The lovely young woman you see below is Maddie Gardner, Inside Cheerleading  (iC) Magazine’s December cover girl and winner of Nfinity’s Golden ticket contest!  (Nfinity inserted “golden tickets” into 20 of their shoe boxes and one person was selected to win an all expense paid trip to New York City!) 

As exciting as all this is, it’s clear Maddie has her priorities straight because she started a local fundraising effort called Hope for Haiti in the hope to provide aid to victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti. 100% of all profit made from t-shirt sales at Cheersport (and beyond) will be given to World Vision, an organization that is directly involved withrelief efforts in Haiti.

The brightly clad woman below is Mary Chambliss of Birmingham, Alabama who attended Cheersport to support her son who is on a special needs team with Ace Cheer.

And the good looking fellow in the photo below is Todd Kopp, owner of CoreAthletics.  Todd’s daughter, Kelsie,  is a cheerleader and it was she who inspired him to get involved in the cheer industry.  Todd found his daughter perched on the arm of the couch, trying to do a heel stretch and, worried that she might fall, figured out a way to help her practice that was safe and effective.  This led to the development of the MaeFlyer (seen on either side in the rear of the picture). Kelsie’s balance and leg strength improved so much that she was sticking all her stunts!  More cheerleaders wanted the device and this led to the birth of CoreAthletics!

Todd is quite the innovator and inventer.  His other products include the DeFrogger, the Fast Bands (I have a pair!), the Stunt Strap, and the Full Up Machine.  In this picure, you see Todd helping a cheerleader in using the Full Up which helps cheerleaders to practice that skill in a safe way.

Inside Cheerleading Magazine hosted a special meet and greet session with Olympic Gold medalist Shawn Johnson on Saturday at Cheersport.  News spread quickly that Shawn was going to appear at the Inside Cheerleading (IC) booth and soon there was a long line of eager fans waiting to meet Shawn and get her autograph.

Big news is that Shawn is joining the writing staff at IC!  She will  have her own column called, “Shawn Says” beginning with the next issue! Don’t miss it - subscribe now!  (And you’ll be able to see my column, too - Minda Games!)

Here’s a glimpse of the long line of Shawn Johnson fans waiting to meet the Olympic champ!

Imagine about 850 cheerleading teams gathered in one place!  Add to that parents, extended family, friends, coaches, and vendors and you end up with a HUGE segment of humanity assembled in the Georgia World congress Center in Atlanta for Cheersport’s annual national competition.

This was too good to pass up so I made my way to Atlanta last week (February 5 - 7) to immerse myself in the world of cheerleading.

The Georgia World Congress Center is a mammoth structure which seems the size of a small city.  It has numerous levels and wings which made me wish I had a GPS to help me navigate its many nooks and crannies!

On Friday, February 5th, cheerleading teams arrived to assess the scene and to engage in practice sessions.  Many found the Cheer Mall to snap up some eye glitter or to try on Nfinity’s latest cheer shoe - the Phoenix.  Many experiemented with Core Athletics amazing products such as the Maeflyer, the stunt strap, or the Full Up machine.  The sense of excitement permeated the air as cheer teams anticipated the competitions to be held the next day, Saturday.

Friday night everyone headed over to the Georgia Dome for a special event - A Celebration of Hope and Cheer.  The evening was dedicated to the memory of cheerleader Hope Stout, who lost her battle with cancer in 2004, but whose legacy and spirit of giving remains strong through the March Forth with Hope Foundation. Cheersport staff led the audience in a cheer for HOPE in an attempt to break the world record for the largest group cheer (heretofore held by China).  The photo below shows the beginning of the program.

Helpng to kick off the weekend was Olympic Gold medalist Shawn Johnson who also was one of the judges in a So-You-Think-You-Can-Tumble contest.  Ms. Johnson was duly impressed with the professionalism and skill of the cheerleaders who participated in the event. Prior to the contest, a Special Needs Team performed for the big crowd who appreciated the team’s enthusiastic performance.  Ms. Johnson gave each team member a plaque to commemorate the event.

The evening ended with hundreds of cheerleaders performing the newly famous “Pants on the Ground” dance…(”pants on the ground…looking like a fool with your pants on the gorund.”) See the dancers below.

The grand finale was the explosion of confetti which showered on the crowd.

 

 

A cheerleading competition has much to offer.  There are, of course, the performances of the cheerleaders (most important!) but then there are the vendors and special guests, too.  Here are three images from the Rhode Island Convention Center from the weekend of January 30 - 31st.

The first photo is Norma Pimenta, author of the book - Smiling Eyes - A Cheerleading Coach’s Personal Victory. Norma’s book tells the tale of her recovery from a tragic accident and how being a cheer coach helped inspire her to move forward with grace and courage. You can get Norma’s book from Amazon or from her site

That handsome fellow below is James Kersey, Cheerleading Brand Manager for Nfinity shoes, showing off their newest cheerleading shoe, the Phoenix!

The T-shirt below was on display at a vendor’s booth.  As I was taking the picture, two cheerleaders walked past, noticed the shirt and said they had to get one for their mothers.  Yes, cheerleading can be expensive but loving parents are willing to make the invesment!

 Olympic Gold Medalist, Shawn Johnson, will appear at Cheersport this weekend.  (Cheersport  - the world’s largest cheerleading event is held annually at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. This year it will take place on February 5 - 7th.)

Shawn will help kick off the weekend’s fun on Friday night beginning at 8 pm by welcoming the crowd and encouraging the competitors.  (If anyone knows about competitng, it is Shawn!) After the welcome, Shawn will serve as a judge for the So You Think You Can Tumble Contest presented by Inside Cheerleading Magazine. The lucky winner will be given the trophy by Shawn herself!

Champion athletes know that winning is the science of being totally prepared.  For cheerleaders who want to ace a competition, here is a technique called the Enders Practice Routine. 

It’s based on a psychological learning theory called classical conditioning. The technique helps you to train your mind and body to respond in the way you wish. Each time you practice this you will be building the brain you want. 

Here’s how it works. You begin with a relaxation exercise and then you say your “power word” to yourself to connect yourself to your ideal performance state. And then you begin to practice. 

(A power word is a word or phrase that connects to the way you want to feel during competition.  It should be meaningful to you. It can be something like “focused,” or “confident” or “doing it” - whatever works for you.) 

Let’s say you are working on your tumbling; you would exhale slowly, call up your power word, and when you feel really focused, then and only then, begin to practice. As soon as you feel yourself getting distracted, stop everything! Then go back to your breathing, get focused using your power word, and then resume practice. Repeat. 

Each time you get distracted, stop and repeat the breathing, power word, and focusing. You only rehearse or practice while you are in this positive mental space. This way, you are training yourself to only perform while you are in this ideal state and when you reach the actual performance situation, you’ll be in great shape! 

Obviously this requires patience on your part.  The temptation will be to rush ahead and just practice in the same old way but please - give this a try and you will reap the benefits! 

ENDERS PRACTICE ROUTINE  

1. Begin with relaxation exercise - exhale slowly several times

2. Once relaxed, connect with your Ideal Performance State

3. Say power word/phrase to yourself

4. Once firmly in “positive space” begin to practice

5. As soon as you notice you are leaving positive space, STOP EVERYTHING, then re-connect with positive space.

6. Once firmly in positive space again, repeat power word/phrase and resume your work.

7. Practice ONLY in positive space.

8. Important to strengthen association between positive space and practice.

9. At time of performance, exhale slowly three times and repeat power word/phrase to get back into positive space.

As the author of 2 mental game training programs for cheerleaders, I am always eager to get feedback about the programs.  So, I am thrilled that Valerie Ninemire, one of the cheerleading industry’s most respected experts, wrote a review about my competition program. 

Valerie is well known for her website - About.com. Cheerleading - which is loaded with all sorts of valuable information for cheerleaders, cheer coaches, and everyone in the cheer industry. Also, Valerie is the editor of the highly esteemed Cheer Coach & Advisor Magazine.

Here is some of what Valerie said: 

The Bottom Line 

I believe that the key to using “The Mental Game of Cheerleading: Training for Competitions” is to realize that our mind controls a lot of what happens with our bodies. Whether it’s fear or anxiety; mental blocks or low self confidence; what we think affects how we act and more importantly how we perform. If your goal is to be successful in the sport of cheerleading, you have to understand how much the mental aspect contributes to the outcome. And these are the reasons I highly recommend this program to all cheerleaders and coaches. 

I was totally impressed with this 2-CD program which provides you “with everything you need to break through barriers, immediately improve concentration, eliminate distractions, and transform your performance.” 

Written and presented by Pamela Enders, PhD., a peak performance psychologist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, these CDs help you learn to make your body do what you want it to do, relieve tension, reach your potential and break through fears and negative thinking. 

Keeping in mind that some say 50-90% of success in high level sports is attributed to mental factors, the importance of winning the mental game in cheerleading can not be stressed enough. Whether you’re a coach or a cheerleader, I strongly believe this program will help you reach your peak performance level. Available either as an instant download (MP3) or as a mailed CD program, “The Mental Game of Cheerleading: Training for Competitions” is an investment in yourself. 

To read the full review, please go to this link: http://cheerleading.about.com/od/cheershopping/gr/Mental_Game_Competitions.htm

You say you want to place first at your cheerleading competition? How hard are you willing to work for it? 

Successful athletes are single-minded in their focus and have crystal clear goals and expectations. This clarity helps them keep track of their progress and ensures they will reach their goals. 

Since I assume you, too, want to be a successful athlete, here are some questions for you to help you organize your thoughts and create a winning plan. Remember - the more specific and detailed your plan, the better it will help you succeed. 

And yes, this takes a bit of time and patience but a true champion is willing to do the work in order to win! 

1. Can you envision your cheerleading goal? Can you describe it in detail? Good! Go ahead and write it in here and be specific! 

2. What are the benefits or rewards you will gain by pursuing your goal?

3. What are the costs? (Such as time, money, forgoing other activities.)

4. What might get in your way? What challenges might you encounter?

5. How can you deal with these challenges? Who might help?

6. What specific steps do you need to take to reach your goal? 

7. How will you be accountable? Who else will know if you follow through with your plan?

8. In the space below, write in the times during a typical week that you will devote to working on your goal. Include time for practice with your team and alone  

Mondays:___________________________________________________

Tuesdays:___________________________________________________

Wednesdays:________________________________________________

Thursdays:__________________________________________________

Fridays:____________________________________________________

Week-ends:_________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

To succeed at cheerleading competitions, you need to think and act like a champion. 

The best cheerleaders are willing to evaluate every aspect of their performance.  A champion does so in an objective way, almost as if he or she is observing someone else in order to gain information. The more you learn about yourself the more information you have that will enable you to improve your performance. 

Performance Questions: 

Take a few moments and think about your current level of performance. Answer the following questions as honestly and fully as you can. If you are unsure how to respond, leave blank and return to this later on.  

• 1. What’s working well for you now?
• 2. How can you make it even better?
• 3. What’s not working well for you now?
• 4. If you were performing at your absolute best, what would be different about that compared to how you perform now?
•  5. What would you look like and feel like if you were performing at your absolute best?
•  6.What are your thoughts when you are performing at your absolute best?
•  7. What are your thoughts when you are not performing well? 

Very good!  Thanks for answering these questions. You are beginning to get to know your performing-self better - an important first step in becoming a better performer!