Keeping The Spirit ALL YEAR!

Tryouts in May, Camp and Practices in July & August, School, and Football Games run from September to November, Winter Tryouts in November, Basketball Games, and Competitions from December through March. Nine months is a LONG time to keep kids motivated.  Even longer if you don’t have the second tryout in November.  Keeping your athletes from getting bored is an art!  There are many, many ways to help them stay motivated and excited all year long.  Here are just a few.

No Cheering Allowed!

No Cheering Allowed

For one practice each month, have a team outing or gathering that has nothing to do with cheerleading.  Go bowling, roller skating, or have a team dinner and watch funny movies.  Have a rule that they are not to talk about cheerleading or wear anything cheerleading related.  It will be a bonding experience for them.  Play a game that is a variation on the baby/wedding shower game.  Give each girl a necklace or a pin and if anyone is caught saying the word Cheer, they lose their item.  The cheerleader with the most collected items wins.

Themed Practices

Have dress-up days.  One day we had a day where the cheerleaders had to wear the t-shirt of a different school to practice.  It could be any school, but they were not allowed to wear our school colors!  You can have superhero days, idol days, color days, etc.  The limits are endless.  Just make sure that they are safe for practice.

Team Bonding 

Have team bonding activities at least once a week at practice or instead of practice.  There are a million different bonding activities that range from mushy to sappy.  You can play games that force them to work together.  Sit in a circle and talk about things, such as; Why are you here? Why do you appreciate the person next to you? What is your favorite commercial? Etc?

Community Service & Volunteering

If they can work together off the field they will be amazing on it.  Taking time away from cheer to help others and spread kindness can really help to motivate a stagnant team.  It gives them goals to work toward that are not skill based and are very attainable.  This section is brought to you by the letter C.

Weekly Praise

Weekly Praise

Choose a stuffed animal or a trophy to give out to a cheerleader each week.  This traveling trophy can be a source of motivation.  Give it out to the best all around cheerleader from the week.  They take turns with it and on Friday when the new winner is announced they can ceremoniously hand it over.  Take a picture of each week's winner and make a collage at the end of the year.  If your mascot doesn’t lend to a good animal or trophy you could use a stuffed COW.  For Cheerleader of the Week!

Rotating Captains

Until your team votes or your captains are chosen you could have a captain for a day.  The daily choice can lead stretches, take turns calling chants, choose the dance or material to work on that day.  They could even take turns teaching the team material or bringing the team a snack.  You may like this setup so much you will keep it all year long!

Team Journal

Each week, sit down with a notebook and your team and have them contribute comments, notes, anecdotes, and stories from the week.  Have someone write them all down and then journal them.  At the end of the season put them together and give a copy to team members to remember the season.  You could also do this with a Video Journal.  You could film throughout the week and at the end, they could each take turns talking about the week.

Material Update
Take a look at your chant lists for both Football and Basketball.  Are you in need up updating them? Take some time in between seasons to review and remove any that are no longer effective, or simply not fun.  You may have some football chants that you can change up the words to and carry into basketball.  You could break your team into small groups and have them come up with one revision and one new chant. Then they all could take turns teaching their chants.

When trying to motivate your cheerleaders, make sure you stay motivated too.  Your enthusiasm for the sport carries through to your team.

Cheers!

*\o/*

CW3

Surviving Cheer Tryouts as a Coach

How to survive cheer tryouts as a coach.

Tryouts are an exciting, albeit stressful time of the year.  The athletes are excited, worried, and nervous.  For the coaches, it is all of those things plus the stress and pressure of assembling a team.  It is not easy to stand in front of someone or a group of new people and perform material that you are not familiar with.  If you are a coach, it is not easy to judge people on their abilities without hurting feelings.  Unfortunately, it is unavoidable.  The best way to get through the process is to remember the feelings of the tryout candidates and make it as easy on them as possible.  Make it easy on yourself by getting organized, writing out a checklist and staying on top of it. 

There are many ways to run your tryout.  Here are some ideas.

DVD-Tryout-Judges

Many cheer companies send try out material on a DVD and include music each year.  If you are not receiving these, you can go on to www.varsity.com and request them.  On these DVD’s are dances, cheers, and chants.  You can make copies of these and distribute them 1-2 weeks in advance of the tryouts.  Have the tryout packets available, when the candidate turns in their tryout packet they receive a DVD.  The sooner they get the packet, the more time they have to work on the material.  For the actual tryout, it can be 1 or 2 days depending on how much time you want to review with them.  Teach motions, jumps, tumbling, and review the material from the DVD.  At the end, of the 2^nd day have the cheerleaders perform for judges. 

Clinic-Tryout-Judges

Host a tryout clinic for 2-3 days.  During this time, teach all the material that the cheerleaders will need to know and perform on the Tryout day.  At the end of the clinic have a “mock” tryout where the cheerleaders get to practice trying out in front of their peers.  At the actual tryout, the athletes will perform in small groups in front of judges.

Coaches Evaluation

This is a lot like the Clinic-Tryout-Judge form for tryouts only at the end of the clinic the coaches make the decision on their team.  Bring in outgoing seniors or other helpers to teach the material so the coaches can watch and evaluate progress, performance, and attitude.  See how well they take direction and how quickly they learn.

Video Tryout

This is again like the Clinic-Tryout-Judge form for tryouts only at the end of the clinic the candidate’s tryout in front of a camera.  The coaches can then take the camera and review it with other coaches or by themselves to make their decision.

Clinic-Judges

A more difficult form of the tryout is one where you would host a cheer clinic for 1-2 days to teach all the skills and drills necessary to become a cheerleader.  You would also teach the candidates a dance, a few cheers, and chants.  They athletes would then have 1-2 weeks to make up their own original material to perform for judges at the tryout.  This tryout does not work well in areas where the cheer team has a high turnover rate.  It tends to scare away some newer athletes.  This works best in programs the draw quite a bit of talent each year, or in programs where the choreography is student-lead.  It does allow the coaches to test dedication and creativity. 

Once you have decided on how you want to select your team the planning starts.

About 8 weeks before set the date for the clinic and the tryouts and reserve all facilities.  Make sure that you check with your admin and the school calendar to avoid conflicts with exams, prom, spring break, etc.  Make considerations for those students who might also participate in other activities, sports, drama, and leadership.

At 6 weeks out, contact your judges.  Let them know the dates and times along with any requirements you have for them.  If you are issuing a check to them, check any requirements from your school and district.

4 weeks – publicize the dates and times for tryouts.  Post in the school newsletter, website, local paper.  Hang flyers in high traffic areas and on bulletin boards.  If it’s allowed, get the tryout information to your feeder middle schools.  Post signup sheets and packets in the office or at your classroom. 

With 2 weeks to go have a tryout meeting for anyone who is interested in trying out.  Invite parents to attend.  Review expectations, fundraising, fee requirements and what to expect at tryouts and during the season.  If you are using outgoing seniors, start assigning duties.  When delegating, be selective about the jobs you assign.  Possible jobs could be teaching the material, running warm-ups, playing music, and organizing groups.  Be aware of relationships between outgoing students and returning cheerleaders.

The week prior get all your forms in order and make copies of judging forms.  Send out copies of the forms to the judges so that they can familiarize themselves.  Give any directions or last minute requests to judges.

The week of tryouts, start gathering paperwork from the cheer candidates and verify eligibility.  Pick up the judges checks, or make final arrangements.  Check on the sound system and any other things that require set-up with the facility director.

On the first clinic day, review all requirements and expectations.  Take a picture of the candidatures to help remember them when you are reviewing your notes.  Take attendance and collect any medical releases. 

Each clinic day, take roll and monitor progress.  If you have a large group of candidates, assign numbers and take notes.  Be available to answer questions and make decisions.

On the day of tryouts, meet early with your seniors and helpers to give last minute direction.  Provide snacks and refreshments for your judges.  Meet with the judges and distribute score sheets, pencils, calculators, scratch paper, etc.

Close your tryout except for judges and helpers.  Make sure there are no distractions.  If you are videotaping, make sure that the lighting is good and your groups are all visible.  Keep your groups to 2-4.  This is easier for the judges. 

Announcing the team

Announce the results as soon as possible to help avoid any concerns of unfair scoring.  When telling the students who made the team, do it in person or with an individual phone call.  They have just worked hard and performed for your approval you should at least tell them personally how they did and what they can work on for next time. 

During the process, remember what your goal is.  You are trying to assemble a group of cheerleaders that will BEST represent your school and program.  Sometimes kids just simply do not fit.  Do your best to keep a level head.  Once you have finalized your roster, enjoy your season!

*\o/*
CW3

Ten Tips for Tryouts

Ten things the Cheer Coaches REALLY want to see.
Cheerleading is not a sport that you can just jump right into and be great.  It takes some time to learn the techniques and nuances.  Each coach and each program are different.  Use these tips to get to know the coach and program and to understand what will be expected of you.  

Take all the opportunities offered to you.

Coaches offer parent meetings, information meetings, and open gym time for you to be the best cheerleader you can be.  They do it so that you can be prepared for what is expected of you and have a great experience.  Take advantage of it.  While most of the coaches love working with their teams, it can be frustrating when only one or two students is participating.  Those that do participate will have the shown dedication that others did not.  Coaches will have the opportunity to get to know the participants that attend and they will have a better chance of making the team.

Ask questions.

When you attend a meeting or an open gym, ask questions.  The coaches would rather you ask and show an interest in what you are doing then have you wander lost.  If you are unsure of a rule, where to be, what to wear, how a skill is done, anything.  Really, they don’t mind the questions.

Know what is expected of you at Tryouts. 

This shouldn’t be a problem if you have read the handouts and asked questions at the meetings and open gyms.  If you are expected to dress a certain way, show up at a certain time or hand in paperwork on a certain day – do it.  Coaches have things they need to do to stay on track and keep the program running smooth.  If you forget your paperwork it means the coach cant do their job.  If you are late to tryouts or practice, you are holding up the rest of the team or you are missing out.  Coaches do not want to have to repeat announcements or instructions to people that were not prepared.

Dress for the part.

Cheerleaders are a highly visible group at any school.  Typically, they are seen at games, assemblies, open house, parent night, orientation, the list goes on.  Coaches do not what their team to be messy or look like they just rolled out of bed.  Before any tryout practice, make yourself look ‘game ready.’  

• Hair - do your hair how the coach prefers. Make sure that it is brushed and not just thrown up lazy style.
• Wear a little makeup – just a little.  Mascara, eye shadow, and lip-gloss are fine.  Coaches want you to look like your ready to participate.
• Neat and clean clothing – wear clothes that fit.  Your clothes should not be baggy.  It is distracting and unsafe when stunting and tumbling.  You also want to skip clothes that are too tight.  You need to look comfortable and be able to move freely.

Be on time.

This should be simple, but very important!  If you are supposed to be at practice at 3pm, be there.  Coaches probably want to start on time so that they can get the most out of practice.  Being late means that you are missing what the coach needs you to know or warm-up.  If you do have to be late, let the coach know. Call or send a text (if that is allowed). DO NOT tell your friend to tell the coach that you will be late.  It is not your friend’s job to be your messenger.

Good attitude, Help each other and be a role model.

This is probably one of the most important things coaches want to see.  Cheerleading is not easy for someone that is just starting out.  There is a lot to remember and they know that.  They want you to give it your best shot each practice and be positive.  If you don’t get it the first time, it will come.  If you see someone struggling, help him or her.  Work through it together.  Coaches want to see you off to the side helping and encouraging each other so when they ask you to perform something you don’t stare blankly at them.  If you are a returner, be a role model.  They know that you already know some of the material, don’t take that time to chat with your friends.  Chances are you could use the work too. 

Know the material.

You are taught material during tryouts that will be a sample of what you will do during the season.  You need to practice this material.  Don’t just expect that the time you spent at practice is sufficient to how well you know it.  You need to go home and practice.  You're going to get judged on how well you know the material and the progress you made from the first day to the last day.  Improvement will help in making the team.  Yes, returners are judged harder than newbies.  They are expected to know the basics so their mastery of the new cheers or dances should be better.

Athleticism/Fitness.

Cheerleaders are athletes.  They need stamina, conditioning, flexibility and timing.  High school coaches do not typically have weight requirements, but no one wants to see an unfit girl jumping up and down in a short skirt.  I do not mean that to be disrespectful, but you need to be healthy.  On my team, I do not care so much what your body image is.  I have tall, short, thin, heavy, strong, weak, etc.  However, all the girls on my team can display the athleticism and perform the requirements needed to be a cheerleader. 

Handle the Results with Grace.

Tryouts are stressful.  Coaches know that.  Do your best to stay calm and keep the nerves down.  The more you practice, the less nervous you will be.  When it comes time for the team announcement you need to handle it with respect and pride.  If you made the team, do not immediately call all your friends and brag or gloat.  You may have some friends that didn’t make it.  If you were not chosen for the team, there was a reason, and it was probably a good one.  Don’t get mad, don’t yell at the coach don’t blast negativity on your social media.  If you can, find out what you need to work on and try again next time.

Commitment.

Being a cheerleader is time-consuming and hard work.  It requires a lot of time in the gym and on the field.  You are not going to have much time for friends and hanging out.  Time management is key.  Make sure that you know what is expected of you so that you can make the commitment and stick to it.  Go to the open gyms to see if cheerleading is something that you like enough to give up half your summer for and most Friday nights.

These things WILL make the difference between cheering from the sidelines and cheering from the bleachers.  Coaches are not scary they just have high expectations.  They are willing to work with you, but they are trying to build a successful program.  Also, remember that cheerleading is an extra curricular activity, you are not required to participate and they don’t have to put you on the team.  They are going to choose participants that fit into their program, not going to change the program and expectations for you.

I hope this incite helps you at your tryouts.

CHEERS!

*\o/*

CW3

Jump, Jump, Jump! The What and How of Cheerleading Jumps.

Cheerleaders jumping around on the sidelines may seem arbitrary and random, but really, jumps are skills that require athleticism, flexibility, and strength.  Jumps are used to accentuate a point in a cheer or chant, grab your attention during a routine, show spirit at the end of a great play or show of spirit from the crowd.

There are eight different jumps that cheerleaders perform.  Tuck, Star (also called a straddle or spread eagle), Left and Right Side Hurdlers, Toe Touch, Left and Right Front Hurdlers, and Pike.

All of the jumps are performed the same way with the difference being the body position at the top of the jump.  The performance of the jumps can be broken into 4 parts; The Approach, Height, Form and the Landing.  I’ll go through each of these, with some input from the NCA & UCA staff on technique.

Approach

The approach creates the momentum to follow through and help get height when jumping off the ground.  It is controlled and distinct in the movement.

Start your up with your feet together and arms in a High V position.  On a designated count, swing both arms downward in front of your face.  As your arms cross dip down a little with your legs.  Timing is key here.  Your arms should be at their lowest point of the swing when the legs are at the deepest part of the dip.  This allows the arms and legs to quickly explode into the air at the same time. 

Height

You should try to jump off the ground and get as much height as possible to give your body time to hit the jump and land safely. This happens when you get an explosive jump timed with the lift of the arms.

Form

Proper jump technique puts your chest up with your shoulders slightly in front of the hips.  The arms (for most jumps) should be in a strong T motion.  Make sure that leg muscles are flexed and straight and toes are pointed.  As flexibility increases, allow your legs to extend as high as possible and relax the hips.

Landing

If you have given yourself enough height to hit the motion at the top of the jump, you should have enough time to land properly.  When landing, you should land with both feet together at the same time.  If you don’t land even you can put unnecessary stress on your knees and ankles.  If you are not landing with your feet together lower the height of the skill at the top of the jump until the flexibility and strength have been developed to maintain safety.

Here is a definition of each of the eight jumps:

Cheerleading Jump Positions

Tuck

At the top of the jump, pull your knees up to your chest and point your toes.  The arms should be in a High V.

Straddle / Star / Spread Eagle

At the top of the jump, the legs should come out to a Low V position with the shoelaces pointed at the crowd.  The arms should be in a tight High V.

Left and Right Side Hurdlers

At the top of the jump, raise either the left or right leg to a straight position out to the side of the body.  The other leg will be in a bent position to the other side parallel with the ground.  The arms should be in a T motion and the chest up.

Toe Touch

In a toe touch, you do not actually touch your toes.  You want to reach for the instep of the shoe.  Bring both legs up and out to the sides.  Try and roll the hips back so that the shoelaces are pointed behind you.  The arms should be in a T motion and the chest up.

Left and Right Front Hurdlers

This jump is performed at a 45-degree angle to the crowd in the direction of the straight leg.  At the top of the jump, raise either the left or right leg to a straight position in front of the body.  The other leg will be in a bent position with the knee stretched out almost like the splits.  The foot of the bent leg will try to kick the seat of the jumper.  The arms should be in a Touchdown motion and the chest up.

Pike

This jump is also performed at a 45-degree angle to the crowd in either direction.  At the top of the jump, lift both legs to a straight position in front of the body.  The arms should be in a Candlestick motion and the chest up.

Please remember that stretching before these types of strenuous activities are KEY!  Make sure that you have warmed up all the muscles and worked the ankles, knees, and shoulders.

Flexibility and Core strength training will play a key role in improving the height and extension of your jumps.  Practice them EVERY DAY!

CHEERS!

*\o/*

CW3

E is for Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm is taught, and also contagious.  As coaches, we try to teach our cheerleaders to lead their crowd.  To lead they must set an example.  To set an example they must see the example or understand the goal.  Cheerleaders are a visual bunch.  They feed off their surroundings.  Their first contact with the material, event or project is the coach.  If they see that their coach is excited or motivated about what they are doing, they will most likely be excited as well.  As a coach, we have to sell it.

Recently my cheerleaders were asked to perform at a retirement party for a local dignitary that graduated from our school almost 40 years ago.  When I was first asked to have them participate, I was skeptical of their reaction.  I know that being involved was going to be a great experience for them and the retiree.  I also knew that I had to sell that it was a privilege and an honor to be asked (which it was).  I needed to find a way to connect what they were interested in and what our current traditions were with what the graduate would remember of cheerleaders in 1975. 

The choreography was simple, I chose music from the era, put a dance to it that would be fun for the girls and fun for the crowd that was reminiscent of the 70’s, but challenging enough to keep with the skills we have now.  I chose uniforms from our collection that they haven’t used in a few years so that the girls felt a little nostalgic.  I also had them Google Farrah Fawcett so they could style their hair like hers.  By taking the time to do all of these things, it made the girls feel more connected to the performance and the era.  Because they had the connection, they were in turn excited and enthusiastic about the event.

With each practice, performance, fundraiser, charity event, assembly, etc. the coaches must be excited and enthusiastic about what they do.  The cheerleaders will follow that lead and the enthusiasm will translate to the crowd.  We must teach our cheerleaders to be enthusiastic about everything they do.  Turn practices into creative games and squad competitions.  Give them something to look forward to other than just showing up and working material and skills. 

Over time you, the cheerleaders and the crowd will have more fun at events.

Cheers!

*\o/*

CW2

D is for Dedication

Dedication (noun) – adherence to something to which one is bound by a pledge or duty.

Today’s students are from the “Now” ideal. 

They have knowledge and information instantly at their fingertips. 

They can chat with friends and family right now.

They have television DVR so they don’t have to watch commercials. 

This generation has not been forced to understand patience.  They do not know what it is like to have to sit and wait through three and a half minutes of commercials or wait to speak to the friends they just saw until they get home.

How do we teach this new generation about working hard for results when they are so used to instant gratification?  When pride of performance and long term goals are not as important as “What’s in it for me now?”  I’m sorry to say that I don’t have a firm answer to that, but I do have some ideas and I know what I’ve tried and what works for the Title 1 city students that I coach.

In order to be dedicated, one must see and understand the goal in front of them.  They need to understand the path to achieve it.  One great way to do this is to create a road map of the goal.  An actual poster with a road.  Think the “Game of Life” game that we played as kids.  The end game is the goal for the season.  Along the road (in order) put the smaller goals that they need to see and accomplish.  They cannot move forward until they have done the time at each stop along the road.  If your end of season goal is to perform at a competition, they break all the pieces they will need to know along the road.  Get creative with this and add in fun things too.  Bonding, parties, dress up days, assemblies, etc.

Dedication is also to a family.  Turn them into a family.  Support each other.  Build the honor and duty to their family and teach them how to rely on each other.  Many of my kids do not come from supporting families.  They look to the athletic teams and coaches that they play for as leaders and an outlet from their everyday lives.  We have found a balance between love and friendship with the team and hard work and dedication.  It takes practice and patience to make it all work.  Find what works for your kids and go with it.

Every team must – Dream. Believe. Achieve.

Cheers!

*\o/*

CW3

C is for Coach

Are you ready to coach?

Making the choice to become a coach is one that should not be taken lightly.  Good coaches spend infinite amounts of time working for the teams they coach, planning, preparing, analyzing, and watching film (Yes, even cheer coaches watch film).  A lot of time goes into planning a successful cheer season.  Cheerleaders are an active and involved bunch as I have mentioned many times. Someone has to be in charge of coordinating all that.

I don’t want to scare you off from coaching, but I would like to outline a few things to think about before getting into a head coaching position.  To take a quote from the Boy Scouts, “Be Prepared.”

Time management

The first thing to consider when making the decision is to determine the type of squad you are going to have.  Set up a meeting with your Administration to discuss the expectations they have of the program. This meeting will serve many purposes, we’ll refer to it often.  If the administration would like a highly involved squad that participates in many games and functions, then your time commitment is going to be greater.  If they simply want a squad that shows up to games and the occasional assembly, then you won’t have to spend as much time.

An involved team will require approximately 15-20 hours per week from the coach to prepare, plan, practice and attend games.  I typically spend 1 hour per day planning and then 2 hours per day at practices 3-4 days per week.  Once or twice a week we have games to perform at which are 2-3 hours.  You could spend more or less time than this depending on your coaching style.  I am a pretty hands-on/involved coach so I spend extra time when I can.

Knowledge of the Rules

Coaching sports comes with a required amount of knowledge of the sport and its rules.  Many times there are sport-specific certifications that must be obtained.  Most of the knowledge is learned on your own time and classes are often paid for on your own dime.  At the minimum, I would recommend that you become certified in CPR/First Aid, Concussions, and the AACCA Certification (American Association of Cheer Coaches and Advisors).  The CPR/First Aid will cost around $40.00 depending on who or where you take it from.  The AACCA certification is $75.00 and done online.  It takes 2-4 hours depending on your previous knowledge of the sport and test.  The concussion course is also offered online from the NFHS (National Federation High Schools).  It is a free course. 

Each state you coach in will follow a national standard for spirit team rules.  The two most common standards are the NFHS or the AACCA rules.  Many of the rules from the two are the same, but with some minor differences.  The two entities have been working closely together for the last few years to start making them similar.  In Nevada, we use the NFHS rules and all coaches must attend a yearly rules meeting for updates.  There is a test at the end of the meeting that we must pass as well.  You will be responsible for knowing which rules you need to follow and making sure that your squad is following them.  In some states, a violation of the rules could result in a fine or even loss of your job. 

The last layer is the school district, each district will also have generic all-sport rules that you will need to know and follow.  These typically deal with the amount of practice time, when you can practice, grade requirements, athletic clearances, numbers of games and missing school.  If you are not familiar with any of the rules or organizations listed above, check with your administrator at your initial meeting for these requirements.

Travel is something that falls under time management, but could be its own category.  Check with your admin in that first meeting about the travel requirements of your squad.  Do they travel to away games? Where are the games? For some schools travel may be simply across town or a few miles down the highway to another town.  In some schools travel could be a 5 hour bus ride.  Check to see what the expectations are.  Are the cheerleaders required to find parent drivers? Will the school or district pay for bussing? Do you as the coach need to become certified to drive a district van? Be prepared.

Financial Security

Coaches do not do it for the money.  Yes, some coaches get paid, but many of us spend more in a season than we get paid.  Gas, goodies, pizza, coaches clothes, certifications, etc.  They add up.  You should make sure that you’re financially secure before taking on the job. 

The next few things to consider are more emotional in nature, but non-the-less important. 

How are you at dealing with difficult people?  If you’re a youth coach you deal with mostly difficult parents.  If you coach middle or high school you deal with difficult teens AND their parents.  When coaching, you need to communicate team expectations often and in writing to keep the difficult people at bay.  Set rules that you are willing to enforce and make sure that your athletes and parents understand them before starting.  I suggest having them sign the rules to make it easier enforce them later on.  Also be prepared to use every ounce of patience that you have when dealing with these people.  They are not bad people, just passionate about their kids and sport. 

You will also need the have the ability to compartmentalize your emotions.  Kids and parents will say and do things that will constantly push your buttons.  As coaches, we should act with professionalism at all times to maintain order and respect as a coach.  We will need to keep our personal feelings and emotions in check.  It is not easy.  I have been known to cancel a practice mid-way through to keep myself from losing my cool on the team.

All of these things make coaching sound awful, but really coaching offers SO many wonderful and rewarding points that all the preparation and time management become worth it.  The first time you see a struggling athlete accomplish a goal or learn a new skill and they light up with excitement you forget the drama and the struggles.  Years after you coach a student and they come back and thank you for the leadership and lessons learned, you’ll cherish their memory.  It will be worth it knowing that you impacted their lives in a positive way, helping them to find themselves and become better people.  They touched your life too, and you were impacted by having them on your team.

It’s worth it.

Cheers!

*\o/*

CW3

B is for Balance

Coaching is a Balancing Act

If you are a veteran coach you know that coaching cheerleaders is not just about showing up to games and sitting in the bleachers for 3 hours (freezing your behind off).  Cheerleaders, being the most visible group in the school, are at EVERYTHING.  From practices and games, to assemblies, to charity events and fundraisers.  This group is go, go, go. 

Balance between work, cheer and family is often the downfall of many cheer coaches.  The turnover rate for a new cheer coach is quite high.  I would say this could be due to the school just grabbing a faculty member and saying, “hey, you’re our new cheer coach”.  Sometimes it is a parent that steps in to coach because no one else would, or it’s a young adult that was a cheerleader and misses it so much they think they can jump in a head up a program.  Those coaches who are successful have figured out the balance of the pieces. 

To be successful and balance your life you need to start with your priorities, whatever they may be.  If you work a 9-5 job, you know that is a priority, and probably the first priority.  If you have a family, then you need to figure out a way for them to get the rides they need, fed and bed each night.  Cheerleaders typically have events (practice, games, etc.) three to four times a week in the evenings.  If you do the math all of these things don’t add up.  Something is going to have to give. 

Working, coaching and family can work, but you will have to make some sacrifices.  No one can be at two places at once.  Here are a few suggestions for making it work:

• If you have an excellent assistant coach you can utilize their help in practices.  Have them help warm-up the team and get them started on the material for the day. 
• Family and Friends can help shuttle your smaller family members around.  I am fortunate enough to have a husband that is also a coach, he knows and understands what coaching means to me and we share baby duties in our off seasons.
• MAKE LISTS! This is the most important piece of advice that I can give.  Make a master calendar and carry it with you at all times.  Set reminders on your phone, put the calendar in a place where your whole family will see it and review the calendar daily.  There is nothing worse than double booking yourself for two places at once.

Over time and lots of trial and error you will find your balance.  Finding ways to stay passionate about all of your priorities is a must and always remember to schedule ME time in your planner.  Even if just for a few minutes per day it is important. 

Keep on Coaching on my friends!

Cheers

*\o/*

Cw3

A is for Athlete

Are Cheerleaders Athletes?

We can argue whether cheer is a sport until we are blue in the face.  There are valid arguments on either side, for and against. Unfortunately there will not be a formal decision made on the point until all cheer programs are run the same and have the same goals and purposes. 

Some schools have traditional sideline cheerleaders that simply focus on school spirit.  They go to games and do cheers and chants to keep the crowd engaged.  Some traditional squads also dance and perform at halftimes of games and assemblies.

There are schools on the other end of the spectrum that participate in conditioning programs that rival other athletic sports.  These cheerleaders jump, tumble and stunt along with the traditional cheering and dancing. Many of these cheerleaders are full-fledged athletes.  They often participate in competitions and perform against other equally athletic teams.

Across the U.S. there are many variations of these two types of teams.  Even in my state and town we have schools on either side of this model.  It all depends on the school administration, coaches and the athletes available.  There are lots of contributing factors to why a school may or may not have a more athletic program. 

In the smaller schools it may be because the most athletic students are already participating in sports and cannot commit the time or energy to doing both.  It may be that the administration would prefer a team that goes to games and assemblies to support and lead instead of having the more dangerous physical side.

Some schools do treat their cheer teams like other sports.  They offer the same privileges to their cheerleaders as other sports, and expect them to follow the same rules and guidelines with travel, grades, drugs and alcohol, etc. 

There are pros and cons to coaching both types of squad.

The PROS of coaching a less-physical traditional squad:

• There is less commitment required.  They could practice one or two times per week and only show up to games a few minutes before to participate and still be successful.
• There could be more interest/participation.  They could have more people participate because the skill-set required is not as advanced. 
• Lower costs.  The cost of running a lower-commitment team would be less, making the appeal for more participants greater.

The CONS:

• Less participation.  You might find that fewer students want to participate in this type of program because it could be seen as boring.
• Fewer Opportunities.  The participants may have fewer opportunities for scholarship and furthering their cheer careers because they may not have learned the more advanced skills that colleges are looking for.
•  No recognition.  The cheerleaders from this type of squad typically do not earn a varsity letter for their participation.  The amount of skill and participation would not condone an athletic letter.

The PROS of coaching a more physical competitive team:

• Respect within the school and more athletes could be drawn to participate.  If you have a team that is visible, and works at an athletic level it will draw more athletes to the program and will bring more attention to its physicality.  This can show the student body that they are athletes and the cheerleaders could earn more respect.
• Collegiate opportunities.  Colleges are looking for highly skilled athletes to join their programs.  They want participants that already have a specific skill set.  Cheerleaders from more physical teams have a better chance of knowing these skills.
• Athletic letters.  Because these cheerleaders participate and the same level as other sports they can earn the athletic letter and in some schools have opportunities for athlete of the month/year recognition.

The Cons:

• Higher commitment.  The amount of commitment required to be good is much higher (5-6 nights a week). Many students don’t try it because they do not want to commit that much.
• Loss of participation.  You are limited to certain types of athletes with a physical squad.  Many kids who would be good cheerleaders or leaders of their school don’t get the opportunity to participate due to the high skill level required.
• Cost.  The cost of running a competitive program can be much higher.  The travel fees and competition fees can be in the thousands per event.  Plus the costs of added coaches and trainers along with choreography and music.  This can add up quickly!

Because of the very different types of squads across the country it is too hard to qualify cheer as a sport.  Some cheerleaders are definitely participating at the sport level.  But many are not training and participating at a level that is consistent with the goals and expectations as a sport.

Let’s take a look as volleyball as an example.  It doesn’t matter if you are at a school with 60 or 6,000 students.  The goals, rules and expectations of the volleyball team are the same.  The coaches are teaching the same basic fundamentals and the volleyball matches are the same.  This is true for soccer, football, softball, track, wrestling, basketball, baseball, golf, etc. 

Because cheer can be so varied, it cannot be defined as a sport.  I know there will be a handful of cheerleaders and coaches that do not like that statement, but the facts are that not all cheerleaders are participating at an athletic level.  At my current school, my cheerleaders have worked incredibly hard to earn the right to be considered a sport (within our school).  Each year we have to sit down and define what a sport does, what privileges they get and evaluate our program.  They have to commit to working hard and keeping the traditions in place.

Regardless of the type of program you coach or cheer for, take pride in it.  If you with a sideline squad that is less physical, find ways to make it great.  Become a family and a support system.  Whatever the size or the physicality of your squad, give them goals and expectations.  Let them have successes and something to be proud of.

Cheers!

*\o/*

CW3