- April 20, 2024
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It may just be a husk of beams and metal surrounded by construction now, but the new Top Gun Orlando facility taking shape on South Bluford Avenue in Ocoee is bound for big things.
Although there is no definitive opening date set, the plan is to it be open by the fall — hopefully no later than November — said Roger MacClellan, who co-owns the gym alongside his wife, Anni.
And this new facility, which takes up 4.5 acres in Ocoee, will offer new programming and opportunities for kids throughout the area.
“First of all, it’s (tailor made) for the purpose of training athletes — cheer athletes and other athletes,” MacClellan said. “Its large, clear span — all one level flooring — allows you to do a lot more things with not having columns in the middle of the building.
“For our tumbling — a big part of cheerleading is tumbling — we have some real neat features (such as) in-ground foam block pits, in-ground trampolines and things like that that will attract kids,” he said.
Although training some of the area’s top cheerleaders will remain a priority, the gym will reach out to other athletes in different sports, and hold camps and other events that include sports such as indoor soccer and lacrosse.
Throw in the green grass lot to the left of the building, and Top Gun also has space to cater to kids who are interested in participating in field sports.
“(We’re excited) to be able to grow the cheerleading business, but also to have a place for kids — all types of kids — to do all types of activities,” MacClellan said. “Cheer will be a big function that we do, but cheer only takes up probably about 30% of the time in the building, so we are just excited to have an awesome place where kids can do all different type sports and other fun fitness-related activities under one roof, in air conditioning and in a safe environment.”
Finally, Top Gun will feature a new training room and tranquility room. The former will be the spot where kids can go to be treated for any type of injury, while the latter will offer a spa-like experience.
Along with the new perks for young athletes, the new facility also takes into account the parents as well, who now will have multiple viewing rooms in which to relax.
One of those viewing rooms will come in the form of a coffee shop-style café, so parents will be able to grab a snack and drink while they wait around. By offering more things to both adults and kids, it makes for a better — and more familial — experience, Anni said.
“It will just open up a whole bunch of new opportunities to feed the surrounding community,” Anni said. “We just really want to be a part of lots of kids’ lives — which we have been over the years anyway, but we want to branch out into more things than just cheerleading.”
The plan for the facility has been in the works for nearly two years, but the MacClellans didn’t close on the property until December. Construction started in February, after having to change zonings and take care of the small specifics required to get the facility approved months prior.
And as the construction work continues on throughout the next several months, Top Gun will continue offering its services in the facility located next to West Oaks Mall in Ocoee — the original location that opened its doors five years ago.
In the meantime, the MacClellans are sketching out ideas for the loads of summer camps that they’ll put on, which will teach kids more than just cheerleading and sports.
“One of our big things is just all the life lessons that come along with doing this kind of sport and sticking to it,” Anni said. “I just created a post about my daughter on my Facebook page about all the life lessons that she has learned in the last 11 years she has been cheerleading, and it is everything from just complete failure to the biggest of success in her cheer world.
“Just seeing kids reach their goal and being there for them when they fell, but celebrating with them when they succeed — those are just all the things that we want to be a part of in their lives,” Anni said.
