It’s a long flight from Boston to Seattle but it will be worth it!  This Friday I leave bright and early for my trek to Everett, Washington (north of Seattle) for the annual conference for cheerleading coaches.  

It will be a jam-packed weekend with lots of class options for the coaches.  I will be teaching 3 different classes: How to Bring out the Leader in your Cheerleader; How to Enhance Motivation and Improve Performance; and How to Identify and Change Negative Thinking.

All of these classes are based on best practices from sport psychology and all are evidence-based.  This means that there is scientific proof that these techniques really work – if – if they are actually put into practice! (more…)

One of the joys of attending cheerleading conferences is learning from my colleagues in the cheerleading industry. 

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending and teaching at Spring Tumbling’s first annual cheer coaches’ conference in Toronto. Mike Pare, President of Spirit Cheer, UCA All Star Director for UCA All Star, and assistant cheerleading coach at the University of Central Florida (whew! – when does he sleep?) offered a class called “Running an Effective Practice” which I attended. (more…)

Tomorrow I head off to Toronto for the first annual Spring Coaches Conference.  Many of you know about Spring Tumbling.  Kenny Feeley and Lisa Aucoin,  tumbling and cheerleading experts, are the owners.  Spring Tumbling is based in Canada, the United States and the UK. (more…)

Tomorrow morning I will be catching a plane to go to Columbus Ohio.  From there I will drive to Mansfield for the Ohio Association of Cheerleading Coaches annual conference.  I am pleased to be the keynote speaker for the event (filling in for but not replacing the irreplaceable Valerie Ninemire!). (more…)

Tomorrow morning I will be flying out west to be part of Pac West Spirit Group’s Annual Champagne Brunch and Coaches Conference. This event will be held at the beautiful Hilton hotel in historic downtown Vancouver, Washington on Friday April 30th 6-9pm, and Saturday May 1st 10am-5pm. 

This event was nominated Best Coaches Conference for SITA and Inside Cheerleading Magazine Reader’s Choice Awards!

I am pleased to be this year’s keynote presenter for this award nominated conference.  Of course I won’t be alone!  The other esteemed presenters and the schedule are listed below. (more…)

Are any of you heading to Cheer Expo this weekend?  If you are, please stop by and say hello! 

Cheer Expo takes place this coming Saturday and Sunday in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  It sounds like it will be a grand time and a busy weekend.  Not only are there the National Cheerleading and Dance Championship Competitions but there is also an Expo/Trade Show for cheerleaders, dancers, gymnasts and of course…their coaches!

It is also a conference for coaches, the athletes and their parents

I will be teaching 9 different workshops over 2 days so I’ll be plenty busy! Here is the line-up of my workshops:

Saturday 10:05

Mental Toughness: The key ingredient to athletic success 

Saturday 12:05

Unlock the Block: How to resolve mental blocks in tumbling 

Saturday 2:05

Sport Psychology: How to use sport psychology techniques to make the most of practice 

Saturday 3:05

The Mental Game of training for competitions 

Saturday 4:05

How to create and use winning visualizations 

Sunday 9:05

Stress Reduction Techniques 

Sunday 11:05

The Mental Game of Safety: How mental game coaching can improve safety 

Sunday 1:05

How to train your brain to get your body to do what you want 

Sunday 3:05

How to identify and change negative thinking

By the way, one of the things I love to do is teach so if you run events like this, please keep me in mind for a keynote speech or a series of workshops.

Cheerleaders – you will be happy to know that your coaches take their work seriously.  A good sized group of cheerleading coaches from across the country attended this year’s Cheer Ltd’s Cheerleading Conference held at Methodist University in Fayetteville, NC. 

The event offered abundant opportunities for coaches (and cheerleaders) to learn new skills and refine and strengthen existing ones. Some coaches attended safety certification programs which, of course, are essential for any coach. Other courses included such topics as team-building, tryouts, flexibility, tumbling, stunts and pyramids, and developing leadership skills. 

Cheerleaders were able to attend some of the same courses as coaches and also had their own courses such as a cheerleader master class, motions, jumps, how to succeed in college, and confidence.

 I was honored to offer two classes, one for coaches and one for cheerleaders on The Mental Game of Cheerleading. 

I was impressed with the enthusiasm of the other instructors and all of the participants.  It’s clear that everyone sees him/herself as life-long learners. That makes sense since excellence means that one is always open to learning! 

It wasn’t all work however!  There was a lot of fun including chatting at mealtimes, the big pep rally on Friday night, and the wonderful celebration dinner on Saturday night where coaches and cheerleaders were honored for their contribution to the spri industry. (More about that in a future blog.) 

 It was a personal pleasure for me to be so warmly welcomed into the cheerleading community by these outstanding individuals.  I learned a lot and look forward to continuing my education and deepening my relationships with my new found friends.

I am honored and excited to be one of the featured presenters at this years CheerCon! This grand event will take place from May 14 – 17 at Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Gwen Holtsclaw, founder and president of Cheer Ltd interviewed me recently about sports psychology and cheerleading and we recorded the interview so you could hear it, too! Please feel free to listen in on our conversation.  We hope it will encourage you to register for CheerCon – the largest and longest running spirit industry conference! 

CheerCon is the largest cheer conference offered to coaches, cheerleaders, vendors, and industry leaders.  Whether you are a new coach or a veteran who just can’t quit, a team captain or a cheer fanatic, a vendor with that latest and greatest…you are invited! CheerCon was awarded the SPIRIT INDUSTRY Best Coaches Conference for a second time at the SITA Awards Gala in Chicago.

You’ll hear more about CheerCon as we get closer to May but for now…here’s the recording for you!