Diamond Xtreme Allstars hopes to curb youth crimes through cheers

The family of Dnea Robinson is great, especially because they train the 80 children they train in their cheer fitness studio, Diamond Xtreme Allstars.

Diamond Xtreme Allstars sits from the North Reilly Road in West Fayetteville and offers young people cheerleading programs such as tumbling and stunts for children that start at the age of three. The gym also has an all-star team of the club that competes across the country.

Diamond Xtreme Allstar is Robinson's way of returning something to the community and offering children the space to train and keep out of difficulties. In recognition of this work, the gym received one of Fayetteeville's urban micro-grant program grants, which focuses on reducing crime.

“When I think of youth crimes, I think of children who have nothing to do. I think of children whose parents work all the time. They are often alone at home and they don't get much attention. Children find things in these situations that they can go into,” said Robinson. “Diamond Xtreme Allstars offers children the opportunity to be part of something that is needed.”

Calculate and inspire

At the end of March, Diamond Xtreme Allstars received $ 2,500 the second highest amount of funds that were given in the city's program. The money supports the scholarship program of the fitness studies, the Elevate and Inspire, and helps families to pay enrollment, courses, competitive fees and equipment such as shoes and uniforms.

Cheerleading is an expensive sport that, depending on the team, costs between hundreds to thousands of dollars for a season for a single athlete. Robinson created the scholarship so that each of the young people from Fayetteeville can become cheerleaders.

“We wanted to create an integrative jubilee program that should remove the financial and accessible barriers to ensure that all children can take part, regardless of their background or their skills,” said Robinson.

Robinson said the micro-grant would support up to 20 athletes as required. Families apply for the Elevate and Inspire scholarship, and Robinson and their coaching team evaluate every application to determine what should be financed. The only costs that the scholarship does not cover are travel expenses and family viewers for competitions.

“If you want your children to be here, I want your children to be here,” said Robinson. “We'll find out. We will get it up.”

Diamond Xtreme Allstars had 10 scholarship athletes last season. A child came to Fayetteeville last year after he had fled her mother from Ukraine, said Robinson. Another lost her father to cancer. The scholarship helped a mother to hunt her six daughters.

“The more children we can affect and affect, and we have the feeling that we help our part to prevent another child on the street from doing something that they do not do or are part of a crime or are victims of crime because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time,” said Robinson.

While the overall crime in Fayetteeville has dropped this year compared to January to March last year, data from the Fayetteeville police department show an increase in murders by 366%. Incidents such as Gunfire near the Dogwood Festival 2025 on April 26 and in front of a carnival in Fayetteeville last month, in which a 12-year-old girl was shot and injured, prompted Fayetteeville Mayor Mitch Colvin, “New Laws” to counter gun violence in the city.

The laws that are to be discussed at a special meeting on May 5 include a city -wide curship for unattended minors and harder punishments for the non -compliance with parents.

The data from the Fayetteeville police authority this year show a slight decline in the incident reports of youth crime compared to January to March 2024. However, the number of crimes with weapons and attacks has increased.

Promote community

Robinson teaches more than cheers and plunges at Diamond Xtreme Allstars. She also teaches about community service.

Children from the jubilee programs of the gym visit veterans from the Department of Veteran Affairs. They collect clothes, shoes and blankets for homeless people. The children buy gifts from the Angel Treee program one program from Walmart and the Salvation Army, which every year offers children with low incomes.

“That is our way of returning the community,” said Robinson. “We explain the purpose of the children why we do these things.”

The goal is to teach young people how to be fully functional residents of Fayetteeville and good Samaritan of their community, said Robinson.

In the gym, Robinson and her coaching team illustrate the same caring attitude. Trainers discourage every clique and exclusive behavior. Robinson meets with every child at the beginning and at the end of every season to discuss his goals.

The care of the trainer staff is extended to families. According to Robinson, Diamond Xtreme Allstars is a family -oriented gym that works with guards to ensure that cheering can remain a stable part of her young athlete's life, no matter what happens at home.

“I saw families through financial problems. I saw families through health and difficulties and shifts in houses – everything that happens very often in our society,” said Robinson. “If something is the first to start a family budget, it is usually something to do with children. I always had the feeling that this could do something to give something back and lose this burden.”

CityView reporter Morgan Casey is a Corps member with Report for AmericaA national utility that brings journalists to local newsrooms. Morgan's reporting focuses on problems in healthcare in and around Cumberland County and can be supported by The news foundation of Greater Fayetteeville.