Supporting the developmental programs at your
school and in your community to ensure the future successes of your program.
Very rarely in coaching, does a team come along
with so much natural talent that as coaches we can just sit back and let them
shine. More often than not our talent
comes from hard working kids that learned by being on the freshman or JV
teams. In some communities, these kids
may have learned their skills on a youth team that fed into the high school
program. When kids play sports or
participate in activities, they want to be on the best team or the highest
team. Some kids are lucky and get to
start there, but mostly we have to start on the developmental team and work them
up to being on Varsity.
It can be discouraging for some kids to have to
participate on JV. As coaches, we need
to treat the JV team with just as much respect and adoration that we do our
Varsity. These kids are the future of
our program. If we keep them motivated
and excited about being a part of the ‘family’ then they will continue to work
hard to make the program better.
Unfortunately, some coaches treat their JV or Freshman teams as lesser
athletes and they lose them before they get to move up.
Here are a few ways you can keep them feeling good
about them selves:
Team Bonding
Have the JV and Varsity teams bond together. Have them work together on a project or
assign ‘sisters.’ This will allow the varsity to remember what it was like to
be on the JV team and they will help keep those kids excited. Keeping JV on the same level emotionally
with also help them with self-esteem and pride in their accomplishments.
Encouragement
Have your Varsity take time throughout the season
to support the JV cheerleaders. Have
them attend games as fans to cheer on the cheerleaders. Have them send notes and letters to keep
them feeling motivated throughout the year.
Involvement
Have your JV participate in some of the events that
are usually only Varsity. School
assemblies or performances, halftimes or pre-game for Varsity games are other
ways to keep them involved. They will
feel accomplished for being involved in the bigger events and it will make your
cheerleader as a whole stand out more to have double the amount of cheerleaders
on the floor.
JV-Only Events
Allow your JV cheerleaders to participate in a few
functions that are just for them. They
could attend a competition with a JV category or perform at a community event
that the Varsity is not attending. Our
JV Cheerleaders got participate in a parade and school carnival last year that
the varsity could not go to because of an away game. The JV cheerleaders had a great time and the varsity was able to
watch the parade from the sidelines and support them before getting on the bus.
If you are lucky enough to have a youth program in
your area that feeds into your school, work with those coaches. Let them know what is expected of the
cheerleaders and what you would like to see.
You could even go as far as having them attend some of your practices. Your cheerleaders could teach the youth some
of the traditional cheers and chants from your school and even the fight
song. It will make both programs
better.
The most important thing is to remember that these kids
are all really the same. School Spirit
should be equal regardless of what squad you are on. Varsity gets more benefits because they have the better skills,
but they are not better people.
Cheers,
*\o/*
CW3
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