My Coaching Philosophy - Spirit Leaders

First and foremost, I want to say that education is key to successful athletes and contributing members of society. I remind my athletes and the coaches that I mentor that we do not attend high school to play sports, we attend high school to gain an education and learn about the world we live in. Those students who are able to juggle academics and athletics will be the best leaders in their community.

I feel strongly that students should take the opportunity to participate in athletics and clubs available to them while they have the chance. We only attend high school for 4 years and the lessons learned, friends made, and experiences we have during that time challenge us and define us as individuals for the rest of our lives. High School athletics put our kids in leadership roles, especially those in the Spirit Positions, i.e. cheer, dance, and mascot.

Cheerleaders and Dancers have always been expected to lead the crowd and keep them screaming and yelling for their team. As time has evolved the expectations of these students have also evolved. Presently they are expected to be ambassadors for their school. They set the example for the student body in athleticism, academics, service, and support. They must uphold themselves in a manner that other members of the student body are not expected to.

I feel that our Spirit Programs, both Cheer, and Dance, should be held to the highest of standards. Coaches should be knowledgeable in their activity and safety should be at the forefront of their minds. Whether a school hosts a program that is sideline based and spends its time supporting other sports or a school carries a highly athletic and competitive squad, their focus should be on their leadership role and safety. Each school has a unique opportunity to develop a program that best fits the needs of their school and community.

Getting Your Life Back!

Getting your life back after the season

The cheer season has come to an end.

You have collected uniforms, handed out pictures and recognized everyone’s hard work at the banquet.

Now what?

Each coach plan’s his or her season differently.  I’m going to talk about what I do for my program and what needs to happen for me to decompress and recharge for next year. If it works for you, awesome! If not, hopefully, there are some things that you can use or modify for your program.

After the banquet, I meet up with the Bookkeeper and make sure that all invoices have been paid and our account is balanced. During the year, I keep an extremely tight hold on our finances in a 6-part file folder.  There is a section for my account balance sheet, the school's balance sheet, Fundraisers and Income, purchases, spirit pack info (the kid's order forms and master checklist), and the individual account balances.  I gather up all lose accounting paperwork and put it in its place so that I can file this away for reference.

My Coaches Bag

I take a quick look through my coach’s bag for any items that need to be returned. (Click Here to see/purchase mine.)  
This can include items cheerleaders have lost, a medical kit that goes back to the trainer, or any random snacks or water bottles left over from games.  Once I have done a quick check, I put gather all cheer related items that have scattered to my desk, table, car, etc. and put them back in my coach’s bag. I take the bag and set it out of sight for TWO WEEKS!  This step is very important to my mental recharge and albeit hard is necessary. This gives me time to let the dust settle and any feelings about the year to fall into their true meaning.  
Here’s what I mean by that:

Each year is different. Some years are wonderful and some years, not so much.  At the end of the season, you can be ready to turn in your keys and call it quits, or you can be so excited that you forget that cheer is actually over.  Sometimes you are so emotional about the class that is graduating you can forget about those upcoming kids that want to be equally successful.  The other thing I need to let settle is my family life.  My husband and I both coach year around so our lives are dictated by our coaching schedule.  He coaches Girls Golf in the fall, Wrestling in the Winter and Boys Golf in the Spring.  I coach two separate seasons of Cheer, Fall and Winter, and then if his Golf team is big enough, I am his assistant Golf Coach.  This two weeks off allows us to switch sports, reconnect our lives with our six-year-old, and plan the next season and then summer. During my two weeks “Vacation” I don’t check my Coaching Email, check my box at the school, or take any cheer-related phone calls. My coaching email gets a vacation signature and If I get a phone call I send an email or text (if appropriate) letting them know when I will return. During my vacation, if I have any thoughts or notes that pop into my head I write myself a quick note to be addressed later.  This helps keep me organized and not forget some of those great ideas.

Ok, it’s been two weeks! Remember that bag you stuffed in a closet? Yeah, now it’s time to take it out and clean it up.

Start by removing everything from it. All pockets, pens, notebooks, rule books, scraps of paper… everything!

Sort it all into piles. 

Throw out the trash and scraps of paper that you don’t need (now’s not the time to be a hoarder.)

You’ll probably have a pile of pens, pencils, markers, etc.  Check to see if they still work and place them in a pocket. 

Next, you need to dissect your clipboard and binders. 

Make a pile that includes flyers, event requests, charity information, tournament brackets or any information that was specific to this season.  Put these in a file folder along with the attendance sheet, team calendar, workouts and any notes regarding that season that I want to remember to refer to.

There should be a pile of chant lists and game plans and material notes – save these to file into a master folder.  I refer to this year after year. 

Sort all cheerleader specific paperwork.  All Emergency / School paperwork should be filed and saved until the cheerleader is 20 years old.  This includes and doctor’s notes and injury or discipline reports.  The scary thing about coaching is that we are responsible for these kids and anything that happened to them while on our watch until they are 20 years old.  18 plus two years is the statute of limitations on all injuries and issues that can come up.

As scary as it sounds, it can come up.  I had a girl come to me 7 years after I coached her on a youth team that had back issues and wanted to discuss my treatment.  Because I had a copy of her doctors note and release back to cheer, I was not at fault.

Once everything is sorted out start dissecting your year to see what worked and what didn’t.

Here’s my list with notes on what to look for:

Program

Is the program where you want it?

Is there a good balance between competition and school support?

Was the administration happy with the program, and does it fit in their vision?

Where do you want the program to go? More athletic, more school spirit, more community involvement?

Budget

Spirit Pack, contents and costs.

Did we need/use everything that we purchased?

What can we do without to save money?

What should we add to make life easier?

Plan around what you need, what the kids want and what is cost-effective for your program. Know your families.

Fundraisers

What Fundraisers we successful?

Which were not?

Are there other fundraisers that we didn’t use or haven’t done in a while that can come back?

Again, understand what the needs of the program are and know your families.  This is different each year.

Team Rules

What were our biggest issues this year/season?

Is there a part of the team constitution that covers this already?

Does it need written in or re-written for clarity?

Are there rules or items that are no longer valid or school rules that need to be adjusted?

Tryouts

Were tryouts effective in choosing the best kids for the team?

Were they too strict and there were kids that missed out unnecessarily?

Were they to laid-back and there were kids that were chosen that were not a good fit for the program.

Based on where you would like your program to be going, what changes do you need to make to the tryout process?

Practices

Were practices organized and effective?

Were the practices adequate to prepare for games and events? 

Did you have to add or remove practices during the season?

Was the team meeting its goals and progressing?

Planning the whole year is key!

Schedule

How did the schedule (the part you can control) work? (practices, events, fundraisers, community service, etc.)

When planning the next year, sit down with a blank calendar, last year’s calendar, the new school calendar, and your personal calendar.  Start filling in dates and events that you know.  If you have a family vacation planned or school functions that always happen at a certain time, put those in first.  Add in school vacations, days, off, holidays, finals and graduation. If there is an event or fundraiser that coincides with a community event, add it.

Look at the best times for open gyms and tryouts, and pencil those in.

Practice

If you practice in the summer, look at your schedule and put those down.  Please remember that the kids need a break. They need to recharge and get excited too.  I have found that If I keep them away for at least a month they will be excited to return and typically work on skills on their own. Decide on a camp date and practices to prepare for camp and the welcome back festivities.

Fundraisers, Payments, and Team Meetings. 

Schedule these and get them on the calendar ASAP.  Give the parents time to plan their summer too.  If you have a plan, they will trust in the process.  Don’t wing it.  It causes stress for you and the kids can feel it and parents will be frustrated.  Let them know ahead of time what the fundraisers are, when they will run and when money is due.  Try to work it out so that fundraisers end at the same time a spirit pack payment is due. They should understand that you provide the fundraisers as a courtesy and if they choose not to participate then the money is still due. 

At your team meetings, update cheerleaders and parents on the upcoming events and any changes.  Thank them for the previous participation and events and be their cheerleader for the next ones.  If you are excited, they will be excited.  Learn how to sell it. 

Games

You should have an idea of when games are, pencil those in.  You don’t have to put the specifics in, but you can write JV Game – 4:30. Time/Location TBA. If you plan on cheering at Soccer or Volleyball once a week, then put that in.  We cheer for other sports on Tuesdays (home only). If soccer has a game, we go to that. If its Volleyball, we go to that.  If there are multiple sports playing we divide and conquer.  Sometimes there is no game so we spend that time making signs or goodie bags for the sports we don’t physically attend (Golf, Cross-Country, and Tennis).  There have even been times when we were all caught up with our own school sports that we write out encouragement cards for other school’s cheerleaders in the area.

Community Events, School Functions, and Assemblies

These are events that tend to get scheduled at the last minute.  As soon as I know these I add them and send out an updated calendar.  The communication of the changes is KEY!

Keep yourself organized and always refer to your “Year of Cheer” schedule to stay focused.  Write notes and reminders to yourself to order awards and contact certain vendors.  Google calendar can be a lifesaver!

Once you have the paperwork updated, tryout process planned, and your calendar started the rest falls into place. 

Now that your season is outlined, you can take a break (If the schedule allows), or you can get started putting the season plan into motion!

I will now begin my time off.  My bag is in the closet, them vacation email response set up, and my cheer box at the school is empty! 

See you mid-March!

-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!

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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!

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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

Growing Up

Growing up. 

We all do it.  

We coach our kids on how to do it. 

The funny thing is we never stop. We are constantly growing, learning and living life. The more we live life, the more we grow. As we grow our lives change and evolve. What we want an need changes. Our tastes change and our friends change. Thus causing more growth.  It's a never ending circle. 

Over the last year I've grown a lot. I have realized that I am quick to judge and quicker to say no when something is not done my way. I am learning that my way is great (duh). but Gosh darn it so are a lot of other ways. What I do, I do for a reason. Usually I've tried and failed and come to a conclusion of how I need something done. But that doesn't mean that someone else's way

or idea is wrong... It's what works for them. 

I apply this to coaching because this season I have tried to be more accepting of others coaching styles and my cheerleaders interest in making suggestions. Some days I just can't. Some days I'm too overwhelmed or stressed to relinquish control. But the days that I do step back and let others try things... Shockingly it usually goes just fine!  

For some, your probably thinking... Yeah, we all learned that a hundred years ago...  Well being an OCD control nut tends to limit your learning curve and ability to relax.  Please be patient with me!

I don't know if my cheerleaders or my other coaching friends have noticed, if they haven't it's ok. Our struggles and accomplishments don't need to be recognized by others in order to make them valid, only that we see it and work towards a better us. (Something else I've learned.)

As one of my best friends is always saying; "We're the same, but different."

This is true! We are all working towards the same goals. We know what works for our kids and our programs. We should never stop listening to each other or encouraging each other.  You never know when listening to another persons idea will help you develop your self into the person you were destined to become. 

Game Day in the Biggest Little City

One of the best parts of fall is seeing the boys wear their football jerseys to school. Every Friday they can been seen sporting their school colors with pride! Even for the team that is not the state champion this tradition is a favorite.  You must EARN the right to walk into the school wearing that jersey. Not every one has what it takes. Not everyone has the heart to put on the helmet and defend our school. As a coach (and football fan) I look to those boys with pride. They captivate an audience each week by working hard and taking hits. They condition and they train through blood sweat and sometimes tears.  The gridiron gang becomes family. They leave their heart on the field each week. And why? 

The better question is why not. Yes, there are risks involved, but the pride of a win is more enticing. Fame and glory if only for a short while. It's important now. Maybe not in ten years, but right now, this is it. This is our life. These are the boys of fall and tonight we salute you. 

Tonight is your night! 

Friday night lights are upon us...

Let the games begin!

A Story To Tell

As a coach, every time I stop and take the time to listen to others and truly hear their story I learn something. As I get older and questionably wiser, many of the kids don't even have to say a word. I see their story on their faces and I hear it in their voice. 

I have always gravitated toward the high school age, because I relate more to them. However, today as I was working with the four amazing girls from the DSA cheer team, I saw each one of them as individuals and they wore their fears and their story on their face and in every thing they did. I made a huge effort to slow down and encourage them and make each one feel important. Yes, they were frustrating and new, but they did try and they did keep working all day. I was worried at the end of the day they would feel frustrated and a little out numbered with the amount of high school girls at camp. 

Later this evening I received a short email from their coach about how much the girls enjoyed the camp and what an amazing experience this was.  I made me stop and re-think my contact with those girls today. It made me think of the very few teachers that encouraged me at that age and how different I would be if mote teachers would have made the effort.  It's nice to know that even though I get busy and I worry about things that don't ultimately matter, I am still making a difference. That I can still change the course of a day by just stopping to listen and watch. 

It's humbling to know that as we tell our cheerleaders that there are little girls in the stands looking up to them, our cheerleaders are also looking up to us. Years from now when they are coaching their own teams the examples and expectations we set help define who they are as people and coaches. I hope that over the years I have made a difference to them all. 

I am afraid I missed a few. I hope that those who have looked up to me haven't been let down. Thank you for allowing me to grow as a person and a coach be being in your lives. 

CW3