In my last post I wrote about ACE Cheer Company’s Matt McCallum and his kidney transplant.  Apparently Matt and his donor, the wonderfully generous Kelley Zeringue, got through the surgery successfully which is terrific news! 

I’ve been thinking about how else I might help and came up with this idea: As of today, November 13^th, I will donate up to 20 of my Mental Game training programs (digital versions) to people who donate at least $27 to the Matt McCallum Kidney Transplant Fund.  (more…)

Although it may not happen often, cheerleaders can get concussions.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1.6 million to 3.8 million sports- and recreation-related head injuries occur each year! Of those, 75% result in concussions. Football players account for more than 60% of all traumatic brain injuries. 

So what happens when a cheerleader gets a concussion?  First of all, it isn’t anything to fool around with.  According to The Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute, a concussion is also known as a traumatic brain injury.  The blow to the head causes the brain to move rapidly inside the skill…the brain actually gets rotated. (more…)

Yesterday I wrote about how some cheerleaders over-react to a bad practice.  Let’s take that a bit further today. 

I invite you to think about how you assess a bad day or good day.  Do you tend to allow a rough practice ruin your whole day or even your week?  Do you float on cloud 9 if you have a great practice? What is the conversation you have with yourself about this?  (more…)

Although she was not a cheerleader, Mia Hamm, a star member of the U.S. women’s soccer World Cup 1999 winning team, knows about good days and bad days as an athlete.  Here is a quote from Mia that any cheerleading squad can relate to: 

“As players, when we are having a bad day, we tend to think in melodramatic terms, that we’ve lost it, that everything’s gone wrong, but usually all you have to do is correct one small element of your game and everything else will fall into place.”

Does this happen to you?  If you have a cheerleading practice session where you just aren’t hitting it, do you get discouraged and start thinking that it’s all over?  (more…)

Cheerleaders from Central High School in Bridgeport, CT have protested that their assigned cheerleading uniforms were too skimpy and made them feel uncomfortable.  

The cheerleaders complained to the city’s school board that they felt humiliated at having to wear uniforms that left their midriffs exposed. 

One of the cheerleaders, Ariana Mesaros, told the board, “It really hurts our self-esteem. I feel like if I go out, I feel trashy. I am embarrassed to stand up here dressed like this. Is this really how you want Bridgeport to be represented?”   (more…)

The best cheerleaders are always eager to learn something new or review skills they already have.  If you consider yourself a serious athlete (that’s you!!), then you might want to take a look at the videos produced by Coach Julie Cheers.  (more…)

It may seem odd to you that you can hypnotize yourself especially if you have seen people being hypnotized.  If you are a cheerleader who wants to improve your performance, it is possible to do it yourself as I have mentioned in previous posts.  (more…)

Yep, that’s right.  Coaches can play a big role in fostering moral development in their cheerleaders.  How?  Well, it may be easier than you think and you’re probably doing it already! 

Performance excellence in cheerleading requires the consistent control of body, mind, and spirit.  This means developing good habits such as attending practices on time, listening attentively to the coach, attending to the rules, practicing diligently, and being a team player.  (more…)

I am always reading books and articles on sport psychology.  Some are pretty technical and scientific and others are just good, fun, and informative.  A book I’m reading now is one that I would recommend to parents.  It’s not about cheerleading and as a matter of fact, cheerleading is not mentioned once in the whole book but it is still worth your time. 

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!

Sometimes I hear from cheerleaders who either are frustrated with how things are going on their squad or who have suggestions they’d like to offer to their coaches but – they are reluctant to talk to their coaches about this. Now why would this be the case? (more…)