The short answer is – yes!  The longer answer has to do with the pressure coaches feel to “win” plus the fact that some cheer coaches may be overstepping their reach. (more…)

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!

An article in the recent Cheer Coach & Advisor magazine, written by Jonathan Wood, offers an inside glimpse into what goes on with cheer judges. 

Mr. Wood often overhears remarks such as, “The judges at last week’s competition were terrible.”  Or – comments which suggest that their team lost because of poor judging. Such remarks are upsetting because of all the effort put forth by judges and competition organizers to create a fair system that assesses performances according to clearly defined guidelines. 

Mr. Wood makes the point that blaming the judges reflects poor sportsmanship and fails to place the responsibility where it belongs – with the cheer team itself.  He refers to Vince Lombardi’s statement, “If you can’t accept losing, then you can’t win.”  He then says, “If the judging is good enough to accept the glory of a win, then it should be good enough to accept responsibility for the loss. I never hear “those judges were terrible, we should have lost.”" 

The posting I wrote on the championship mindset speaks to this also.  A true champion views a set-back or a loss as the opportunity to learn a valuable lesson.

Kate Torgovnick’s book – Cheer! –  reads like a novel.  I found myself really caring about what happened to the various characters and became invested in their successes.  I felt my heart pounding in anticipation as she recounted the details of each competition and was crushed when things go wrong.   (I won’t reveal what went wrong where….read the book!)

Whether you’re a cheerleader, a cheer coach, or a fan, you will find something to like about this book.