Let’s Talk Cheer: The Cheerleading Podcast For Parents & Coaches · Jason Larkins, Bleav

From Grounded to Groundbreaking: How Cheerleading Could Save Your Child’s Life

November 5, 2025·1 hr 4 min·5 clips

Jabril Ram fought to unify cheer rules globally and implement safeguarding to protect athletes from exploitation.

This episode of Let's Talk Cheer features host Jason Marcus interviewing Jabril Ram, a veteran coach, former event producer, and former IASF executive. Ram recounts how being grounded as a teenager led him to cheerleading, which fundamentally changed his life's trajectory. He details his early career, starting his own gym at 18 and later coaching for Vancouver All-Stars, which gave him an international platform. Ram co-founded the event production company ATC, which expanded across three continents before being sold to Varsity in 2017. He describes learning about standardized operating procedures and business discipline during his tenure working for Varsity. Ram later served as the Managing Director of the IASF, where he championed unifying international cheer rules and implementing global safeguarding policies. He highlights efforts to increase inclusivity, such as adding non-U.S. voices to advisory boards and providing world championship announcements in multiple languages. A surprising claim is that a major cheer company acquired ATC partly to control the strongest brand in the Pacific Northwest. Ram states his work to combine international rule variations was so important he "died on the sword for that one." He reveals that during his IASF role, he often operated by "asking for forgiveness" to push necessary changes through quickly. Ram believes the U.S. perspective often misunderstands how good it has it compared to the global cheer community. The conversation is casual and anecdotal, driven by the host's prompts and Ram's expansive storytelling. The tone is passionate and insider-focused, reflecting two veterans discussing industry history and reform. This episode is ideal for coaches, gym owners, or cheer historians interested in business dynamics and international sport governance. Listeners seeking only technical coaching tips or athlete-focused content might find the industry talk less relevant.

As heard by us

A rescue story that turns into a close look at how cheer gets governed.

A grounded teenager sent off on his bike to cheer tryouts becomes the emotional center here, and the episode handles that turn with a steady hand.

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Why you'd press play

Press play if you want Jabril Ram's punishment-to-purpose story and the unified rules and safeguarding work he pushed inside cheer.

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