From Chaos to Calm: Supporting Cheerleaders After the NCA Dallas Incident
That weekend, the cheer world experienced something no team, athlete, or parent should ever have to face.
In what was supposed to be a weekend of high-energy performances and celebration, the NCA All-Star Nationals in Dallas took a terrifying turn. A false alarm about a potential active shooter at the crowded event triggered mass chaos, sending over 35,000 cheerleaders, coaches, and parents into a panic. The fear, confusion, and overwhelming distress of the incident left a lasting emotional impact on many, especially the young athletes who were caught in the middle. And the emotional wounds still linger for many of us.
I know because I was there and I’ll never forget it.
I wasn’t with my daughter when the chaos broke out. I was standing at the Fabletics story when I heard the screams and thunderous roars. I turned to check on my daughter, Thalia. In an instant, everything changed. Without skipping a beat, my friend Steph instinctively grabbed Thalia (my daughter) and her own daughter Delilah and took off running. People were falling, being trampled, frozen in fear, and hiding wherever they could. I locked eyes on my baby and ran as fast as i could after her. I saw the panic in her face, her mouth open, screaming, frantically searching for me. By far the worst feeling in the world, watching pur fear on your child’s face. Then a grown man, in complete panic, ran through Steph’s grip, sending Thalia flying into the stampede.
She was smart. She turned back and ran to Steph. She looked like froggie trying not to get hit by the frantic people running everywhere. Just as she reached steph, I caught up and grabbed her. We continued running, over walls, through crowds, across highways passovers, trying to make it to safety. I remember thinking about the weight of her backpack, hoping it might slow a bullet if it came to that. I remember being grateful my car was tactically backed in, ready for a quick exit. And I remember whispering “it’s ok baby, its ok” repeatedly to Thalia.
God was with us.
And Steph, you’ll forever be my trauma-bonded sister for grabbing my child like she was your own.
It was panic, pure and widespread, rooted in something deeper than just noise. And for many of us, it opened a door to fear that we’re still trying to close.
But amidst all that fear, I saw strength too.
Parents shielding their children. Coaches comforting sobbing athletes. Cheerleaders protecting the younger cheerleaders who were seperated from their parents.
Because that’s who we are the cheer community. Resilient. Brave. Unified.
But trauma doesn’t vanish once the noise fades. It shows up later, in silence, in body tension, in avoidance, in nightmares, and in moments when we don’t feel quite like ourselves. That’s why, after returning home, I knew I had to do something.
Wisdom’s Wellness & Consulting LLC lead a healing-centered workshop, not clinical or formal, but safe, grounding, and restorative, for the cheerleaders and their parents from Cheer Strike All-Stars. Together, we created space to breathe, reconnect, and begin to process what we experienced.
The workshop included:
Gentle mind-body practices to help calm the nervous system
Grounding exercises to help athletes feel more present and safe
Creative expression as a way to release what words can’t always capture
A team bonding activity that brought parents and athletes together, reminding us that healing happens in connection
We didn’t pathologize. We didn’t “diagnose.” We simply held space for feelings, for fear, for strength, for love.
As a Doctor of Behavioral Health, a combat veteran, and most importantly, a cheer mom, I’m not just speaking from a professional lens, I’m speaking from my heart. I’ve walked through trauma, and I’ve walked alongside others through theirs.
So if you, your athlete, or your team is still navigating what happened, please know you’re not alone. Whether it’s a quiet conversation, a shared breath, or a future gathering focused on healing, I’m here.
We can’t undo what happened.
But we can choose how we heal.
And we can do it together.
With love, strength, and deep gratitude,
Dr. Tracy Wisdom
Wisdom’s Wellness & Consulting LLC
