Avila Welcomes Julia Kramm as Head Cheer Coach

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Avila University Department of Athletics is excited to introduce Julia Kramm as the third head coach of the Avila University Cheerleading Team.

"Julia was everything we were looking for during this search for our new head cheer coach," Avila University Director of Athletics Shawn Summe said. "We look forward to having Julia joining our department and helping to solidify our Athletic Department staff."

A Missouri native, Kramm spent three seasons as a varsity cheerleader at the University of Missouri, gaining experience both on the gameday and competition side of college cheer. Her Tiger squads earned third place finishes at the NCA Collegiate National Championships in both 2018 and 2019, and she participated in numerous gameday events and traditions as a member of the SEC and NCAA. She was an All-State cheerleader at Glasgow High School on a team that won two Missouri state championships.

Kramm comes to Avila from Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, where she has served in the dual role of head cheer and dance coach for the last two seasons. At Southwestern, Kramm has helped to rebuild the Moundbuilder cheer and dance programs almost from scratch, expanding the rosters of both teams and getting them to a consistent level of competition at the conference and national level. Prior to that, Kramm was an assistant coach at Marquette High School in Chesterfield, and even has extensive experience working in the University of Missouri hospital system.

In addition to her experience as a coach at the high school and collegiate levels, Kramm also possesses a wealth of experience at the national level as an instructor with the National Cheerleader Association, one of the premier national cheerleading organizations in the country and, of course, the sponsor of the national championships that many schools compete in during the spring semester – including Kramm's former Mizzou squads.

She joined NCA in 2017 as a staff instructor before earning a promotion to head instructor in 2020, and has been a nominee for the program's top veteran instructor award three times. At NCA, she's in charge of many things including leading camps and instructing cheerleaders and teams from middle school through college, a prestigious role that has helped connect her to many athletes and teams across the country.

"I am very excited about Julia joining our Avila athletic family," said head dance coach and Assistant Athletic Director Cindy Freeman. "Her knowledge as a longtime NCA head instructor, a former Division I cheerleader at Missouri and a collegiate coach all will make her an incredible addition to our staff."

"Julia's experience as a member of the University of Missouri Cheer team during college, her experience as a college head coach and experience working with NCA will help strengthen our program and help develop our young women as cheerleaders and women," Summe echoed.

Kramm inherits an Avila cheer team that possesses plenty of history but now requires a steady hand to help steer the ship forward. Avila Cheer has a national championship in team history and plenty of success in both the gameday and competitive genres, and the Eagles believe Kramm is the best choice to help guide this team forward and help restore some of the great success the team has sustained in the past.