Most of my girls quit after last year (we only had 10 girls total) and there is a new coach and assistant coach. 3 of us graduated. 3 quit. and 4 are still there. The new squad has almost 20 girls (so far this year like 5 have already quit), most of them are freshmen who have never cheered before. My squad is a mess. The season is almost over and there are still 3 girls who do not know most of the dances for pre-game. The new girls' motions are horrible. The could really benefit from a practice completely dedicated to working on motions and motion placement.
They just started doing a new dance last week and it is a HOT MESS! It is too fast. The girls don't know the steps. It looks awful.
Recently I have gotten into the habit of making a list of everything they do wrong at a game and hoping that by the next game it looks better. They haven't improved much. But I will share with you what I have (so you can feel my pain). They may also be problems your squad has:
- Their stunts are uneasy.
- They don't enunciate.
- They don't stand the same way before starting line up
- They talk to each other all the time during the game (We were awful about this last year too, so I don't blame them too much)
- They need to work on having tight motions.
- They need to make sure they have their signs laid out before the game because it really does look bad when they are giving out signs in the middle of the game (A manager could help with that. They should look into that).
- They stop cheering towards the end of the game because they want to go home.
- The new girls don't know a lot of the sidelines.
- They need to work on motion placement.
- The same people call out cheers.
- They don't yell loud enough.
- They don't smile.
- Their kicks are awful (but I do see an improvement in their jumps).
- They don't pop their motions. They just slide into them.
- They stop yelling when they are moving to a stunt.
- They stop yelling when they are in a stunt.
- They need to work on cradles and bump downs.
- They practice their cheers in front of the crowd.
- They talk before quarters and time outs instead of just starting the cheer.
- They don't spirit.
- And my biggest pet peeve: If you're colors are black, yellow, and silver DO NOT yell "go black" if the other team is wearing black! (You really just sound dumb)
- Get a manager that can lay out your signs for you at the game. Your job is to focus on cheering, not making sure the signs are with the right person.
- Keep practicing your stunts every practice. If it doesn't look absolutely PERFECT don't put it out on the court or field. Get an outside opinion if you don't know if it is PERFECT yet.
- Decide before the game how you are all supposed to stand at starting line up, for the fight song, and for the national anthem. Then make sure everyone does it the same way.
- Just stop talking and cheer. I know it is hard. I did it too, but it makes you look awful and you are there to cheer on the team not chit chat with the person you see every day.
- Dedicate one practice a week to working on motions. If you don't keep working on them you will get lazy and stop doing them right. Make sure everyone is doing the same thing and if someone isn't help her get it right.
- If someone does something wrong during this practice just write down what she is having a problem with and the CAPTAIN and COACH need to work with her on it before the next game.
- I believe in having privates if there is a girl that needs extra help. That is the captain's job to get her girls on the same page.
- I know that cheering for 2 or 3 hours at a game is exhausting. I have been there. But that is why it is called a SPORT. You don't see the basketball players just decide to stop playing because they are tired. No, they keep playing their heart out. You need to, too.
- Cheer very clearly and together. If one girl is off it makes it sound like you are slurring your words. If you slur your words the crowd can't understand what you are saying. If the crowd doesn't understand what you are saying then they can't cheer with you. If the crowd doesn't cheer with you then they can't help cheer on the team for a win. So the team winning is on your shoulders. Feel the pressure now to be PERFECT?
- Each girl should yell out 1 cheer, before one girl calls out two. Go down the line and each girl call out a cheer. The same girls can't carry the entire squad.
- Yell your little hearts out. It is loud in the gym and on the field, but you have to yell louder so everyone can hear you. How are you going to get anybody energized if they can't hear you?
- Smile. Spirit. Be happy. You are a cheerleader and you had better be cheerful. You look hot in your uniform. You are the girl everyone wants to be. Carry yourself like it. Your team just scored (so what if they are behind 30 points), you had better get overly excited about it. That is what you are there for. To be CHEERful, to CHEER on the team, and to LEAD the crowd. I heard somewhere that you should put Vaseline on your gums so you always smile. But I don't know if that works.
- Stretch all the time to get your jumps and kicks where they need to be. They need to be high. If you can't get them high AT LEAST point your toes. (My jumps always sucked so I don't really have any room to help you on yours if I could never get it right).
- Practice everything in a mirror so you can see what it looks like. If it looks sloppy then you need to work on motion placement and popping your motions rather than sliding them into each other. It is something that comes with practice. If you cheer right your arms should be killing you because you are squeezing your muscles so tight to get your motions right.
- No matter what never stop cheering when you are moving to another position. It looks so bad. You come off unprofessional. It really makes you look like little children.
- One of my biggest pet peeves is when my girls practiced the cheers on the sidelines before going out and doing them. For the love of all things that are fluffy DON'T DO IT! It makes the entire squad look bad because it makes it appear that no one could remember the cheer (or dance, or what ever) and had to practice it again before preforming.
Side note: When I first started cheering I didn't know anything. Like literally anything. I didn't know a punch from a touch down. I asked the captain for help. We practiced every free second we could (I probably drove her nuts by not knowing anything and being THE SLOWEST learner ever), but we kept working. I asked my other friend to work on dances outside of practice to help me get on the same level as everyone else. I practiced at home. I did everything I could to get better, and I did. I have no sympathy for girls that won't work to make themselves better.
The moral of the story is to use your resources, and try your hardest.
Honestly I love my girls. I critique them because I want them to be the best they can be (even if they think that they are just WONDERFUL, they are far from it). Even all of these new girls that I have never cheered with are my girls. It is my squad, and I just want what is best for them. And I know that a little more work and they could be excellent. I believe in them.
-Cheer Strict
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