Managing Challenging Cheerleaders - Part IV
Cheerleading coaches must work with a range of personalities. This is fourth in a series of articles on this topic. Today we look at the Overachiever - the person who lives at the gym, who hides or works through injuries because s/he does not want to miss practice or working out, and who is a perfectionist.
This cheerleader type may be looking for approval and love (which may suggest that it is not happening at home). You can encourage the cheerleader to engage in other activities while setting a limit on gym time.
The best approach is a gentle one; don’t be judgmental or too quick to set strict limits. A friendly conversation about establishing a training schedule that is reasonable or that gradually decreases the amount of time spent at the gym is best. You can also try writing a “contract” with the Overachiever’s input and asking the cheerleader to sign it (if the training is extreme).
Hiding or working through injuries is serious, obviously. Letting the whole team know that doing so is NOT heroic but is, frankly, dangerous and puts the whole team in jeopardy would be a good idea (these are discussions that should happen at the start of the season and periodically throughout the year).
In terms of perfectionism, I would ask him/her to come up with a list of 10 famous athletes and find out if they never ever made a mistake. Of course, she/he will discover that the best athletes failed many times but the difference is their attitude about mistakes and set-backs, i.e., that they view them dispassionately and as opportunities to learn and improve their skills.
Tags: cheerleader, cheerleaders, Cheerleading, cheerleading coach