Carissa Sawyers – Owner
Carissa Sawyers has been involved in the competitive cheerleading industry for over 20 years as an athlete, coach, program director, judge, and choreographer for both D1 and D2 programs. The desire to start her own event productions company was fueled by the opportunity so many others had seemed to miss: that is to create a more impactful competition environment which consciously strives to teach participants about leadership, leaving them feeling empowered and successful no matter how the rankings finished. Now, along with her husband Alex, Carissa is bringing her vision to life through Rise Productions.
Kaitlyn White
Kaitlyn has been in the cheerleading industry for over 15 years as a coach, camp and program coordinator, and athlete. Her passion for cheer comes from an early age as an athlete but the true passion began when she started coaching in 2011 as a summer camp instructor, where she traveled all over the United States. She loves to see athletes get excited about learning new things and achieving them. Kaitlyn brings lots of administrative work and customer service experience to the table. With her skills, passion and many years of experience with student athletes she creates opportunities for students to become not only a better all-around athlete but sets them up for success outside of cheer! In her free time Kaitlyn enjoy spending time with her pets, going snowboarding in the winter and to the beach in the summer. She enjoys traveling when she can whether it’s with her teams or on vacation.
Donna Lane
Donna has loved cheerleading since she was a child. She grew up cheerleading for county football and then in high school. After obtaining a degree in medical imaging she just wasn’t fulfilled and looking for something to reignite her spark. Since joining Rise Productions, Donna has loved every second of it and is passionate about connecting programs with the amazing events we produce! She loves to see young athletes succeed and do what they love with such passion. In her free time, Donna enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband, their two children, and their Sheepadoodle dog.
Christian
Christian comes to RISE with experience from every corner of the cheer and dance industry! Christian’s hometown is San Diego, Ca where he began his cheer and dance career. Immersed in the arts at Cal State – Long Beach, he continued his studies in dance and was a member of their cheerleading team. During summer he would travel and host skill building camps for teams all over the nation. Both of Christian parents have dedicated their lives to teaching, making his love for kids and knack for giving instruction second nature. These combined loves naturally gave birth to Spiritline Choreography, Christian’s award winning choreography company, serving gyms of all sizes across the US. Christian first worked three events, he is having a BLAST in warm-ups, at awards, and around the venue during competitions and is looking forward to counting the seasons and not the events!
Alex
