My Cheer Package

I'm from the Midwest, so I am accustomed to cheering during football season in temperatures ranging from 90 degrees to 30 degrees, rain, shine, snow. I've done it all. And every year I realized that my team, though everyone was from the Midwest and had experienced our crazy weather changes during football season, was never prepared with the right outerwear for the conditions. If it was raining or snowing we would put on a black or red jacket or hoodie and black or red pants. None of us ever matched. If it was really cold the upperclassmen would put on their letterman jacket. But the thing is that no matter what the temperature was at the beginning of the game we still had to wait until halftime to put on warmer clothes. The first half of the game we HAD to wear our uniform with no jackets or pants. Gloves were frowned upon because you had to take them off to stunt. The coach hated that the flyers wanted to wear pants like the rest of the squad because it was just more things to deal with when we went to stunt. It was just a ridiculous situation. If it was warm we looked fine, but the second the temperature dropped we looked like a bunch of people who walked off the street who happened to know the same cheers. It was so embarrassing.

My senior year was the first year that the coach thought it would be a good idea to get warmups for the whole squad. She went to the local sporting goods store that sold our high school wear only and bought some windbreaker jackets and pants for the squad. I hate the swish noise of windbreakers when you walk. The thing was that they weren't specialized for our squad so half of the crowd wore them too. No, just no. Warmups are part of your uniform. It's not a uniform if half of the crowd is wearing the same thing. Part of the reason she didn't order through the Varsity rep (which we always ordered everything through because it was the previous coach's daughter) was because my coach wanted to cut costs for the squad. She didn't consult with the squad if it would have been difficult to pay for Varsity warmups. Nor did she ask us if we liked the ones she got. Her clothing choices are one of those things about high school cheer that I do not miss.

All of this pent up irritation with my coach has given me the idea to put together my own cheer package. The practice wear, the uniform (which I think the seniors should have the option to buy at the end of the season), the bows, the shoes, the makeup, the warmups, the team wear, the poms, the bags. Everything.

Uniform: My squad is known for having a ridiculous amount of uniforms. During a season we will rotate through probably 4 uniforms, and still have 6 different uniforms in storage. Most of them are from the 80s and 90s. I know of only 3 that have been bought in the 2000s. One was bought before I started high school. One was bought my freshman year (2008). The other was bought just this year and let me tell you, it is hideous. It's plain red with the mascot's name on it in white and black. It's gross. My freshman year's uniforms were super cute. Made of the same material as all-star uniforms, same kind of design. Full top. Slitted skirt. No cut outs in the top. It's fashionable. It also looks horrible on anyone who has a BMI over 20 though.

I personally am (surprisingly) enjoying Varsity's most recent catalog. Generally I would hate Varsity, but today my opinion has changed. I like the red and black uniform. Their the motion-flex material, My squad had uniforms made of the same material (I think) and they were amazing. They're kind of pricey. The top is $70 and the skirt is $60 (Though Varsity advertises it as their $100 package??) We've always matched our shell with our skirt but I really like the white shell with the black skirt. It's something that you don't see around my area. It's classy, fashionable, and different.




I am also really liking UESports.com. Their uniforms are traditional and if I want to go that route I would definitely choose their uniforms. I'm not sure on prices because they require you to call. This is not a design that my squad has personally gone with before, but the school across the county has ones similar and they look great on. I think it would look best with a white body suit and maybe the white wedge where it crosses at the hip should also be black.




Bows: There are so many amazing bow manufacturers in the market right now. It would be hard to choose one. For my freshman, sophomore, and junior year we ordered our bows from Varsity. They were tolerable, but there were a lot of other squads that had the same bows. I HATE showing up to a game and having the other squad have something in common with us. I want to be our own squad with our own gear that no one in our area has. Since my junior year we have made our own bows. One has turned out fabulous. It's my favorite bow ever even if it isn't very big. The others have turned out like utter crap. I will be buying all of my bows unless there is a girl on my squad who shows me that she can consistently make perfect, uniform bows every time. Most bows I've seen range in price from $10- $25. I want as many as possible for my squad. Your bow makes the uniform and allows the squad to participate in student section themes, like gangster, camo, or holiday. If there is no theme fora  night, glitter bows are the way to go.

Some of my favorite bows include: 

Bags: My freshman year we had great bags. It held all of our uniforms, shoes, bows, body suits, spanks, makeup, purse, small child, kitchen sink. I'm just saying that it was enormous. My sophomore year the bags were like half the size. Like what? I can barely fit my uniforms in there, let alone the rest of my stuff. It was pointless. I am looking for a bag that is about 28- 30 inches long, about a foot wide, a foot tall, with 2 straps to carry with hands, a shoulder strap, and is durable. Preferably one that has the ability to be customized. I will do all embroidery and customizations myself. Every bag I have found that fits this description is about $50. I want it to roughly look like this:


I also love this glitter duffel from Varsity it's just super sparkly and absolutely beautiful.



Shoes: I have always loved cheering in Nike One Spirit shoes. I have 2 pairs and they last forever! I still haven't worn out my first pair from freshman year and I'm a sophomore in college. They are the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned. I wear them almost everyday. They take a little getting used to if you've never worn them before, but they are perfect once you get them broken in. They are the type that have the changeable color in the Nike Swish. They're only $66, which I think is completely reasonable.



Currently my squad is wearing Varsity Spirit II. I don't know much about them but I've heard they have some great reviews. They just got them a week ago, so next time I see them I'll ask how they like them. They look great in the picture, but look a little funny on the foot. I think it is just the lacing that the picture has compared to how a normal person would lace their shoes to fit their foot. They're $72, which for a good cheer shoe I don't think that is a bad.



I have heard so much about Nfinity shoes that I am really eager to try them out. I was so sad when I found out that they are only for all-star cheer, BUT Nfinity has come out with a  shoe designed specifically for sideline cheer. It's called the Nfinity Game Day. I don't know anything about this specific shoe but I have heard rave reviews of the other Nfinity shoes and I'm sure these will be just as good. They look really similar to the Nfinity Evolution and those are really popular, so I can only assume that these would fit relatively similar. They are $69.99, completely reasonably priced. They look like they go up the ankle a little more than the Nike's I'm used to though, and I would love to know how that will affect jumps and any tumbling that we do. 



Warmups: I will require warmups for my squad. I will not allow my squad to look like a bunch of bums. I am absolutely IN LOVE with Varsity's cold weather gear. It includes everything that a squad would need to keep warm in the Midwest. The jacket costs $55.95. The gloves cost $19.95. The leggings can easily be made by adding a piece of ribbon to plain leggings, over all leggings can be bought very cheep (I got my newest pairs for $7 woop woop!) and ribbon is only a few dollars. The ear warmer can be bought relatively cheep (probably $5 at Walmart) and with the use of an embroidery machine can be personalized with the mascot's name or the cheerleader's name.


Poms: When I cheered we always had one red pom and one black pom. Last year was the first year for a new coach and she picked the ugliest poms ever. They are those two color poms in red and black. I was so glad that I had graduated and didn't have to deal with them. This year she decided to make the girls get WHITE poms. YUCK! They've turned yellow from their hand sweat and dirt. We had such nice poms and then this new coach chose the nastiest poms ever. I am also a fan of pink poms for breast cancer. I think that those should be purchased by the squad and used for the breast cancer pink out games, rather than have the girls buy their own. If the girls would like to they are welcome to purchase their own pink poms. Pink poms are only $21 and I believe that metallic red and black poms are comparable in price.

Makeup: My squad always let each girl did her own makeup, her own way. Recently I have heard of squads who make girls buy the same makeup and wear their makeup the same way. I think this is a good way to keep with the uniformity of the squad. My school's colors were red, black, and white. Red eye makeup looks scary, so I prefer to do the silvery white and black. Add shimmery, sparkly glittery stuff (I suck at makeup) and it is perfect.



Team wear: I love personalized team wear. Hoodies, oversized sweaters, t-shirts, tank tops, sports bras. I love it all with your name, mascot, school name, graduation year. These. just these. I love oversized sweat shirts with leggings, and I would have loved to have one when I was still cheering.


My squad bought something like this my senior year. It had our school name and graduation year on the front and out names on the back all in glittery print. They looked great on! I would definintly want some for my own girls.



I would love to have these for my squad. I think they are fun and I've only ever seen them on pinterest.



Practice Wear: It is the in thing for all-stars to wear sports bras and Nike Pros for practice. I'm not entirely sure if my school allows that. I think it looks best and if the school doesn't like it, I will just fight for it. We always got ugly Varsity t-shirts that were too busy. I like clean simple designs and Varsity's t-shirts are way too busy. I like these in red, white, and black with the school's name or mascot.


















If my girls can't wear just a sports bra, these t-shirts and tanks would still be cute to practice in. Any of these would also make really cute hoodies.

 





The popular choice would be Nike Pros for shorts, but Soffe recently came out with their own line of spandex shorts and I have heard that they are just as great as Nike's but only $20 compared to Nike's $35. I'm really interested in trying them out especially since I LOVE Soffe.

 

Fundraiser Ideas

At the local summer festival charge $5 to have a child stunt with the cheerleading squad. Put up a few mats and put kids up into a thigh stand, a half, a shoulder sit, maybe a chair. Something relatively easy that almost anyone could do.

Rent a cotton candy machine (costs about $70 for the machine with cotton candy mix, and $10 each additional pack of mix). At the local festival sell cotton candy for $2.

My squad has a ton of old uniforms. There are no complete sets that would fit the entire squad. Think about selling those old uniforms. They are taking up space in the cheer closet. Old cheerleaders would love to be able to buy their old uniforms, and people who wish they were cheerleaders could buy them.

Take the old uniforms and convert them into bags. I've seen this all over pinterest, where squads are taking their old shells and skirts and making a seam and turning them into ADORABLE bags. I would totally buy one. If you can't sell enough of them in your neighborhood, you can always put them online for other people to buy.

Talk to local sporting good stores that sell team gear and see if you can get a percentage of their sales on a certain day or on certain products over a course of a few days.

Go to a local restaurant and see if the squad can waitress for a day and get a percentage of the sales of the tables they wait. I know Pizza Hut does this with their buffet. They fundraising group gets most of the tables in the restaurant (one group of tables goes to a regular waitress), all tips from the tables waited by the fundraiser goes to them, and a percentage of the sales of the buffets go to the group as well. It is an easy way to earn a few hundred dollars, just be sure to advertise beforehand.

Slave for a day. Put up a glamor shot of each cheerleader. Do a silent auction before school, during lunch, and after school for student to bid to have a cheerleader be their "slave" for a day. The "slave" would do a set list of things for the "Master" like save them a parking spot in the front row, bring them their lunch, carry their books to class (the "slaves" would be allowed to come to class 5- 10 minutes late), bring them lunch, etc. Specifically say that sexual acts, or anything that goes against school policy is strictly prohibited.

Kiss a pig pep rally. I'm from the Midwest so there are a ton of farm animals around. This sounds like a great idea. Put a jar out before school, during lunch and after school. Charge $1 a vote for a cheerleader to kiss a pig (or any other available farm animal) during a pep rally before a game.

Sell squad cheerleading calendars. You can easily make these online through VistaPrint for under $10 a piece. See if a local photographer will take pictures of the squad for free or a discounted price. Make sure to thank the photographer somewhere in the calendar. This is free advertising for the photographer. 

Donation letters: send out letters to friends, families, local businesses and ask for money. Make it fun. For example: $1- $5 donations receive a personalized thank you letter signed by the squad. $5-$15 donations receive a signed picture of the squad. $15- $25 donations receive a squad cheerleading calendar. Donations over $25 receive .

Hold a cheer camp. Invite students from the local elementary and middle schools to come to learn cheer basics: motions, stunts, dances, cheers. Charge $20 per child for a 3 day event during a school break.

Bag groceries: See if your local grocery store will allow you to bag groceries for a day. Place a donation box next to the cash register.

Scholarship Plans

There are't nearly enough cheer scholarships. I want to start one once I graduate (and have money). Requirements:

• High school senior
• Must have 3.0 GPA or higher (verified by submitting a transcript)
• Must have verification of being on the varsity squad by some form of documentation (ie: roster) 
• Must have a letter of recommendation from coach
• Must include community service activities 
• Must include cheer resume video (on flash drive)
• Must attend an accredited university the year after graduation
• Scholarship due October 1. You will be notified of results February 1. 

The Well-rounded Cheerleader: I am looking for 2 cheerleaders (1 male, 1 female) who have a true passion for the sport. I want to award cheerleaders who have the whole package: jumps, stunts, dances, tumbling, cheers, community involvement, cheer involvement, good attitude, good grades. 

Most Dedicated Cheerleader: I am also looking for one cheerleader (male or female) who may not be the best on their squad but they have the most spirit, dedication, and love for the sport.

Cheer video resume:

• Name
• Birthday
• Address
• Phone number 
• College you plan to attend
• Name of squad you are currently on
• Scholarship applying for
• Best jumps, tumbling, dances, stunts, cheers, sidelines (where applicable)
• Number of years you have been involved in cheer
• What cheer means to you
• Your favorite part of cheer
• Any cheer awards won

Cheer Homework

I just read that to be a good athlete you need to be a student of your sport. At first I didn't understand what it meant. Then it hit me. It means that to be a good athlete you need to study your sport. Football players do this I know. They have their games recorded and after the game the coach goes through the plays highlighting what they did well or poorly. The coach uses the video as a learning tool so the athletes can see what they did wrong. I've wanted to do this with my squad for years but it never got accomplished. I want to take the videos as a learning opportunity to the next level. I want to have my girls do cheer homework. What is that? Well I was thinking of having the girls watch YouTube videos on something they are struggling with, like a jump or a stunt. Or maybe have them e-mail me a YouTube video and time in it of a stunt they would like to try. Or a dance that is cute. Maybe have the girls send me music suggestions for the next dance. I want their brains constantly thinking of cheer. Everything in their life should revolve around it or they aren't dedicated enough. If you aren't dedicated enough to be a student of cheer, then why are you involved in the sport? This sport requires immense passion and I ask that of my athletes. 

Picking A Squad and Conditioning

I'm sure I'm not the first one who has thought of this but with my squad I would like to benchmark all of my girls. I think it should start at tryouts. I will need to see what level every girl who is trying out is on. The level that they are on stamina and skill wise is a major factor in who to choose for the squad. I feel like benchmarking every girl would be a lot though.

Maybe I should judge the girls on what skill level they are on first. See what kind of tumbling they can do, how their jumps look, how well they can learn a routine, what level stunts they have; then, choose the top girls from that. After I choose the girls with the greatest skill level, see who have the most stamina. But don't choose just based off of who has the best stamina. Before you can choose your girls you need to look at height. Your bases need to be within a few inches of each other so they can be interchanged in stunts. The back spots need to be a little taller than the bases so they can get a grip on the flyer's ankles. I don't think that grabbing the bases' wrists works as well as pulling up on the flyer's ankles. This may sound shallow, but the flyers need to be thin, muscular, flexible, and preferably short.

Another factor to take into consideration is the girls' history. How do they perform in school? Are poor grades going to keep them from cheering? If they are I don't want you. I don't want to put my time and energy into training you if you are going to get benched because of grades. Are you a trouble maker? Do you get into fights? Do you have a problem listening to your teachers? Do you back talk to adults? I don't want you if you have behavioral issues. I am a cheer coach, not a baby sitter. You are a cheerleader, not a hooligan. Do you start a lot of boy drama? Are you constantly changing boyfriends? Are you starting fights between other girls over boys? I don't want to deal with an emotionally distraught cheerleader every other week because she has bad taste in men who keep breaking up with her. I don't want to have to deal with an athlete who is going to ruin the name of the program because she got pregnant. If you can't keep it in your pants, I don't want you to be my cheerleader. And most importantly do all the possibilities get along? Is there one girl that everyone hates? Are there cliques? I want all of my girls to be friends. If they can't all get along then I am going to get rid of the problem child. 

I feel like this last point is the most important when choosing girls to be on your squad. You can train for skills and stamina. Height differences aren't going to bring a squad down. It is how the girls behave that matters. It is their attitudes about each other and the program that can run a squad into the ground. If they don't respect their team mates, coach, and the program they are going to be the weakest link and need to be purged from the squad before they do irreparable damage to it.

This following list is a rough list of the things I would like to benchmark my girls on. I believe that starting them at their personal level then helping them progress will help build them not only as a cheerleader but as a person. It isn't a huge deal to me how much stamina my girls have in the beginning as long as they work hard to achieve what I want from them. I can train them to be at the level I want them on. I just need their effort and dedication. I will make a personal workout list for my girls to do on their own that will help them develop their weaker areas. For example, if a girl doesn't have the leg strength I would put frog jumps, wall sits, mountain climbers, and leg circles on her list. If a girl has poor jumps I would have her do frog jumps, leg circles, extra jumps on her own, more stretching, I would suggest jump bands. Every day at practice I would like to do an hour and a half of conditioning, then another hour and a half of dance, tumbling, and stunting. Every 20 minutes they can have a 2 minute water break, and a 1 minute break between each item on the list. I expect each of my girls to be stretched before they start practice. This list seems like a lot to me, but I'm not sure if that's because it is a lot or if it's because my squad didn't condition... like at all. I saw how my squad was with no conditioning and I want to push my girls to be the best possible cheerleaders they can be.
 

• Suicides-----------------------------10 minutes
• Bear crawl--------------------------5 minutes
• Burpes-------------------------------5 minutes
• Frog jumps-------------------------5minutes
• Wall sits-----------------------------5 minutes
• Mountain climbers-----------------5 minutes
• Planks--------------------------------5 minutes
• Hand stands-------------------------5 minutes
• V-up----------------------------------150
• Leg circles--------------------------5 minutes each
• Laps----------------------------------10
• Crab dips----------------------------5 minutes each
• Splits---------------------------------5 minutes each
• Push ups-----------------------------50
• Sit ups-------------------------------150
• Box jumps--------------------------5 minutes
• ladders-------------------------------each set twice
• Toe touch----------------------------5 perfect in a row
• Hurdler------------------------------5 perfect in a row
• Herkie--------------------------------5 perfect in a row
• Pike-----------------------------------5 perfect in a row
• Kicks---------------------------------100 each side
• Flexibility/ Balance (What can they pull?)
• Back bend
• Lib
• Heel stretch
• Scale
• Arabesque
• Scorpion
• Chin- chin
• Bow and arrow
• Needle

• Tumbling (Note: Do not choose cheerleaders just based off tumbling ability. Tumbling can be taught, a love of the sport can't. If a girl really loves to cheer but has a significantly lower skill level than the rest of the squad do not immediately dismiss her. She may have a lot of untapped potential that you would just be throwing away)
• Cartwheel
• Round off
• Aerial
• Handspring
• Tuck
• Layout
• Full
• Double Full

There are Consequences to Your Actions/ In-Actions

Ok I was just catching up on Cheerleaders, because I was WAY behind, and Eddy has a great method of punishing his cheerleaders if they drop a stunt or it bobbles at a comp: do that stunt Perfect 20 times. Why had I not thought of this? My squad was ALWAYS dropping stunts (that's what happens when you don't practice) and I was always trying to think up a good way to punish my girls and work on the stunt. This is like a super simple solution. I am absolutely in LOVE.

My coach always said that if we could do a stunt 3 times in a row perfect that it was game-ready. I don't think that this is enough times to know for sure that you aren't going to drop it. I definitely think that more times are needed. 20 may be a little excessive, but I think that the repetition will get it into their minds that dropping a stunt is not tolerable

I also feel that repeating a stunt 20 times perfect (that's at least 20 times, not counting the times that the stunt isn't perfect) may cause injury. I know from the base and backstop's point of view that repetitive stunting is hard on your body. Your wrists, back, legs, and arms hurt. I was never a flyer, so I don't know how their body feels after stunting for long periods of time, but I can imagine that their body feels just as bad if not worse that the bases and backspot. When you're excessively tired is when mistakes are made and in cheerleading an innocent mistake can cause serious injuries.

Cheerleaders need to learn that mistakes are not acceptable, but safety needs to be first and foremost. I think that maybe the number of times a stunt should be repeated perfectly will also depend on the squad and the stunt group. For one stunt group, repeating a stunt 10 times may be miserable, to another stunt group it may take 20 repetitions to feel the same pain.

I Think I'm Going To Do It

After not cheering for 2 years, I have decided that I just can't NOT cheer ever again. I want to start up cheer lessons in my community because this isn't offered in my area. The closest cheer gym is almost 40 miles away. I live in a relatively poor community that can't afford costs of cheer and travel. I want to offer these lessons to give young girls the basics they need to go on to cheer competitively or in high school. These lessons will help the high school squad in the long run because the coach will not have to spend time teaching the basics at the beginning of the season and can get started on learning material. This post is generally going to be me working out the logistics of what I need to do to get this started. Its not a final draft of what I will do, but rather getting my thoughts out.

Location: See if I can use the high school gym, or talk to a church if the high school is not available.

People to talk to: Talk to high school and junior high coaches. Learn what they want the girls to know for their squad and integrate it into the program, talk to school administration for permission to use high school, church board for a church.

Certification: Get certification to have a business, become certified to coach cheer, stunting, and tumbling

Curriculum: Develop a plan of progression. Follow rules set forth by the AACCA or USASF. Youth Recreational Cheer does not have set rules.

Advertising: Facebook page for community, flyers in gas stations, grocery stores, day cares, Twitter for high school

Fees: $20 a session (2-hours), $30 administration fee

Waver: Have parents sign waver saying I am not liable for injuries. Kids must have medical insurance and a physical on file

Ages: 6- 18. General beginner cheer lessons to start with.

Is there anything else I didn't think of??

MIX IT UP

My squad was a bit ridic when it came to dances, sidelines, and cheers. My coach didn't know how to come up with new cheer and dances herself so we only used the material that we learned through the UCA camps and tryout DVDs. Yea. Those SUCK! Because my coach didn't know how to come up with her own stuff the UCA material was all that we knew... We did the EXACT SAME dances, cheers, and sidelines my 4 years of high school. That is one of those things that DRIVES ME CRAZY! I like to mix it up and we got stuck doing the same thing every game, sometimes in the exact same order as the previous game because she was too lazy to change it. The crowd wasn't stupid, they knew what she was pulling. And that is probably one of the reasons they didn't get involved. They had seen it all before. I am a strong believer in coming up with your own dances, cheers, and sidelines for your squad. Doing those robotic nasty UCA dances are SOOOOO junior high. If you're going to jack someone else material at least make it good material! I would also suggest jacking it from a school across the country so they don't find you and bring a beat down (Obvious Sarcasm).

Now I'm just going to link up some Youtube videos of stuff that I like (at least pieces of it I like) and would be cool to use as inspiration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QE0TJBF7Ro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if02tS5-Glk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYLEPtdw4Rk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL2luR8Y6Xs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40oZ0PVPRzs

You are beautiful

There is no body type you have to have to be a cheerleader. I am 5"5' and my weight ranges from 145 to  155. I have a huge butt, a bit of a tummy, and thunder thighs. I was still cheer captain. My co-captain was almost 6 foot tall, skinny, and all legs. She backed and I based. We had a short chubby girl fly one season. We also had flyers who were 5 foot 2 and 110 pounds. My point is that just because you aren't a short skinny girl doesn't mean that you can't cheer. Cheerleaders come in all shapes and sizes. We are not all alike like the media portrays us to be. We are each unique, special, and beautiful. The squad needs all types of girls. Don't think that just because you don't have a model's body mean that you can't cheer. If I can do it I know you can too. Just prove yourself and your skills and leave it all out on the mat. 

Watch Those Motions!!

My cheer pet peeve: Shitty motions. For the love of all things sparkly why is it so hard for some people to figure out how to do a right or a left punch? WHY??????? Its so easy!! Straighten your arm, put it right next to your ear, thumb tucked, squeeze your muscles, and pretend that a puppet master has your arm on a string and is pulling it straight up. Your hand should NEVER be over your head or in front of you. It should always be straight above your shoulder. Why do some girls hook their arm? You ain't no pirate! Why do some girls push their arm forward? That looks like you are a deformed unicorn with a horn coming out of your shoulder. Why do some girls tilt their heads so they can touch their ear to their arm, instead of pulling straight up from your shoulder? Girl you confused. See this girl on the left is doing a unicorn. The girl on the middle has a hook. The girl way in the back is doing it right.

Then the people who can't do a high or a low-V. Your arms should not be parallel with your body. If you look straight ahead while doing a high or low-V then you should see both fists out of the corners of your eyes. Your arms will be in front of your body.And for the love of all things sparkly watch your wrists! Your arm should be straight. Don't push your wrists up, down, left, or right during the motion. The top of your hand should be level with the rest of your arm and there should be a straight line from the pinky side of your hand to your shoulder. I see a lot of flyers do this! They have what I like to call broken wrists. It looks like this. (and a little side note: Never cheer at a game in a T-shirt. That's NASTY!)











If you are doing a touchdown PLEASE do it correctly! It's just a left punch and a right punch at the same time. This is the wrong way for it to look. Her arms should be touching her ears just like the three girls on the left of the other picture.
















 And when you do a low touchdown a good rule of thumb is to squeeze your boobs together with your elbows. Obviously you keep your arms straight while you do the squeezing and your arms will be a little in front of you.











 And PLEASE watch your arms when you're doing a broken T!!! This is the GROSSEST motion if its done wrong. Look at it. EWW! Keep your arms flat and right in front of your shoulders.

A T is just like a high or low V in premise. Its just in front of you, perpendicular to your body. You always have to remember to keep your arms straight and not have one higher than the other.











When you do daggers you have to keep your arms at a right angle. From the side of your arm with your pinky to your elbow should be straight and parallel with your body. Your arms should be on either side of your boobs. If you push your boobs together too much the motion will end up looking like a mini high-V. If you don't tuck in your arms enough then it will look like a chicken wing. Chicken wing example.


















And lastly I will discuss an L. For the love of all things sparkly the girls on my squad had the HARDEST time doing an L correctly. I don't know what was so difficult about it, but they sucked at it. For an L put one arm in a punch position, and the other in a half T position. You have to make sure that your punch is perfectly straight and your half T is parallel with the ground. See this girl on the left is demonstrating the confused look when you do a punch because her head is tilted. If your arms aren't perfectly lined up with each other it could look NASTY.



 

That's pretty much the motions that get screwed up a lot. If you think I missed a big one then please tell me and I will add it. There are a ton of strange non-named motions that you will have to do, but they're all based off of the basic motions I just talked about. I hope this helped and rememeber! STAY SPARKLY!! 

Aging Out

I can't give any advice on how to deal with this subject. I haven't cheered for over a year now and I still am adjusting to not being a cheerleader. I can't watch a football or basketball game because all I do it critique the squad, miss doing the same things they are, and feel lost when I actually have to PAY to get in. HAHA. Cheerleading was the best thing to happen to me and now I can't do it. In a few years I am not going to know anyone on my old squad. The youngest girls I would have cheered with will be juniors this fall. And that's if they stick with it, because let's face it they are flakes. Pretty flakes that can't cheer, but flakes none the less. I don't want to be a girl who can't give it up and wants to relive high school again but high school was great. I loved high school. I had a great time. I met some awesome people. I did a lot of cool stuff. I was popular. People looked up to me. Now I don't have any of that and I miss it. I have held onto all of my old cheer clothes because I just can't give it up. I plan on decorating my room with all of my cheer clothes, poms, and awards next year because it will make me feel like I am still a part of cheer, even though I know I'm not and won't be at least until I graduate. I understand how it is to now have cheer in your life anymore and of you ever need someone to talk to I am here. I'm sorry I've been AWOL lately. I've been super busy at work. But school is about ready to start back up and I will be back posting a lot more. ❤

Expanding My Social Media Outlets

Alright so I started a YouTube channel and vine under my real name. And I have an ask now under cheerstrict.  If you want to know what I look like and check out my videos just comment or what ever and I'll give you the info. I'm still freaking out about giving away who I am so I'm not just gunna post it. You'll have to ask me for it. I'll apologize ahead of time if I don't look like you think I should and for the fact that I cuss. My videos are about a little bit of everything. I think I'm funny but don't we all think that? Lol just don't leave any mean comments on my videos. I'm super sensitive about that. While I'm at it I will shamelessly plug my new favorite person, Robby Ayala. He's gorgeous, smart, and incredibly funny. You should check him out. ❤ 

Trying Out and Getting Cut from the Squad

My first tryout was probably the most nerve wracking experience of my life. I was so confident that I wasn't going to make the squad because I had zero experience, couldn't tumble, didn't know the school song, I didn't know a left punch from buckets. I was a complete MESS. But I tried so hard to learn the sidelines and the dance that the coach noticed. I impressed her with my hard work even though I didn't know what I was doing. That is what I tell girls who have never cheered before who want to tryout. Try your absolute hardest and even if you don't do perfectly the coach will probably notice that you are putting forth more effort than probably half of the girls that are returning to the squad from last year. Making the squad makes you complacent about working to keep your spot, and their complacency gives you a boost over them.

I absolutely love encouraging new girls to tryout for cheer. I think it is the best sport to do if you don't have any previous experience. We can teach someone how to be a good cheerleader and put her on a squad or a division that will match her skill level. I kind of like new cheerleaders more than someone who has cheered before because they are a completely blank slate. You can mold them into the right cheerleader for your squad. That is why I don't understand why some squads don't want to bother with a brand new cheerleader. She could be your best cheerleader once she knows what she is doing.

When I tried out I didn't know any of the girls on the squad because I had just moved into a new school. I had one friend that was a cheerleader and she encouraged me to tryout. If you move to a new school find out who the cheerleaders are and talk to them. See what their squad is like.

Some squads focus on stunts, some on tumbling, some on dances, and some on actually cheering. If your new school focuses on tumbling for example and your old squad focused on stunting and you don't know how to tumble, you have the choice between giving up before you even start or talking to the coach about how you don't tumble but you can bring some killer stunt skills to the squad and she will probably understand. You can always learn how to tumble enough to keep up once you have made the squad. You just have to be able to prove that just because you are lacking in one area doesn't mean you are any less of a cheerleader.

But there will always be those bitchy coaches and cheerleaders who will think that and they may pom block you. If you get cut from your squad and you really wanted to cheer you can see if one of the cheerleaders that did make the squad are willing to work with you. If you don't know how to tumble I would definitely recommend going to a gym to learn. Learning from someone who isn't certified to teach tumbling can kill you or seriously injure you. It's just a bad idea. Don't do it.

You could choose though that you don't want to waste your time with a coach like that but that would mean giving up cheer. Another option you have is to look into trying out for a competition team (or if you got cut from a competition team, you could try out for your high school). Competitive cheer and high school cheer are really different though. High school cheerleaders have to have the stamina to cheer for hours on end and competitive cheerleaders have to be able to squeeze all of that into a few minutes. It depends on you what kind of squad you feel most comfortable with.

I started college last year and I knew that I couldn't make the squad because they do some crazy tumbling and I can barely do a forward roll. I didn't want to waste their time or mine trying out for a squad that was more advanced that I could ever dream of being. I looked into joining club cheerleading. Then I learned that they compete level 5 but they let everyone on the squad. I don't know how on earth they do that. They either don't have level 5 skills like they say or they bully anyone who doesn't have the right skills off the squad. Then I checked out youtube to see what they were like and they SUCKED. It was almost unbearable to watch for two and a half minutes. I decided that it wasn't for me. I don't have the skills to be on that kind of squad and I don't want them to bully me off the squad. I can live without cheering in college. I will just blog, get my ideas in order, and coach after I graduate. Its the choice I made, and you have to make your own.

Act Like The Role Model That You Are

Cheerleaders are one of the most looked up to group of people in our society. Every little girl wants to be a cheerleader when she grows up. This forces cheerleaders as a whole to present a united force. Not all cheerleaders are the same. Some are tall. Some are short. Some are skinny. Some are bigger. They can be blonde, brunette, or a red-head. They can cheer All-Star or High school. Everyone is different and we need to let the younger generation know this. You don't have to look like Barbie to be a cheerleader. Personally my favorite "Cheerleb" is Kira Shutt because she looks like someone I would be best friends with. Kira's personality (from what I've seen on Cheerleaders and her twitter account) seems to mesh well with my personality. She is afraid of losing her spot on her squad, she is always struggling with some aspect, and she has a really awesome VW bus. She isn't deathly thin, but rather has a healthy body. I see her tweets and I just love how down to earth she is. I see some cheerleader’s tweets and they are so shallow, talking only about tanning, Starbucks, bows, and Nike pros. They talk down to cheerleaders that don't do their kind of cheerleading and wear their preferred type of practice wear. Personally I am pale as a ghost because I am too busy to tan, am too poor to buy Starbucks (as much as I love it), have never owned a pair of Nike pros because I can't bring myself to buy a pair of $30 shorts, I only have 5 bows, and I have never even seen a pair of nfinities. Does that make me less of a cheerleader than you? Of course not. It just means we're different.  If cheerleaders keep focusing on these superficial things then they are going to give the next generation of cheerleaders the same ideas. These cheerleaders on twitter (and I follow over 200 of them) force their school work into the back seat while cheerleading takes the driver’s seat. How are these girls going to be functioning parts of society if they don't go to school? Little girls are looking up to you and thinking, "If they do cheerleading and don't go to school, I won't go to school either." Little girls see how you tan all the time and are going to do it too. Tanning causes skin cancer, and you doing it all the time is telling the people who look up to you that it's ok. Your tweets are always talking about how you hate the "basics" and "peasants". Cheerleading is a great sport, but it doesn't make you better than people who don't cheer. I have never met a group of cheerleaders who think so highly of themselves and so little of others. You really should be ashamed. Cheerleaders have a tremendous amount of power, and that requires a great amount of responsibility. If so many people are looking up to you and trying to emulate you, you need to act like someone you would be proud to follow yourself. If you decide that you are to "fat" and develop an eating disorder, there are hundreds of people looking up to you and it can cause them to follow in your footsteps. If you bully people, those who strive to be like you are going to bully people too. If you have a bad attitude towards non-cheerleaders, little girls are going to start to be standoff-ish to non-cheerleaders. Your actions have profound reactions and if you are not careful about how you carry yourself, you can be the reason someone loses their life whether it be to an eating disorder, bullying, or something else. Cheerleaders are always referencing Mean Girls, well think of the ending
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You are creating the next generation of "mean girls". Is that something you want to do?

Non-Cheer Related Post

I was just wondering if I had any regular readers, what people think of my blog, or if there was anything I could change that would make it better. Post a comment about what you think. I'd love to hear from people, even if it is something negative. I just want it to be as good as possible. If you have any suggestions that I post about please tell me. You can also follow me on Twitter @CheerStrict and if anyone wants me to make a Facebook, Pinterest, or any other kind account tell me and I can get it done. I'm here to help =)

Revamping Your Squad

Coming from a squad that was mediocre (at best) the last few years, at a school that doesn't appreciate cheerleaders, I have learned that the only way to get respect is to perform like you're All Stars. Your stunts have to be top notch, your motions perfect, your dances amazing, your tumbling (if your squad is into that kind of thing) fantastic, your makeup and hair flawless. You have to do something to set you apart from the stereotype of "Go Team Go". Doing something like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tRohbZItqk&feature=endscreen&NR=1 makes you stand out. It is something that people will remember, that they will talk about next year and the year after that, and will end up of youtube. If you can get people thinking "Wow, those girls are great. I want to be one of them" then you can get the best of the best on the squad.

At my high school cheerleading wasn't cool. Cheerleaders weren't popular. Girls basketball players were, and I honestly don't know why because the girls on the basketball team looked rather manly. My squad didn't have the "perfect blonde cheerleader" look though either. One girl was tall and skinny with frizzy hair. One girl was short and chunky. A couple of our girls were pretty, but they had huge butts and thighs. I'm a blonde, blue eyes, but I'm a size 8-10. Not skinny enough to be Barbie. We had one perfect Barbie cheerleader, but she never wanted to do anything but look good in the uniform. We were just like normal people, and my school didn't like it. They wanted us to be perfect, tiny cheerleaders that performed like All Stars. And my school will always have that mind set. They have seen too many cheer movies that portray cheerleaders as having perfect bodies, hair, and make up. We weren't like that. We wanted to be ourselves and get recognized as being athletes. The cheerleader stereotype kept us from that. 

If you want to be respected as an athlete you need to act like one. Work hard at practice and spread the word around school about how hard it was (it will make people realize you do something that makes you sweat). Take your squad for a run around town. It will turn heads to see 20 or so pretty girls running around town. Maybe share a video of practice with your friends so they can see how a practice goes. Post your cheer schedule on the cheer Facebook or Twitter, other people will stumble upon it and see how often you practice and for how long. Football players are respected because they are said to have really hard practices, spend all summer outside in the sun conditioning, and it is dangerous. If people understand cheerleading is like that then it can get the recognition that it deserves.

The squad is only as good as its weakest link. If your squad has girls that don't want to be there, don't show up for practice, only are cheerleaders because of the uniform but they have been on the squad for a long time or they are really good, you need to realize that they are bringing the squad down. You don't need them. When it comes time for tryouts coaches need to remember that it isn't just what you see at tryouts that you need to take into consideration. You need to remember all of the awful things they did last season. Were they disrespectful? Did they blow off practices and games? Were they late? Did they cause a lot of drama? Did they ever try? Were they always getting in trouble? If they were, then you don't need them. Replace them with someone who wants to be there, who will try their hardest, and will represent your school well. The cheerleaders ability is directly related to the coach. If there is one bad cheerleader then it reflects badly on the coach. If the coach looks badly the school can replace them. It happens, just look at Purdue's football coach.

Because no body liked cheerleading at my school, it was really hard to get people to tryout. I feel like my school is the only place that happens though. But if not, I have a few ideas on how to get people to tryout. Some short videos to post on Facebook, your school's website, or school's news broadcast.

• Can you do this? *picture of lifting weights* Think you can do this? *video of a partner stunt*. Tryout for cheerleading (insert tryout information here)

• Can you do this? *picture of someone doing gymnastics* Think you can do this? *video of a tumbling pass*. Tryout for cheerleading (insert tryout information here)

• Can you do this? *video of dancing* Think you can do this? *Video of a cheer dance*. Tryout for cheerleading (insert tryout information here)

• Have you done this? *video of a cheer competition or a high school squad* Then tryout for cheerleading (insert tryout information here)

 I know my school would allow this next one, but I don't know if it is possible for other schools. Go to the office and get a list of everyone in the school (I had a small school so it wasn't a big deal) and a roster for that season's sports. Get the entire squad together and cross off everyone who who is in a sport, is a trouble maker, has bad grades, or misses class a lot. If there is a certain type of people you want for the squad like skinny, athletic, pretty, rich (Hey, I don't know you. You could be THAT kind of squad. I don't judge.). Target these people to tryout for your squad.

Ask for student assembly. Split the area into 4 sections labeled (or as for a hands up for each situation): I have cheered and it is a sport, I have cheered and it is not a sport, I have not cheered and it is a sport, I have not cheered and it is not a sport. This will give you an idea of how to make your plea for new people on your squad. If most of the people have never cheered and don't think it is a sport, then you need to show them videos of hard cheer practices, difficult stunts, or a competition. If a lot of people have never cheered but think it is a sport you need to ask them why they have never cheered and show them that they can cheer despite their preconceived notions. If they use the excuse that they are too big to cheer you can show them an episode of "Cheerleaders" to prove to them that bigger girls can cheer too. If they haven't cheered because they think that they need to do a lot of tumbling explain to them that not all cheerleaders need to tumble and that there is more than just tumbling in cheerleading. If they think that male cheerleaders are gay then explain to them that there are a lot that aren't. It is a great way to meet girls, you get to touch girls in inappropriate ways and it is ok. If a lot have cheered before and think that it a sport, you just have to ask them to tryout. If someone has cheered before and still think that cheerleading isn't a sport, they are a lost cause. You can ask them to tryout but getting them to change their mind after they have already been cheerleaders is unlikely. Show the videos mentioned above. Show the tryout information at the end of the presentation.

My Cheer Story

I always wanted to be a cheerleader when I was younger. My great-grandma got me Indiana University (I will excuse her poor choice in schools since everyone knows Purdue is where its at) cheer uniform when I was like 2. I looked super cute in it and I wore it EVERYWHERE. When I was in first grade I became friends with a girl who did cheer, dance, and gymnastics. I wanted to do that too. I asked my mom and she told me that I was too old to start that now. That if I had wanted to do cheer, dance, and gymnastics I should have said so when I was 2 because starting in first grade was just too old. I would never be able to catch up. And she told me I was too fat. So to get me to lose weight she started me in basketball the next year, and I played all through freshman year. I was ok, but I never really got into it.

I went to a junior high where to be a cheerleader you had to have a back tuck and a back handspring, and stuff like that. I had never been able to learn how to do a freaking cart wheel. I had never cheered. I couldn't dance. I knew I could never be a cheerleader at my school no matter how much I wanted to. I wasn't long before I got into a bad crowd. I started smoking (cigs, I have never done drugs), drinking, cutting, I just wished that I was dead. I was that girl who wore all black and wore eyeliner so I had raccoon eyes. I hated cheerleaders and thought all of them were skanky hoes. It was just a bad time for me. My parents knew I was on a downward spiral and pulled me out after 8th grade so I could go to a much smaller school in the next town. But I was still playing basketball in my old town. Towards the end of my 8th grade year my grandpa decided to take me to my future high school to watch a basketball game so I could see if I could make the team. I didn't watch much of the game. I was distracted by the cheerleaders. They did cool stunts. They danced amazingly. They looked so perfect. It brought me back to a time when I dreamed of becoming a cheerleader. In the following months my parents found out I was a cutter and I almost completely quit (I completely quit in 2010). I stopped wearing my eyeliner so thick. I withdrew from my old friends. I was ready to start a whole new chapter in my life.

At my new school I was considered a freak. I would come to school in themed outfits. I would be a hippy chick, a goth, a rocker, or country depending on my mood that morning. I showed up to class one day wearing green capris, a purple cami, and carried around Barney because I thought I was making a statement. I thought I was being cute by carrying around a purse with the kitten from Aristacats. What the hell was I thinking? Thank God I grew out of being such a freak.

I only knew one girl when I switched schools. I went to church with her aunt and she was in my grade. I had gym class with her, and one day I asked her why she was wearing a bow in her hair. She told me she was a cheerleader. I was surprised. She didn't look seem like the cheerleading type. She was pretty in her own way, tall, skinny but she was NICE. I thought all cheerleaders were supposed to be the queen bee of the school and be an uber bitch. I made the comment that I used to want to be a cheerleader when I was younger but didn't because I couldn't do even a cart wheel. She told me I should try out for basketball season and that she didn't know how to do a cart wheel either. I was completely shocked. I had no idea that someone could be a cheerleader if they couldn't do cart wheels, and round offs, and back hand springs, and stuff like that. I decided that I should go for it. Just to see what it was like.

When I went to the first tryout practice I found out that I had to learn 3 sidelines, the school song, a dance, a toe touch, a herkie, and a hurdler. I was completely over loaded. I didn't know how to do any of that stuff. I asked my only friend if she could help me. She came over to my house and worked on the dance with me and I learned the sidelines and jumps during the other 3 tryout practices. I asked a senior on the squad to help me with the school song. I knew the dance and the sidelines pretty well for tryouts. My jumps were a hot mess and I barely knew the school song. I was one of the middle girls to tryout. I watched a few girls go in to talk to the coach and all of them came out saying they had made it. It was my turn next. I was expecting that I wouldn't make it. Somehow, by the grace of God, the coach let me on the squad, but only if I kept working as hard as I had been. I was so excited. I met with one of the seniors every day during study hall for the rest of the year to work on the school song, motions, dances, and sidelines. I leaned so much from her. She taught me that if I wanted to get on the same level as her, that I needed to work twice as hard as everyone at practice and then practice for hours at home.

My first game was terrifying. I didn't know most of the dances, so I had to clap most of them. I knew the school song, for the most part. We have a pretty hard school song and with me having zero dance background it took me 3 days to learn just it. I didn't know a lot of the sidelines. My jumps sucked. I loved it though. I loved the uniform, feeling like I was a part of something. Everyone was so helpful and understanding my first year. I had another cheerleader come over to my house and help me on sidelines. I had to work so hard outside of practice to learn the material. But by the end of my first season I knew most of the dances, cheers, and sidelines. I was amazed how far I had come. When my coach told me that making the squad was conditional on how much I improved I knew I had to work my butt off to prove to her that I wasn't wasting her time. I am proud to say that I think I made her very proud to have me on her squad, and I am so happy that I chose to follow my dreams and become a cheerleader. I may not be on the same level as a competitive cheerleader, but I am happy with what I became in such a short amount of time.

We Are A Team Sport, So Act Like It

All through high school my squads had a hard time working together. The upper- classmen wanted to control everything and they wouldn't even take suggestions from a freshman or sophomore. As a captain I tried really hard to ask all my girls what they wanted out of the squad and what they thought we should do, but it was hard. I am a control freak and asking for other peoples' opinions was irritating to me, but I did it. I am taking a leadership class right now and it is teaching me what I did wrong as the leader of my squad. Hopefully it will help me in the future as I try to become a coach, and you can learn from my mistakes.

An overview of what my class is going over right now is:

• Work as a team.
• Use everyone's strengths to their full potential and improve upon everyone's weaknesses.
• Put all of your energy into what you are doing with the team.
• Don't gender discriminate.
• Trust your team members.
• Don't be afraid to argue with team members.
• Don't let the team get too large.
• Have strong leadership.
• Have a rewards system.

The last month of my junior year I made out a list of everything I wanted to do to help my squad when I became captain. I am sad to say that next to nothing was accomplished on that list. I am not saying that I gave up on my squad. I am saying that my coach refused to let the captains do anything about how unruly our squad had become. Our practices consisted of us all sitting around talking. Sometimes it was about cheer and how we could improve but most of the time it was drama and random stuff about school. My coach was always at the center of it. How is an 18 year old supposed to get her coach to shut up and practice? I couldn't, and my squad suffered greatly. Our coach allowed phones out at practices and games. I tried to reprimand a girl for using her phone during the game and I was the one who got in trouble. Seriously? That is just wrong. I have never forgiven my coach or the girl that was constantly texting during the games. It is completely reasonable to be able to put your phone away for a few hours so we can practice and focus on the game.

My list of things that I though would help my squad are as follows:

• Work on motions often.
• Practice jumps more often.
• Work on cheers so everyone knows everything.
• Work on sidelines.
• Smile.
• Practice dances.
• Choose dance-able music for pre-game.
• Stop the gossip!
• Work on stunting so everyone knows every position.
• Find new and different stunts.
• Push harder and faster.
• Get everyone to be able to do a straight up full (Seriously this was a problem...)
• Start strength training and a cardio workout.
• Have team time to talk about improvements.
• No phones out at practice or games.
• Don't slack off at practice.
• Keep talking at a minimum at practices and games.
• No boy drama.
• Display sportsmanlike conduct at games.
• Explain that yelling derogatory chants with the student section is not acceptable.
• Have fun but be serious.
• Remember that cheerleaders are always being watched and picking your wedgies, practicing, and goofing off in front of the crowd will be noticed.
• Be prepared for games at the right time meaning bows are in, hair is done, shoes are on, contacts in, makeup done, uniform on.
• Make sure that everyone dresses up for game day at school.
• Dressing up means wearing dress pants or skirt (no jeans) with a dressy top like a cami with jacket or a nice sweater (no shirts with writing) and dress shoes like flats of heals (no sneakers).
• Start a reward and punishment system.
• Don't throw fits about making signs.
• Signs need to be made often.
• Seniors start dances during pre-game.
• Have everyone's number so everyone can stay in contact.
• Make sure you are in your spot after half time.

I feel like a lot of those things that I wrote about junior year are things that most squads already have in place. This tells you about our squad. It was crazy. We sucked. We had zero guidance from the coach and no one ever wanted to be there. We were a hot mess towards the end.

Freshman year we were great. Our coach would have us make about 5 straight lines in front of her and we would do all of our cheers, sidelines, dances, motions, and jumps in front of her and if someone didn't look like everyone else and stuck out she would make that person do it again while everyone was watching. It was stressful. I was always the one that had to do it in front of everyone. It made me a better cheerleader because of it.

The coach we had sophomore through senior year didn't do that for the new girls. It wasn't just their loss though, it affected the entire squad.  Why didn't I think of doing it for my girls last year though? I suppose you can always reflect on things that you wish you should/could/would have done. My senior year I could have made a difference and I didn't. My girls didn't want to be there though, and you can't make anyone do something they don't want to do. A team is only as good as it's weakest link. I have been the weakest and the strongest on my squad.

You have to push yourself to improve. You have to put in twice the work as everyone else and you still may not be the best on your squad. That is when you work even harder. And once you are on top, reach down and help everyone who isn't as good as you so they can have the dream of becoming you one day.

Changing Opinions

Alright I know I have already said that I just don't like competitive cheerleading, but I am kind of having a change of heart. I started watching the youtube series Cheerleaders and I really like it. I love their coach, like SO MUCH. I love how he pushes them and how not everyone on the squad is a skinny twig (mainly because I am not a twig). It made me realize that I sort of had preconceived notions about competitive cheerleaders and their body size. I have been told my whole life that I was just too big to do dance, gymnastics, and cheer. I stepped out of my comfort zone and became a cheerleader on a squad that didn't require tumbling. Watching Cheerleaders made me realize that I could have done anything I wanted when I was younger and I was just being bullied into not following my heart. It just makes me wish that I would have started cheering sooner.

I also have started becoming more open to competitive cheerleading because of Twitter. I am following lots of competitive cheer Twitter accounts and I am starting to understand that there isn't that big of a difference between us. They cheer for a few minutes, I cheer for a few hours. We do roughly the same thing but theirs is more concentrated. They get to do cooler stunts because the high school won't allow us (I really am jealous about that). They tumble, my squad chose not to tumble but we could have. They poof their hair, so do I. They love glitter, SO DO I. We really aren't that different.

We need to learn that it isn't an US-THEM situation. It is an US situation. We both want cheerleading to be recognized as a sport and to be appreciated as the athletes we are. We need to stop being so prejudiced towards each other and realize that we are one. (pretty sure that is out of Lion King 2, but what evs). I am just trying to say that we don't need to say that one type of cheerleading is better than the other. We both have our purpose. I cheer on my school's athletes (who don't appreciate us), they cheer to win a competition. I am not competitive in nature, I chose the right kind of cheerleading for me. Just like every cheerleader does. Don't hate on one kind or another because neither is the "right" kind of cheerleading. I get so often that I don't do the right kind of cheerleading and I hate it. Why does there have to be a "right" and a "wrong" type of cheerleading. Can't we all just accept that people have different tastes and some people just don't want to compete and others don't want to cheer for a basketball or foot ball team?

Coaching is My Passion

I really want to coach. It is something that I think I will do well at. I was not the best cheerleader. My jumps were not very good. My friends say I dance like a spazz (I beg to differ). But I know exactly how these things are supposed to look like. I helped my girls get better, and I was damn good at it. I want to coach at my high school, but I am at college an hour and a half away. If I coached at school, I would only be around Sunday evening to Friday afternoon. I would also only be at school August to May. I wouldn't be able to coach during the summer (the most crucial time for learning) and I wouldn't be around for camp. That is just unacceptable. I have to be able to dedicate most of my time to cheer if I am going to coach, and I am unable to do that at the moment. So, I will have to hold off on my dream.

I will coach eventually though. If I do not make a plan now for it while cheer consumes my thoughts all day long I feel like I will forget everything that I know. I want to remember the problems that my squad had so I can avoid them when I am a coach.

If I were a coach:
Practice:
We will have practice Monday through Thursday and every other Saturday. Practice will be held on the basketball court during basketball season and once a week on the football field during football season. (My high school rarely let us on the basketball court or the football field to practice, but when we did it really helped me with appropriate spacing and what not). ABSOLUTELY NO PHONES OUT DURING PRACTICE. If I give you my full attention and dedication I expect my girls to do the same. Practice will be from 5 PM until 7:30 PM Monday through Thursday and from 7 AM to 10 AM every Saturday. If a game is scheduled for a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday the cardio and weight training for that week will be replaced by the practice that is being missed. Being late or not ready for practice will not be tolerated. For every minute you are late that is a lap you will run. A flyer hits the ground EVER the entire stunt group will run laps, do pushups, and burpees.

Monday and every other Saturday practice will consist of weight training and cardio. http://www.livestrong.com/article/106777-weight-room-workouts-cheerleaders/ is a good example of what I will have my girls do. I will have my girls do the Hip Hop Abs video workouts. I find them helpful when thinking about new dance moves and it is a fun cardio workout.  I also expect my girls to run on the treadmill and elliptical. These cardio exercises are acceptable http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/cardio/our-best-cardio-workouts/?page=9 If you would like to do a workout other than those that I have suggested, bring the workout to me to approve. Cheerleaders are expected to wear black cheer shorts, white T-shirt or sports bra, white cheer shoes, and bow of their choice.

Tuesday and Wednesday will be dedicated to dancing, cheers, and putting together what we will be doing for games. The stunts that will be used during that week's game(s) will also be practiced. Cheerleaders are expected to wear red shorts, gray T-shirt or sports bra, white cheer shoes, and bow of their choice.

Thursday will be used for stunting. The time will be spent learning new stunts and perfecting stunts that are already known. Cheerleaders are expected to wear and color of shorts, sports bra or cheer related T-shirt, white shoes, and bow of their choice.

Every other Saturday will be used for fine tuning what we already know. This time can be spent working on motions, jumps, stunting, cheers, school song, anything that I see that needs improving. Cheerleaders are expected to wear black cheer shorts, white T-shirt or sports bra, white cheer shoes, and bow of their choice.

Warm ups will consist of these exercises: http://www.shape.com/celebrities/celebrity-workouts/nfl-cheerleader-workout  and these stretches: http://cheerleadinginfocenter.typepad.com/cheerleading_info_center/stretching.html including jumps and kicks. 

Team Bonding:

After every other Friday game it is the captain's responsibility to have a team building activity planned. This can consist of eating out, sleep overs, games, etc. But it must happen. Cliques will not be tolerated on my team. If I feel like you are leaving someone out I will not hesitate to bench you. You are a team, I expect you to act like it. If I hear any form of drama among my girls I will start benching girls. Leave your drama at the door.

Games: 
Girls will arrive ready for the game an hour and a half before it starts. We will stretch, jump, and kick to warm up. We will then go over the dances, timeouts, quarters, and stunts. I will make sure that the athletic director knows that the student section needs to keep an appropriate distance from the cheerleaders during starting lineup. (My school's student section encroached on our space and nearly made our stunts fall every game. I will not tolerate it as a coach.) Phones can be taken out during half time and after the game. No exceptions. Refrain from talking during games. Yell loudly. If you stop doing your motions full out you can sit out the rest of the game and the next game. If you are caught practicing cheers where the crowd can see you will run laps at the next practice. If a flyer hits the ground EVER the entire stunt group will run laps, do pushups, and burpees at the next practice. Cheerleaders are expected to cheer at least once every other play during football, every play when the game is close, and at least once every minute during a basketball game. Do not ask if you can put your poms down at a game, the answer is NO. I will have a clip board and recording everything you do wrong to fix next practice.
Attire: Hair is to be worn all up, no exceptions. Do not ask if you can wear it half up, because the answer will be NO. Hair is to look presentable: in a high pony, either spiral curls or straight, with a poof. Your bow will be facing forward. Cheer shoes are only to be worn at basketball games and practices. For football games you are to wear old cheer shoes. If I catch you wearing your new shoes outside you will run laps. Makeup should be modest. Red lipstick and excessive glitter are for hookers and strippers, not cheerleaders. Nails can only be painted school colors or silver glitter. Silver glitter is the only color allowed. On game days cheerleaders are required to wear the designated outfit; be it dress-up, a certain cheer shirt, certain colors, etc. It will be determined the week of the game and written on the cheer board.

Cheer Board:
The times of the next games, when to arrive at the games, what uniform to wear, which bow to wear, etc. will be written on the cheer board. The cheer board will be a white board located in a place that is to be determined. This information will also be posted on the school's cheer Facebook and Twitter accounts, text to you, and e-mailed to you and your parents. If you show up to a game without the things that were posted on the cheer board you will sit out the game and run laps the next practice. There is no excuse for pure laziness.

Requirements and Tryouts:
I require a strong love of the sport, a strong desire to learn more, and a strong desire to be the best you can be. It is possible to start cheering with absolutely no experience and I am willing to take on any girl who thinks she has what it takes to cheer. Cheering, dance, and tumbling background are appreciated but not required. Each girl will demonstrate sidelines, cheers, dances, jumps, motions, and tumbling at tryouts. Tryouts will be held the week after the last Winter sporting event and practices will begin immediately. Any person moving into the school district must wait until the next available tryouts. Captains will be chosen by a vote from the cheerleaders, but ultimately it is the coach's decision.

Reward/ Punishment System:
I prefer the demerit system. This page is a detailed explanation of the system. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CDMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.universitycitycheerleading.vnsports.com%2Fcachedcontent%2F25349%2Fforms%2FUCHSDEMERIT-MERITSYSTEM.doc&ei=n7JIUbOLFemCygGo7oHQBQ&usg=AFQjCNH9KwKxf18rU3UxqTuVi1LaiF4P_Q

Spirit Signs:
All cheerleaders are expected to complete spirit signs dedicated to that season's sports before each of the sports' competitions. These signs are to be completed outside of practice. Signs may be completed at study tables after homework is completed, at home, or there may be a sign party. It is up to the captains to make sure that the signs are completed. Any cheerleader found not participating in sign making will run laps. As you put up a new sign for a sport the previous one will be taken down so there are never two signs for one sport. The cheerleading sign will be changed after the other signs are done. At the beginning of each season each person participating in a sport will get a sign that goes above their locker. These will be made during the summer or as soon as rosters are available (for Fall sports), Fall break or as soon as rosters are available (for winter sports) and as soon as rosters are available for Spring sports. Signs for major competitions such as county tourney, sectionals, etc. must also be made and have a theme that corresponds with spirit week.

Study Tables:
Cheerleaders are expected to go to study tables after school and before practice for a minimum of 30 minutes. Study tables are to be used to complete homework, study, and tutoring. Any cheerleader that causes disruptions at study tables will run laps. Captains will be in charge of signing girls in and out and documenting that each person on the squad completes school related projects. Cheerleaders may be excused from study tables if they can prove that they do not have homework due the next day (This requires each teacher to sign off that they do not have homework in their assignment book), or if they have a GPA of 3.5/4 .

Cheer Rules:

1. Hair must be able to put in high pony at all times. 
2. No jewelry when cheering. 
3. No stunting without the coach present. Failure to abide by this rule will get you benched.
4. Cheerleaders will meet at a designated place and will stay together at practices and games.
5. After a game, cheerleaders are to take off their uniform.  
6. No PDA in your uniform or you will run laps.
7. Cheerleaders represent their school, if you are caught doing something that is unflattering in cheer clothes you will be reprimanded. 
8. Do not chew gum or eat when cheering.
9. While in uniform, cheerleaders must only drink clear liquids and dry foods.
10. No unauthorized spectators at practices.
11. You are expected to stay 15 minutes after the game to have a debriefing.
12. Nails must be kept short.
13. If not dressed properly for practice or games you will not be allowed to cheer.
14. Bring all uniforms, bows, body suits, spanks, etc. to all games in case of a last minute change.
15. Unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated and will get a cheerleader benched.
16. Tattoos of any kind are strictly forbiddened and will be punishable by being removed from the squad.
17. During football season, if it is raining stunting is not allowed.
18. If wearing warmups at a football game, flyers must roll pants before flying.
19. Gloves may not be worn during stunting.
20. Each cheerleader is to know and understand the current cheer guidelines dictated by the AACCA.
21. No group stunting when the ball is in play.  Partner stunts during free-throws are acceptable.
22. When a player is injured, cheerleaders are expected to take one knee and be quiet. Anyone caught talking will run laps.
23. Cheerleaders are not allowed on the court during 30 second time-outs.
24. Cheerleaders are not allowed on the football field except for half time performances. 
25. If any basketball team is on the court during the school song, cheerleaders are not permitted to stunt
26. Being on the court while the ball in play will result in running laps.
27. No one is to stand under the basket.
28. Absences from games and practices will be dealt with on a case by case basis.
29. If unable to cheer the cheerleader is still required to attend all practices and games. She will be required to wear cheer related attire during games, and yell with the squad. She will not be allowed to fraternize with the student section, use her phone, or leave early.
30. No fraternizing with the student section while cheering.
31. If a cheerleader misses more than one practice during a week she will not be allowed to cheer at the following game.
32. Cheerleaders caught drinking, smoking, doing drugs, or partaking in sexual relations will be dismissed from the squad.
33. Any extenuating circumstances will be dealt with on a case by case basis.
34. All talking during the stunt should come from the coach or the backspot. Anyone caught talking other that those people will run laps.
35. All school rules must be followed at all times. 
36. When cradling the stunt group is to hold for 2 counts and gracefully "dump" flyer in front. If your pony's don't flip you aren't doing it right.