The Cheer Builder Story

Mary Murtha

Owner

Mary created Cheer Builder in 2024, to provide quality content at affordable prices. Mary founded Wildfire Dance Studio in 1980 and operated the studio for 40 years. During that time, she won numerous championships with her teams, in the genres of pom, jazz, contemporary, kick, and hip hop. Mary was named coach of the year numerous times and was inducted into the Americheer Hall of Fame in 2021. She continues to create visual choreography and unique movement as owner of Cheer Builder. "If you have the right choreography, any level of team can be successful."

Featured Contributors

Coach Claudia Ralph

Head Cheer Coach Princeton University

Claudia was a cheerleader for 14 years in both the sideline and competitive levels at the rec, high school and college levels. After graduating from Seton Hall University in 2020, she began coaching high school cheerleading. Claudia began coaching at Princeton University in 2021 and is in her fourth season with the Tigers. Outside of coaching her teams, Claudia is active in choreography, instructing and consulting cheer teams across the country in routines, game day, sideline and stunting. She also maintains her own social media, where she shares her passion for cheerleading with athletes and coaches across the world through material videos, highlights of her coaching journey and lifestyle content. Claudia also works in healthcare development outside of cheerleading. In 2021, she received a Master's of Business Administration in Marketing from Seton Hall University.

Theresa Duncan "Coach Dunc"

Top Cheer Talent

Coach Theresa Duncan, an esteemed leader at Charleston Southern University, has made a significant impact on the university's cheer program through her expertise, passion, and commitment to excellence. A former college cheerleader, Coach Duncan is a four-time NCA College National Champion, bringing firsthand experience of elite-level competition to her coaching. In addition to her cheerleading achievements, she is a former educator with a background in teaching science. Beyond her coaching role at Charleston Southern, she is the proud owner of Top Cheer Talent Gym, located in Charleston, South Carolina. Her gym serves as a hub for aspiring athletes, offering high-quality training to help cheerleaders at all levels achieve their goals.

Paige St. John

PSJ Choreography

Paige is the Assistant Coach of the University of Delaware Dance Team, and choreographs for a variety of studio, All-star, and nationally-ranked high school and collegiate dance teams. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance from The Ohio State University (2019) and M.A. in Dance Education from the University of Northern Colorado (2023). Based in Wilmington, DE, Paige travels as a choreographer and dance educator, both domestically and internationally. Her work as an educator has taken her across the globe, leading her to have either choreographed, taught, judged, or presented dance education and coaching seminars on five out of the seven continents.