Business: DuPage Valley Cheer
Location: Naperville
Phone/website: 815-733-1571, www.dupagevalleycheer.com
Owners: Becky Chiappetta, 40, and Whitney Day Polak, 40, both of Naperville
Years in business: Eight months
What does your business do? “The plan is to bring back a sideline cheerleading experience to Naperville youth. We’ve partnered with the Naperville Saints, the only tackle youth football in Naperville,” Chiappetta said.
What’s the back story? “When the Naperville Park District got rid of football, they also got rid of cheerleading. … It’s been over a decade. In fact, even our junior highs have gotten rid of tackle football. They’re in touch football. It’s a giant hole and a little scary as the mom of a football kid going into high school with no tackling experience until the Naperville Saints came back. They’re trying to grow their organization,” Chiappetta said.
Why start this business? “I was a cheerleading coach at Naperville Central for 12 years. In 2020 I decided to take a break. My kids were getting older. … Some of the Saints parents knew my background. There was a void. For the last two years, they were, ‘Becky, we need this.’ When I realized there was nothing for our youths who want to cheer, I took a walk with Whitney and pitched it to her. She is the yin to my yang. She’s the operations side of things,” she said. “I just want to spread the love of cheer and give everyone the opportunity.”
What did you think about Becky’s idea? “I was honestly really impressed with the amount of thought Becky had put through everything,” Day Polak said. “She thought through so many facets, how to structure it, how to get parents involved, how to reach out to different groups of athletes across Naperville. It was kind of a no-brainer once you think of the gap Naperville has in terms of recreational cheer. We both cheered in high school. We both went to Naperville North. We graduated in 2000.”
Do you work with the high schools? “Cheerleading is such a small world,” Chiappetta said. “We have gotten the best response from our high school coaches. They are coming out to help us, they are sending teams to teach at our mini-clinics. … We want to keep the lines of communication open with the coaches. ‘What techniques are you using? What kind of things do you want your athletes to be prepared for as they’re coming into your high school programs?'”
Are cheerleaders athletes? “Incredible athletes. The stamina. The strength. The flexibility. And they are dedicated. They represent their schools. They are walking advertisements. They are held at a higher standard than most people. Dedicated to their sport,” Chiappetta said.
How’s it going? “We are super exited,” Day Polak said. “We weren’t entirely sure what to expect, but we have 126 athletes for our first season. We were planning to do one squad per grade level but we have enough interest to do two squads in second grade and fourth grade. We (coach) second through eighth (grade).”
“It was more word of mouth,” Chiappetta said. “We went through the Naperville Saints families first. From there, friends and families. We want to make sure we get this inaugural year right.”
Can kids still sign up? “This season is closed, but we’ll be opening up for year two in January,” Day Polak said. “It will be wide open. We’re not going to set any limits.”
“It’s exciting. It’s also a little overwhelming,” Chiappetta said.
What’s the cost? “It’s $350 for the season,” Day Polak said.
“We’re looking into scholarships for families who may not have the funds,” Chiappetta said.
What should we know about cheerleading? “Competitive cheer and high school cheer are very different animals. High school cheer uses a dead mat. … Competitive teams use a spring floor like you see in gymnastics and they focus on one routine they compete with,” Chiappetta said.
What does a parent say? “I have a second-grader, Leighton, in the program,” said Christina Kitchel, 43, of Naperville. “(I am) very excited because it’s a low-pressure, family-friendly program. … It helps expose them to the sport rather than commit to a full-on competitive team.”
What does an employee say? “As soon as I heard Becky was doing this, I wanted to be part of this,” said Assistant Director of Cheer Kathryn Arneson, 24, of Naperville. “I think it’s amazing. I’m so excited to help girls develop a love for cheer.”
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “Don’t let your fear of the unknown get in your way,” Day Polak said.
“Go for it,” Chiappetta added.
If you know of a business you’d like to see to profiled in Down to Business, contact Steve Metsch at metschmsfl@yahoo.com.
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.