A Full Heart

Dixie Lollar Owens celebrates sixteen years of gymnastics and cheer at ACE of Jasper.

Words by Suzie Walton | Images by Al Blanton and courtesy ACE of Jasper 

For the past 13 years, a lot of heart, sweat, and determination has been poured out over the blue mat floors inside a gray Butler building off Highway 78 in Jasper. Banners displaying national titles line the walls to remind the young athletes why they work so hard. The simple building houses one of Jasper’s gems, ACE of Jasper, and owner Dixie Lollar Owens is living life to the fullest in more ways than one. 

Past the thick blue mats and the trophies strategically lined along one wall, athletes perfect their skills. As one young girl runs down the air mat with determination in her eyes, Dixie waits with arms outstretched to spot the young athlete as she bounds and flips. With Coach Dixie’s support, the girl’s confidence grows. 

Dixie has her hands full, literally. As owner of ACE of Jasper and cheer coach, she is fully invested in this sport. “I am there as the child’s teacher, encourager, supporter, and the one to prepare them for the next level,” she explains. “So much more goes into this sport than just the actual spotting of the skill.”

As the girl tries again with little assistance and rebounds, a wide smile crosses her face. “When any of my students perform the skill correctly, it thrills me to see their excitement,” Dixie says ecstatically. “I feel as though I have performed the skill myself.” 

For Dixie, who spent much her childhood with her dad and sister outside in the yard flipping, tumbling, and learning the scientific names of birds and trees, it’s a skill she very well could perform.

“We were just like everyone else then,” she recalls. “My sister would get out in the yard with me and spot me tumbling. I was self-taught. In seventh grade, I decided to try out for the Jasper Travelers cheer team, but I wanted private lessons.”

Maddox Middle School didn’t have a cheer team at the time, so Dixie tried out for the Park and Recreation team. She also asked Jill (Barton) Gamotis to give her private lessons. “I still credit Jill with helping me prepare and make that team,” Dixie laughs. “Once I made the freshman cheer team at Walker High School, I realized I loved being a leader and I loved teaching and helping others on the team.” 

Dixie didn’t stop with middle or high school teams but carried that love for tumbling and cheer into college. “When I graduated from Walker High School, I was the only one going to Samford University,” she explains, “so I thought, why not use the love I have for cheering to meet new   friends?”

That decision not only introduced her to several strong friendships, but also led to future opportunities. “In high school, cheerleading was not competitive like it is today,” Dixie says. “My high school team was an all-girl squad and was more about showcasing at pep rallies or games. When I arrived at Samford, I had one week to learn everything about stunting with a co-ed squad.”

After graduating from Samford with a degree in education, Dixie carried those lessons with her to Corinth, Mississippi, where she directed the YMCA’s city-run sportsplex competition cheer and gymnastics teams.

“Those were three great years, but I had just had our first child, and I was ready to get back home,” Dixie says. “My husband pushed the idea that I could do at home what I was doing at the YMCA while owning my own business. So, with the help of my brother-in-law, we found a building in Alabama and began the first of 16 years in this business.”

Dixie laughs when she recalls her first class opening in 2005. She says she hoped for at least 25 students but was pleasantly surprised when 50 students—double the turnout—arrived. “At that time there were no competition cheer teams, just recreational teams. Since that first year, we have grown to more than 200 students.”

Of those students, 15-18 went on to earn spots on college cheer teams. One of those pupils is Abby Housley, who now cheers at Alabama. 

In addition to spawning college athletes, ACE of Jasper can also boast a few titles. “We won the National Championship in 2017 at CheerSport Nationals in Atlanta, and won the U.S. Finals in Pensacola in 2017, 2018, and 2019,” Dixie says.

There is much more to keep her hands full and fill her heart. Dixie is the varsity cheer coach at Samford University and at Sumiton Christian School, where she also teaches science. 

“I am a middle school science teacher just like my daddy and my sister,” Dixie laughs. “I guess you could say it’s in the blood. I credit my love of science to my daddy, who always had us out in the yard, out in nature, telling us the scientific name of any bird or tree. I have so many great memories with him that I treasure since he passed.” 

With family, coaching, teaching, and living life to the fullest, Dixie has her hands full. 

That makes her heart very happy. 78