Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Cheerleading prepares one for life!

Cheerleaders face a unique set of challenges when it comes to balancing their studies with their athletic commitments. As a student-athlete, they must work to excel in both their academic and athletic pursuits, while also making time for social and personal activities. This can be difficult, as it requires careful management of time and prioritization of tasks. Cheerleaders possess many transferable skills, a few of which are leadership, teamwork, work ethic and study skills. 
 
At the heart of the student-athlete balance is time management. Cheerleaders must be able to plan and organize their schedules to fit in both their academic and athletic commitments. This requires them to prioritize tasks and use their time efficiently to complete both. By managing their time effectively, cheerleaders can reach their potential in both their studies and their sport. 
 
In addition to time management, cheerleaders
must also learn how to juggle their commitments and maintain a healthy lifestyle. This includes balancing their academic and athletic commitments with other activities such as socializing and leisure activities. Additionally, student-athletes must be aware of how their physical and mental health can affect their performance. A healthy lifestyle is essential for success in both academics and athletics, and cheerleaders must be able to manage their physical and mental wellbeing. 
 
The skills that cheerleaders
 learn through their balance of academics and athletics are highly transferable to their future careers. For example, they learn the importance of time management and how to prioritize tasks. Additionally, they learn how to juggle different commitments and maintain a healthy lifestyle. These skills are highly valuable in any career, as they allow an individual to work efficiently and effectively.  Further, cheerleaders learn about the importance of teamwork and being a good teammate. They know how important it is to work cohesively in order to reach a goal. This allows former cheerleaders to effectively support colleagues which will utilize their support in return. It also puts them in position for promotions as superiors will see how well they effectively work.

There are so many valuable life lessons and skills cheerleaders learn via sport participation. To name more than a few, there’s commitment, dedication, resilience, perseverance, teamwork, leadership, coachability, time management, effective communication and the ability to perform in high-pressure situations. Life balance requirements for student-athletes are demanding, as they must juggle rigorous training schedules with academic responsibilities. This balancing act instills time management, discipline, and resilience—transferable skills that can significantly benefit their future careers. I imagine a lot of fellow former cheerleaders resonate with the value and challenges that come with being a part of their team  - please comment down below.

 

Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Pros of Sideline & Allstar Cheer: The Great Controversy

 

Sideline Cheer Pros:

1. Tumbling on a flat/dead mat - if a cheerleader can only perform a tumbling pass on a spring floor, then he/she/they do not have that tumbling pass just yet. If they have that tumbling pass on a dead mat, then they have that pass everywhere, on all types of surfaces.

For example, if someone says that they have a back tuck on a trampoline, they wouldn't say "I have a back tuck" as one of their tumbling skills. 

2. Game day presence! Clean and simple. Original and authentic cheer, no crazy hairstyles, themes or intense performance makeup. TV ready for a game. Here to support the team and encourage the crowd to do the same. For example - College Game Day and the happiness and excitement you see on ESPN/TV while watching a game. 

3. Friday Night Lights. Nothing like cheering in front of your whole hometown and school and feeding off of that electric energy of the crowd, fans and family.

4. Teamwork - participation in school activities, Homecoming parades, etc. locker decorations.

5. Better stunt technique (possibly due to the stunt rubric in all star cheerleading, where it limits a team. As long as they perform it well enough and it scores in that range on the rubric, it is fine. In sideline cheer, there's no UCA or NCA, etc rubric, so the stunt technique has to be the best in order to win  in a competition.

 

All Star Cheer Pros:

1. Advanced stunts such as baskets/double downs/etc.

2. Choreography of a routine and cleaning it up over the course of a year until it is perfect to perform. 

3. Athleticism and high stamina on an elevated level.

4. The competitive drive, which transfers to life skills. You want more, so you practice the skills more to improve and move up to the next level.

5. Working with athletes from various schools and socioeconomic levels. 

 

Both prepare a cheerleader for LIFE SKILLS! 

Monday, May 30, 2011

How to protect your cheerleader online

How to Protect Your Athlete
All-star parents, coaches, and gym owners must be aware that many of the images and videos that we enjoy sharing can be misused by people with bad intentions. It is imperative we teach our athletes how to share the sport they love in a responsible manner while portraying a positive image of their teammates, your program, and the sport as a whole.
The USASF Parent Actions Committee would like to highlight some steps to consider in protecting online privacy while monitoring the images of our athletes. We hope you would consider implementing these things at your program and recommend introducing them in various methods, from program information packets, to team and parent hand-outs. We find that as coaches and leaders, you often have more direct influence than most people in your athlete’s lives. Consider reviewing these issues at the start of each season and monitoring them throughout the year.
Program Policy
• Consider including online media sharing considerations as part of your program information packet.

• Include guidelines on using the program name on FaceBook, Twitter, and other message boards where kids and parents may post pictures or videos. Also consider guidelines for pictures of kids in uniform or other things representing the program such as t-shirts or sweatshirts.

Program Pages and Websites

• Keep personal details and images on your website restricted to membership only. Secure images on message boards as well as any personal or team information.
• Consider removing images and information on the open portions of your website that may be of an overly personal nature.
• If you administer your own message board, FaceBook, Twitter, or similar account be aware of access guidelines. People who follow you on Twitter or are “Friends” on FaceBook can reflect on your program as well. It is worth your time to investigate new people that are added or do a periodic check for questionable information. You can adjust an individual’s settings to post, view, or even block the individual through your
administrator settings.
Privacy Settings
• Look for options such as “Private” or “Friends only.” Options such as “Friends of Friends”, “Everyone” or “Public” allow open access to your content.
• Set your account so that people must be “Friends” or “Followers” in order to view content. Look for separate settings for pictures and video.
• Look for unfamiliar people who “tag” themselves in your content. Tagging gives the person access to your picture on their personal account. The original poster of the picture or video can remove the tag or can even “block” the individual to remove complete access.
• TEST: Search for your profile or name without logging into your account. You’ll see what the public sees. Also “Googling” your name or e-mail address might also show you things that you didn’t know were public as well
Adding Friends
• Make sure you check the setting to always approve a new “Friend,” “Follower” or “Subscriber.” It’s cool to have more friends but you have to be careful of the new friends that you don’t know. If you’re not sure of someone take a look at their account and see what content they are posting and who their friends are. Often times it tells you a lot about the individual.
What if Someone has Links to Questionable Material on Their Account?
Most of the websites like FaceBook and Twitter do not control information that is linked to other sites. They will only remove content that is on their profile itself. If you see links to bad material, blocking that person is your best option. If you think the person is linking to illegal material, it’s best to report them to the website and pass on this knowledge to all of your friends.
What do I do When I Find a Questionable Individual?
If you don’t like what someone is posting on their FaceBook, Twitter, Youtube, or other account the best option is to just block them. Instruct your kids to also notify their friends or anyone else you see who has that person as “Friend,” “Follower” or “Subscriber.” DO NOT however try to play cop in these situations. Report the individual to the website and allow the authorities to monitor the situation. Look in the website Help Section on what you are able to report and how to accomplish this. Fernando Molina

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

5 Ways to Use Your Recruiting Senses

The coach I was visiting appeared to be slightly insane. At first glance, anyway.
She was walking as we were discussing what she told visiting prospects in her new locker room. As she walked, she held up what looked like a perfume bottle and gave one little squirt every two or three steps.
After seeing her continue this ritual into the hallway, I had to ask her why she was doing what she was doing.
Her answer was borderline brilliant: She was using scent to add to the overall “experience” that their recruits would encounter later that morning.
Think it’s a minor detail that is recruiting overkill? Maybe you should think again…
Most recruiters focus on written messages and phone calls to get their message across and create a “feeling” that their program is going to be the right fit. That means that two primary senses, sight and sound, are used to make that connection.
However, studies show that most “buyers” going through a decision making process (your recruit and his or her family) use other senses to make decisions, as well. Dan Hill, a marketing researcher and author, has some surprising data that shows we use multiple senses at one time to judge whether or not we feel connected and comfortable with a product or service (or college program):
• One study showed a 40% improvement in one’s mood when exposed to pleasant fragrances during a buying experience.
• Shoe buyers, for example, spent $10 more on purchases in areas that had a pleasant scent.
• Touch (handshakes, putting your hand on a prospect’s arm or shoulder, etc.) matters. We all respond to touch, even in a professional setting like a recruiting visit. For example, massaged babies gained 50% more weight than babies who were not massaged.
• One of the highest positive responses that a prospect can experience is taste. For all of us, that experience is remembered and valued the longest (so make sure that prospect dinner is extraordinary!)
One of the most important aspects of the study outlined by Hill should make a big impact with creative college coaches and recruiters: Marketers who added smell, taste and touch to a product advertising or display experience had three to four times more positive experiences than those that relied only on sight and sound.
The coach I just mentioned added a very specific scent to her environment to make sure that her prospects’ senses were firing on all cylinders. You’re welcome to steal that idea and use it yourself. Here are five more ways I think you can focus on some of your prospect’s senses to enhance their experience with you on your campus:
1. Kids love to eat. Make sure the food is really, really good. Taste is one of those senses that we remember the most. It adds to an experience, and helps us associate the experience with something memorable like a great meal. It works in the opposite way, too: Remember a horrible meal at a restaurant or someone’s home? Let me ask you…do you remember anything else about that experience? The conversation, who was there…anything? If you’re like most people, all you remember is the really bad food you tried to choke down. Your prospect’s visit can be largely defined by the food they eat on their trip to your campus.
2. Scent matters. I don’t need to go into too much detail on this point, do I? If you smell good, it gets noticed. If you smell bad, it really gets noticed. Enough said.
3. The right kind of touch can create a connection. A professional handshake is a nice start, but I don’t find it to be enough to create a really memorable connection with today’s prospects. Some simple ideas to take it further? One of my favorites is to lightly touch the back part of your prospect’s shoulder if you are walking and talking with them…not constantly, but every so often to make a point or to gently guide them where the two of you are going. If you’re comfortable with the idea, you can also have your athletes welcome them with a polite (but heartfelt) hug when they first meet. One of the most vital things you need to prove to your prospect is that they are wanted and accepted by you and your team. This goes a long way towards doing that.
4. Smile a lot. Your prospect will read your face as they try to quickly figure out if they like being around you or not. Be upbeat and show energy and a positive spirit through your facial expression. Studies consistently show that when we meet someone new, we refer to their face as we try and figure out if we like them, if they are telling us the truth, and if they can be trusted. We can even sense whether someone is smiling or not when we’re talking to them over the phone. What is your face telling them?
5. Paper is important. I say this because emailing prospects is becoming the exclusive way many coaches will recruit them these days. However, you need to send them at least a few letters written on paper. Why? Paper seems more “real” to the prospects we talk to. It’s “official”. It’s something they can hold, it has your signature on it, and it tends to verify the idea that you’re important. Make sure you include some good old fashioned letters on a regular basis to reinforce the idea that you are serious about them, and to let them touch and feel something tangible from your program.
Are these minor details? Sure they are.
But I find that most prospects make their decisions using little details and observations during their visits on campus and their conversations with coaches on the phone. Sight, sounds, smell, taste, touch…all of those senses are ways we as humans use to process information. “The devil is in the details”, as the saying goes; I see a recruit’s final decision being found there, too. Reprinted from Dan Tudor.

Friday, December 4, 2009

How to be a good cheerleader

Cheerleading has come such a long way since its founding. There are so many aspects to cheerleading, so much more to it than standing on the sidelines and looking cute.

Cheerleading is no longer about pompoms and short skirts. Today's cheerleader is competitive, intelligent, athletic, and persevering.

To be a good cheerleader takes a lot of hard work. It takes dedication, team work, sportsmanship, practice, and a true love of the sport. The weak or partially interested will not go far.

Cheerleaders today must maintain high GPAs (grade point averages), must serve as role models to fellow students and admiring youngsters, must be willing to sacrifice for the good of the team, and must be strong and able to take criticism.

Cheerleading is by far, not all fun and games but the experiences you have as a cheerleader and as a member of your cheerleading team will stick with you forever more. They will help shape who you are and who you become.

You will have good times and bad, there will be moments you cry of pain and frustration and moments you shed tears of joy. But you are prepared, because you have your team members there to support you.

To be the best cheerleader you can be, you must take this to heart. You must also learn some of the basic rules of cheerleading. Of course, each squad has its own style and rules, but these are the understood rules each individual cheerleader should follow- the unspoken rules.

1. SHOW THOSE PEARLY WHITES! Cheerleaders should always SMILE during a game or performance. Look like you are having fun (even if you're not). Look like you're proud of your team and your school (even if they're losing the tenth straight game in a row). People are watching you at every moment. You want them to think you're having the time of your life.

2. ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU GO OUT TO PERFORM. Pay attention to what your cheerleading team is doing and what they are planning to do. Keep an eye on your captains. Don't wait until the last minute before a stunt or performance to ask questions. Walking out to perform is not the time to ask "What are we doing!?" or "Where do I go!?"

3. DON'T FREEZE UP OR MAKE A BIG DEAL OUT OF A MESS-UP. Just keep going. If you make a mistake, don't draw more attention to yourself. Do NOTOT stop in the middle and tell your neighbor; do NOT double over laughing; just keep going. Many cheerleaders do this and it isn't attractive or cute. If you mess up, chances are not many people noticed. Mistakes are inevitable, it's how you react to your mistake that is important.

4. PRACTICE RULES. Pay attention. If one person acts silly, it hinders the rest of the team's concentration. In cheerleading, someone (or several people) could get physically and severely hurt if you fail to pay attention. If you don't understand the routine or stunt, ask BEFORE attempting
it. If you are honestly not comfortable executing a stunt, tell the captain or coach. NEVER stunt or tumble without mats and a coach/spot/responsibile adult present. Don't miss practice, one missing person can hold the entire team back from praticing a routine.

5. Finally, as important as all of the cheer skills are, DON'T IGNORE THE ACADEMIC SIDE OF THINGS. Make sure your grades are good enough to be allowed to try out and maintain that scholarship.

Monday, October 26, 2009

The Millennial generation and how to best coach them

The Millennial generation (or Net Gen) is here! The "digital age" has brought a new kind of student-athlete to your campus, classroom, and team... and these Millennials are here for years to come.

The Millennials are a group of special, sheltered, smart, optimistic, and incredibly "busy" athletes who come to your team with their "helicopter" parents at their side to help with their every decision.

Millennial student-athletes have been told that they are the best, the brightest, and capable of almost anything. But . . . is this good or bad?

As a coach, how do you best relate to future recruits and current athletes who have watched "reality" TV their entire lives, have always viewed professional athletes in the Olympics, and have never known the existence of the Soviet Union (Howe & Strauss, 2007)?

For many coaches there may be a "generation gap" when working and communicating with current athletes. Then again, it can be argued that there has always been this "gap" across generations.

As a coach trying to adapt to this new generation of players, what should you expect? What can you expect?

How do you best relate to this Millennial student-athlete?

And how do you best coach, mentor, empower, and challenge this group of athletes?

While each athlete is unique, be prepared for your athletes to have high expectations of you and your coaching. Also, expect more parental involvement than ever before. And, as much as you might desire the Net Geners to "pay their dues"... many Net Geners may lack the perseverance and long-term commitment that you are looking for.

Oh, and one more thing . . . the Millennials will expect sincerity, integrity, honesty, and a positive environment in which to work and play. In short, the Net Geners are looking for a collaborative environment in which coaches and athletes work with and learn from one another.


 THE 8 NET GENERATION NORMS


 According to Tapscott (2009), there are eight Net Generation Norms:

1. They want Freedom in everything they do . . . from freedom of choice to freedom of expression- channels, product, brands, jobs, and even how they express themselves . . . the Millennials take their many choices for granted. 

2. They love to Customize and personalize -- everything from desktops, websites, ring tones, screen savers, to their own entertainment.

3. They are the new Scrutinizers -- things need to be of quality and they are watching closely on products and the delivery of these products . . . including your coaching.

4. They look for Integrity and Openness when deciding what to buy and where to play. Millennials look closely at whether or not your values align with their own . . . they can always go somewhere else.   

5. They want Entertainment and Play in their work, education, sport, and social life . . . this generation has been raised on "interactive experiences" (video games) and entertainment media (reality television).

6. They are the Collaboration and Relationship generation -- just look at Facebook, Myspace, texting, You Tube, etc.

7. They have a Need for Speed -- rapid communication is the norm . . . an instant message demands a quick, if not instant response. 

8. They are the Innovators -- everyone wants the new Blackberry or iPhone - not because the old is "outdated or not cool" but because the newer products can do more stuff . . . Millennials want to be around people who are incorporating innovative ways of teaching, mentoring, and coaching. 

6 SUGGESTIONS FOR COACHING THE MILLENNIAL GENERATION ATHLETE

So, how do you coach this new generation of student and athlete? Tapscott (2009) has offered six suggestions for working with the Millennial generation. What follows are these suggestions as they might be applied to coaching:

1. Empower your athletes to collaborate - encourage athletes to work with each other to accomplish tasks, resolve conflict, and develop "new ways" for attaining team goals . . . give them a say in developing workouts, practices, and team schedules. Allow for plenty of creativity and spontaneity.

2. Rethink authority - remain the clear leader but know that in some areas it may be beneficial to let the Net Gen athlete become the teacher . . . and remember appreciation, recognition, challenge, and praise must be authentic.

3. Reinvent yourself as a coach and customize your coaching - How can you be more relational, collaborative, sincere, positive, tech savvy, empowering, engaging, experiential, open (transparent), fun, innovative, and trusting? Look for new ways to inject fun into your practices . . . you might even consider "entertainment" as a part of your coaching.

4. Develop a strong "family" - just talking about the importance of family is not going to be enough . . . you must become "family". Prioritize spending quality time with your players and developing two-way communication, mutual trust, and respect for every player and coach in the family.

5. Forget the "guilt trip" . . . It won't work with your athletes -- a guilt trip will likely be perceived by your athletes as a sign that you "misunderstand" this generation. For many Net Geners guilt equates to "you don't care" or "you don't understand".

6. Be a person of strong character and integrity - be honest, considerate, accountable, and transparent. This generation loves to know the "real you". "No BS to the generation with finely tuned BS detectors" (p.288).

In closing, we will leave you to ponder the following question: Will you coach this new generation to meet you and your ways of coaching or will you change your coaching strategies to better meet the desires of the Millennial generation?

You will likely have to do both . . . but think about the qualities and characteristics of this new generation and begin to strategize how you might better connect, empower, build up, and challenge these Net Geners toward greater responsibility and accountability.

In Part II of this article, you will be presented with nine additional ways to "coach up" and better connect with your athletes. An important goal will be to capitalize on the strengths of this generation while, at the same time, remaining true to your own coaching strengths.

So... how do you best relate to this generation of student- athlete? Well, what do you think?

Don Tapscott (2008). Grown up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World


 

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Coaches use Twitter to Recruit

Coaches use Twitter to Recruit

College cheerleading coaches are currently "tweeting" about their programs to showcase both their personality and their recruiting message. My
advice for recruits who are currently using or are thinking about using Twitter is to make sure they keep their updates very professional, and be willing to share their updates with any college coach who is on Twitter.