No one wants to see a cheerleader get hurt and yet in the busyness of the season it can be easy to forget some simple guidelines. Of course all coaches should be trained in risk management and basic first aid.  Additionally, all gyms should have an emergency response plan. Again, the AACCA website offers a wealth of valuable information.

In addition to falls and collisions, sudden cardiac deaths, although rare, can happen in young people.  This is always shocking when it happens since the athlete appears to be in tip top condition. But there can be hidden heart conditions which is why one mother, Mary Beth Schewitz, who lost her son, Max, at age 20 from an apparent heart irregularity, founded the Max Schewitz Foundation which supports education, prevention, and research of sudden cardiac death in young people.

Schewitz is an advocate of electrocardiogram (ECG) screening in young athletes. In the Chicago area, over 50,000 high school students have been given free ECGs and one to two percent of the tests are outside normal ranges and require further medical evaluation.

ECGs are not perfect. They will not detect every heart defect and they can yield false positives (about 2%) but it sure would be good to know if a child falls within that small group of kids who do have heart defects!

Lest you think ECGs are expensive, Ms. Schewitz says that a stand-alone ECG costs less than a teeth cleaning or veterinary visit.  That seems like a small price to pay for peace of mind.

Today, Bill Presson, Chairman of the Parent Action committee of the USASF, posted a warning on his Facebook Wall about a person called Christian Stocker who is watching Cheerleading Facebook accounts, linking to Facebook sites and then reposting pictures and videos of kids along with other sexually explicit pictures and videos. 

This person makes friend requests, copies pictures and then tags himself on pictures so that his buddies can see the photos.  He also posts comments on them like “sexy.”  The Parent Action Committee is keeping an eye on this situation.

The best thing you can do is block him.  If you are a parent or a coach, please talk to your kids about this. If you are a cheerleader, please be careful and alert your friends.  Let’s all band together to make sure nothing terrible happens.

Facebook is not a safe haven, folks.  It is essential you be careful.  Do not “friend” just anyone who asks.  Watch what you write about yourself and what photos you post. Facebook, even with all its privacy features is essentially an open forum where anyone can find out anything about you at anytime.

Again, the man is called Christian Stocker (who knows if this is his real name!) and his Facebook profile is http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001425618965

Do any of you know of any training programs for new cheer coaches?  If you do, please let me know and I will write about it here. 

There are some books and websites that provide excellent information and education and although these are not only for new coaches, they will be helpful to anyone who is new to cheer coaching.

 My favorites are: 

• Developing a Successful Cheerleading Program by Pam Headridge and Nancy Garr, Coaches Choice, 2004  (This book can be ordered at Pam’s website which also offers a lot of other great information – http://www.oakharborcheer.com/)  
• Cheerleading: From Tryouts to Championships by Inside Cheerleading Magazine 
• Coaching Cheerleading Successfully by Linda Rae Chappell  
• The Ultimate Guide to Cheerleading by Leslie Wilson  
• AACCA Cheerleading Safety Manual – Gerald S. George, Ph.D. (Editor) – http://www.aacca.org  
• http://cheerleading.about.com/ This is Valerie Ninemire’s site and it is well worth visiting 

Any others you would recommend?  If so, please let me know! 

Interested in learning the secrets of Olympic Gold Medal champions? Then check out my training program for cheerleading competitions which reveals specific techniques used by Olympic athletes to manage distractions, improve focus, manage anxiety and succeed!  The Mental Game of Cheerleading: Training for Competitions consists of 2 audio CDs plus an Action Guide filled with tips and worksheets to help you perform at an optimal level!

 So far, Coach Julie Cheers has created 2 DVDs with another one in the works. The first one is Volume 1: Motion Tech and Favorite Cheers and the second is Volume 2: Motion Tech and Hip Cheers. 

The videos are especially good for beginning cheerleaders but any cheerleader can find value in them.  The CJC Bears – 5 delightful cheerleaders – offer detailed motion instruction and drills plus 15 chants (that’s a total of 30 for both DVDs!). 

What I think is especially helpful is that you are shown the correct way to execute a motion, then a few incorrect ways, followed by the correct way again.  This is good because it’s easy to slip into bad habits (wrong positioning of hands, for example) and the CJC Bears will help you avoid that. 

Each motion and chant is shown from the front and the back and in slow motion.  This makes it easy for you to learn the basics! You can follow along and refine your skills! 

A fun feature on both DVDs is the bloopers.  These are indeed cheerleaders just like you! 

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and also join my Confident Cheerleading Center page on Facebook!

The article divides up the blogs into two major categories – one is “Top Cheerleading Blogs” (and I’m pleased to say that Confident Cheerleading is number 1!) and the other is “Top Cheerleading Articles and Videos.” 

What’s neat about this article is that the writer, Marcia Colgar, has taken the time to investigate all these sites to save you time.  Instead of spending hours scouring the internet, all you have to do is take Marcia’s list, cozy up to your laptop and browse away! 

The list provides a wealth of information that I think you will find handy.  Check it out and let me know what you think!  What sites would you include on your top 50 list? 

If you’re on Facebook, please be my friend and please join my Confident Cheerleading Center page. When you do, you will have access to all sorts of free goodies!

The book is called – “Whose game is it, anyway?” and it is written by 2 of my colleagues at Harvard Medical School – Richard Ginsburg and Stephen Durant and Amy Baltzell, a professor at Boston University. 

The authors describe it as “a guide to helping your child get the most from sports, organized by age and stage.”  The book provides detailed information, based on child development research, about what skill sets you can expect from your child depending on the age of the child.  

The first section is called, “Knowing your child athlete” and  looks at child development and sports participation  from the Early Years (Ages 1 – 5) through Young Adulthood (Ages 19 and up).  

Part Two is entitled, “Pitfalls and Possibilities in Sports” and deals with such topics as “Should we push our children? How Much?” and “Quitting, Burning Out, and Moving On.” 

The book is easy and fun to read and provides many valuable insights for parents.  I recommend it!

By the way, if you are on Facebook (and who isn’t!) please join my Confident Cheerleading Center page. If you do, you can get lots of free stuff – questionnaires, worksheets, all designed to help you become a better coach and athlete!

I have to confess that I am biased about this magazine because I am one of the writers.  In this issue my article is – How to Create an Injury Prevention Program (Part 2):Identifying and Changing Negative Thinking.  This is part of a series of articles on a topic that is near and dear to my heart – how to prevent or reduce the number of injuries in cheerleading.

There is an extensive body of research (3 decades worth!) that has identified risk factors associated with athletic injuries.  When coaches and parents are aware of these risk factors and when they integrate an injury prevention program, injuries decrease.  I would love to see cheerleading coaches and cheer parents embrace this information and apply it to cheer programs everywhere!  It can be done with relative ease and I would be happy to help any gym or any team anywhere to initiate such a 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

Entirely Cheer is the name of the new online cheerleading magazine produced by cheerleading experts Debbie Bracewell and Anne Gorman.  It is free! 

The magazine is produced in a very cool format which appears right on your computer screen and which allows you to flip the pages like a book as you read the articles. Debbie and Anne plan to reach all areas of cheerleading – nationally and internationally! 

Their goal is to bring in-depth training material that will help coaches and cheerleaders. Because it’s online, articles can be lengthier than they would be in a print publication plus it is possible to add hyperlinks, videos and audios for a more interactive experience. 

I am pleased to be part of the inaugural issue.  I wrote two articles for this issue – one is an introduction to sport psychology for cheerleading and the other is about the mid-year slump and how to get refreshed and revitalized for the new year. 

I encourage you to subscribe to the magazine which will come out every two months. Remember – it costs you nothing! 

Go to http://www.entirelycheer.com

In addition to her column, Shawn will periodically contribute to the workout, training, fashion and lifestyle segments within the magazine.  Also – and this is VERY exciting – the magazine will run several promotions in which subscribers will have the opportunity to win a prize package that includes lunch with the celebrated gymnast and the Inside Cheerleading editorial team! 

After the Olympic Games, Shawn had several opportunities to become involved with cheerleading and she said, “I loved every one of those events.” She went on to say, “…when I saw the passion, the excitement, and the spirit of cheerleaders coast to coast, I was so impressed – not to mention how fun it is! I’m really looking forward to joining Inside Cheerleading and interacting with the readers!” 

As a regular contributor to Inside Cheerleading Magazine (see my Mind Games column in each issue), I am pleased and proud to welcome Shawn Johnson to the team!