​She started out cheering for this program when she was 8 years old, coached and for the past 6 years has been coordinator.
Amy cheered at Ansonia high school for 4 seasons and also has returned to help coach over the last 5 years. This past October Amy and Jarvis were married. Amy has two children Jaxon who loves to play baseball and Ayana who is currently on our Mini level 1 and Junior level 2 team. Amy is very proud over her two children as they not only are into sports and activities but also do amazing academically!

Brittany Ziman
​Cheer and Tumbling Coach

Brittany is USASF credentialed in tumbling and stunting levels 1-6. She has been coaching All Star Cheerleading since 2007, and has been coaching at USA Wildcats since 2011.  She cheered for 11 years and has earned many National titles and a Summit Bid as a coach as well as a cheerleader in her youth, high school and all star careers.  Brittany graduated from Newtown High school and was the Varsity Cheerleading Captain.  She has also coached and choreographed routines for many AYC, Pop Warner and high school programs in Connecticut.  ​Over the summer, Brittany has worked for Camp Woodward teaching tumbling to athletes from across the country.  
Brittany has earned 2 college degrees, one in Early Childhood Education as well as a degree in IT Business Management.
When Brittany isn't coaching her teams, she is a tumbling coach doing Private Lessons and tumbling our teams.

Chris Duncan
Tumbling ​Coach

I can’t go a day without
Prayer

Favorite Motivational Quote: 
I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

Biggest coaching lesson learned :
Stay humble Stay Hungry

Best piece of coaching advice I’ve ever been given: 
Stay Positive

If I could coach any other sport besides cheer it would be:
Baseball or Wrestling

Describe our program in one word: 
Amazing

Courtney Finnegan
Cheer ​Coach

Gretchen Colagrossi
​Cheer Coach
Courtney has been a part of the USA Wildcats since 2003. She has won over 30 combined national and grand champion titles in her 10 years cheering for the program.
She has also competed with the Senior Elite team at The Cheerleading Worlds 4 times.
Courtney has helped coach tiny, mini, and youth teams at USAWildcats since 2007 and is looking forward to coaching in the program for many more years.
​Courtney will be starting her junior year at Western Connecticut State University in the fall, working toward a bachelor’s degree in psychology.  She plans to attend graduate school in the future.
Gretchen is presently coaching the USA Wildcat Senior Red Team and youth team in our Naugatuck 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 8 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.  Gretchen is USASF credentialed

Jamie Flammia
​Cheer Coach

Jamie has been involved in cheerleading for over 20 years. She has been a part of the USA Wildcats since 2001. She cheered for 3 years on our senior elite team and for 3 years on our open team. Before that she cheered for Bristol pop warner, St Anthony’s School, & Bristol Central High School. She coached Bristol Pop warner for 4 years. She began coaching for the Wildcats in 2004. During that time her teams have won numerous local and national titles as well as grand champion awards and many specialty awards. Her senior elite team placed in the top 10 at the 2015 cheerleading worlds. Jamie also does stunt, pyramid and routine choreography for many local high school, pop warner, and all star teams as well as some of our teams in our Naugatuck gym and our Windsor gym. She is AACCA certified and also USASF credentialed up to level 5. Jamie is looking forward to another amazing season with the wildcats!​

Jenna Raponey
​Cheer Coach

Jenna began cheering for USA Wildcats at 8 years old and has been coaching for the past six years. Her first year cheering she won a national title at AmeriCheer Nationals in Orlando.  She has won numerous nationals every single year that she cheered. 
Her last year cheering for our Senior 3 team she won 3 national titles, All levels & US Finals champions & numerous specialty awards & grand championships.
​Jenna recently finished college at Central Connecticut State University where she finished with her Bachelors in Marketing. She enjoys being able to coach alongside of her mother and sister. Jenna is also USASF certified.

Katie Card
​Cheer Coach

Katie started cheerleading when she was 8 years old and has cheered for Pop Warner, Junior High, Holy Cross High School, and the USA Wildcats Open team.  
Katie has been coaching since 2000 at the Pop Warner, Junior High, and High School level.
​She started coaching the USA Wildcats Mini and Tiny team in 2007. Katie has a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education and her master's degree in Elementary Education. She is first aid and CPR certified. Katie is also USASF Credentialed.

Kyle Colagrossi
Cheer Coach

Kyle started cheering for the USA Wildcats in 2007 at the age of 9 years old on the youth team coached by his sister. Since then he has won numerous national titles and was apart of the undefeated C4 team in 2014. He has competed at Varsity's Summit twice placing top 5 with his team his first year competing at the competition and has competed at the USASF's Cheerleading Worlds 5 times and has placed top 10 in the world at this competition.

Kyle currently attends school at Naugatuck Valley Community College where he majors in Business Management. He currently coaches Mini Level 1, Youth Level 1 and Junior Level 4. Between coaching and school he is also on our Small International Coed 5 team and teaches stunting lessons 6 days a week. On top of all of that he is the gyms stunt choreographer and does choreography for many high school, pop warner and college teams.

Kyle has been coaching for 5 years now. He started coaching in 2012 and has coached Mini Level 1, Youth Level 1, Youth Level 2, Junior Level 2, and Junior Level 4. His fondest memory is when both his Junior Level 2 team and Junior Level 4 team had gotten their first bids to Varsity's Summit!

Victoria Goldberg
Tumbling Coach

 Victoria has been involved with gymnastics since she was 3 years old, and began competing at the age of 5. Victoria had a private gymnastic instructor from Germany for three years. She grew up in Valparaiso, Indiana, where she made the gymnastics team for Valparaiso High School as a freshman. She competed in Sectionals, Regionals, Semi-State, and State competitions. Victoria was the captain for her High School gymnastics teams during her senior year. She went on to college where she taught cheerleaders to tumble, and she herself cheered for Northwood University which is located in Michigan. Victoria graduated with a Fashion Merchandising Degree with a concentration on advertising. After college, it was in Connecticut where Victoria learned many new techniques to teach gymnastics to all ages, infants to adults from her very special friend Claudiu Catalin Varlam, who was a Gold Medal gymnast from Romania. Claudiu was a World Aerobic Champion and a gymnast coach in Bucuresti, Romania. Victoria takes pride in implementing Claudiu’s techniques as part of training her students. She has also worked with Debbie Love, and of course Bucky O’Leary. Victoria has helped train many National Champions, not only in gymnastics, but also cheerleaders. She owned her own cheerleading training center for about four years. Victoria lives in Newtown, Connecticut with her loving husband, Dr. Scot Goldberg, as well as her daughter Hanna, and son Asher. She has been a tumbling coach for all the teams with the Wildcat family since 2006 and looks forward to every new season.