For some cheerleading squads, January means it’s time for the mid-season blahs. Perhaps some of the excitement of the cheer season has waned and fatigue and complacency have set in. 

A good coach will be tuned in to his or her squad’s mental and physical states.  Along with complacency comes increased distractibility and with that come falls and injuries.  It’s always critical to keep the team focused on the task at hand - especially during the mid-season blahs. 

Cheer coaches might want to be on the look-out for their athletes’ motivation and enthusiasm levels decreasing.  Typical signs are: cheerleaders finding it harder to get to practice on time; chatting more and focusing less on practice; and there may be a lethargy that seeps in to the practice sessions; finally, there may be increased irritability and more complaining and whining. 

What to do?  Get them involved.  You can start off the year with a chart that keeps track of things like motivation, energy level, enthusiasm, focus, etc.  So on a scale of 1 - 10 (with 1 = very low and 10 being wow! Super high) ask each cheerleader to rate herself on these dimensions. Plot it out on a simple graph so they can see when they are slumping. 

If they are involved with monitoring their mood and energy, etc. from the beginning, they will be more attuned to these dimensions and be more likely to be open to discussing what to do about it.  Even very young children can learn how to assess their energy and spirit.  Coaches can engage the team in a frank discussion about what to do about slumping energy.  The team involvement is a key to success.

What do you do to keep your squad motivated?  Please share your secrets!

Here’s a video clip from the movie - Holiday Inn - an old film where Bing Crosby sings, for the first time ever, the popular Christmas song - White Christmas. If you’re at all sentimental, you’ll enjoy old Bing’s rendition in this classic movie.

And I would like to wish all of you a very merry Christmas and if you don’t celebrate this holiday, I hope you can soak up some of the excitement and joy that this season brings.

Warm wishes to you all.

The Burlington Patriots, a Massachusetts Pop Warner Cheerleading Team (Junior Midgets), has won 11 national titles and want to win another one. Will they do it? Watch the movie and find out! 

Film makers Laura Molta and Al Ward follow the Patriots Cheerleading team over the months of preparing for their national cheerleading competitions. From the first practice of the season in August through the many long hours of grueling preparation to the final test of their skill and expertise at Nationals, this film will attract and hold your attention as you root for the home team. 

I highly recommend this riveting movie to anyone who is involved in cheerleading.  This means all cheerleaders, all cheer coaches, all cheer parents, and everyone in the cheer industry.  If you’re new to the spirit world, this is a perfect introduction to the reality of this exciting sport.  If you’re a veteran, you will appreciate the story of this team and its leaders as it moves towards its exciting finish. 

There is so much to like about this film that it is hard to know where to begin!  The cheerleaders themselves are superb athletes who dedicate countless hours perfecting their skills.  The coaches pull out all the stops to devote their time, energy and love to the girls in their quest for a title. 

If you think winning a title is just a matter of practice, then this film will be a revelation to you.  Sure, the physical and technical preparation and practice are important, but the mental preparation is what makes the difference between a championship team and a runner-up.  Co-directors Darlene Tierney and Carolyn Shannon and Coach Jennifer Currie know this well and their passion, wisdom and psychological astuteness help the team overcome setbacks and forge ahead.  Perhaps without their knowing it, these ladies are teaching valuable mental toughness skills to these girls. 

At one point, Carolyn says, “It’s a lesson in life…you don’t have power or control…” True!  One of the key principles in sport psychology is to recognize the things you can and cannot control and to devote your energy to those things you can control.  These women know this instinctively. 

Right before the National competition, one of the girls has to have an appendectomy and cannot perform. Then, the night before the big event, the team is told they have to change one of their moves.  One girl has the flu and another has a painful ovarian cyst.  What do they do?  They work fast and hard to change the routine and the girls pull it all together in a remarkable fashion. 

I found myself rooting for the Patriots, feeling the excitement and the tension as they competed.  (I even had tears in my eyes.) You can’t help but get involved in this story! 

In addition to the main story, there are special features that are like a mini-course in cheerleading.  These features include behind the scenes interviews with 10 of the top ranked Pop Warner Cheerleading teams in the country; more than 10 full length competition performances and live critiques of cheer routines by judges.  Surely the last feature alone makes this video worth buying.  Where else can you hear a judge assess a cheer team’s performance - in the moment?  

Do yourself a favor and go to www.Cheerleadingfilm.com to purchase your DVD of Blood, Sweat & Cheers!

It seems that the University of Connecticut has changed its mind about cheerleading.

As reported in the Hartford Courant, U Conn has decided to replace its traditional cheerleaders with a “spirit squad”  whose job will be to  be “ambassadors”  for the school.  Of course any school-based cheerleader is an ambassador but at U Conn, they will no longer be skilled athletes.  As a matter of fact, no cheerleading or gymnastics experience is required.  At all.

University officials claim this change is a positive one that will allow the spirit team to iengage fans in a more interactive way.

“We wanted to take the program in a slightly different direction,” said John R. Saddlemire, vice president for Student Affairs. “In particular, our desire is to have the cheerleaders place more of their focus on promoting Husky spirit and that the long hours of practicing and performing stunting took away from that focus. By changing the style, and no longer requiring gymnastics experience of those trying out, the university is able to offer the opportunity to participate in UConn cheerleading to a much broader pool of interested students.”

 Some wonder if U Conn’s decision is based on concerns over the liabilities associated with cheerleading however the school has yet to revamp its football team (a sport that is certainly more dangerous).

So far, we’ve established that a cheerleader experiencing stress may be more vulnerable to injury.   In my last post I wrote about the symptoms of stress.  If you’re a cheer coach, you may be thinking…so what do I do about it? 

Well, ideally, you might notice that a cheerleader is in a lot of stress although they can be good at hiding it!  If a cheerleader seems to have a hard time focusing or makes a lot of mistakes or seem preoccupied, those can be signs of stress, too. 

Of course you can simply ask someone if she’s having a rough time.  If the person is forthcoming, then you can decide if it’s a problem that can be alleviated by a brief chat with you or if you need to refer the cheerleader to a counselor.  (This depends on the age of the person; if under-age, you would need to contact the parents.) 

I realize cheer coaches aren’t trained therapists so I don’t expect you to figure this all out and resolve the problems but you might want to have someone you can consult with on these issues. 

Perhaps the best way to manage stress in cheerleaders is to include some simple stress management techniques as part of your overall practice plan.  The first thing to teach is an easy breathing exercise: 

Close your eyes and exhale slowly, as slowly as possible 3 - 5 times.  Expel as much air as possible through the mouth and inhale slowly through the nose.  Repeat this for 5 minutes.  (Always begin with the exhale.)  Say to yourself, with each out-breath, I am relaxing more and more.

 I’d recommend starting each practice session with this - just before you stretch.  It helps people make the transition from school to practice and helps get them focused.

I came across this video of an all boy cheerleading team from Japan.  This has made me wonder if there are any all boy squads in the states (outside of boy schools).  Does anyone know? 

Of course, the earliest cheerleading teams were college men and several of our presidents were cheerleaders including George W. Bush!

It’s natural to get excited and nervous about cheerleading tryouts but some people take it a bit too far. You know what happens. You hang out with your friends and you talk about tryouts.  You text your friends about tryouts. You call your friends and chat about tryouts. You IM your friends and exchange your worries about tryouts. 

All of this would be fine if such discussions were objective exchanges of information but they usually are not. No, instead they could be tidbits of rumors and gossip carried out in high-voltage drama. 

You hear one friend say she’s never gotten over her last try out and will never ever put herself through it again.  You hear another friend complain that tryouts weren’t fair.  You listen to still another person say that only certain people will be selected. Wow! Even a little of this kind of talk can put you over the edge! 

Solution?  Become adept at sifting fact from fiction and helpful tips from scaremongering warnings. Anxiety can be contagious so inoculate yourself against this by using your good judgment. Remember - if you want accurate information, go to a reliable source.

Yes, that’s right, I am in the process of gathering information for my new book tentatively called: The Mental Game of Cheerleading but I need your help!  I am looking to interview cheerleaders, coaches and parents for my book.  Are you willing to help?

If you are willing to be interviewed by me, please let me know!  We could do the interviews by phone or if you live near me (Cambridge, MA) we could meet in person.  Most interviews run about 20 - 30 minutes but some go for longer. 

There’s a free gift for everyone who helps.

Thanks!

I found this photo on the web.  It’s an ad for the Marco Vet Dog Training School in Romania.  I show it to you just for fun! The dog on the left seems to be holding on for dear life due to the imbalanced nature of the base.

By the way, I’d love to hear from you so please feel free to comment on any of my postings or ask me questions about the mental game of cheerleading.

Readers - are you on Facebook?  If so, please be my friend and join my Facebook Group - Confident Cheerleading!

I LOVE this video!  It’s in keeping with the holiday season and spirit.  This lovable pooch has amazing energy and exhibits boundless joy as he romps in the snow.  Reminds me of some cheerleaders I know!

I wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukka, Happy Festivus…or whatever you celebrate!