Dance anyone?  The Philadelphia KiXX professional indoor soccer team is looking for dancers to join their team! 

 If you are interested, here are the details: 

Tryouts will take place on Thursday, July 22, 2010 at 1776 N. Broad Street in Philadelphia.  There is a $20 registration fee and you must be 18 or older to audition. Bring your dance resume and wear shorts or briefs and a crop top; tights are optional. 

Here is the schedule for the day: 

5:30 pm . . . . Registration

6:15 pm . . . . Warm-up

6:45 pm . . . . Across Floor

7:00 pm . . . . Choreography

8:00 pm . . . . Judging 

If you are selected, you will perform during games for the Two-Time Champion Philadelphia KiXX professional indoor soccer club! 

For more information or to register for the KiXX Dance Team Tryouts, visit www.kixxonline.com or call 1-888-888-KIXX. 

Cheerleaders, cheer coaches and cheer parents often write to me with all sorts of questions about the mental game of cheerleading and I am happy to respond!  

Recently, I wrote about a cheerleader who was getting ready for tryouts and who had lost her confidence.  She had been on the squad for the most recent season but was worried about the stiff competition for this year.  She wanted help getting her confidence back. 

I made several recommendations and am happy to report the result (in her words): (more…)

What happens when a cheerleader needs to build up her confidence fast?  In this case, the cheerleader is someone who successfully made a varsity team last year as a freshman and hopes to be accepted again this year.  But this year, the competition is tougher.  How can she boost her confidence in 4 days? (Tryouts are this weekend.)

Well, this is how I responded to this athlete’s question:   (more…)

Some cheerleading squads are limited in terms of how many athletes can be accepted.  This can lead to frustration and heartache for those who don’t make the team.  But – don’t give up!!  Consider that there are many factors that go into a coach’s decision to create a team.  Your job is to figure out what you need to do to get accepted this time!  (more…)

Cheerleaders are known for their smiles. At tryouts, the judges will notice if you are connecting to the audience (the judges) and if you are smiling.  This may seem like a no-brainer but when you are nervous or when you are deeply concentrating on something, your smile can disappear.

(more…)

Many schools are in the process of holding tryouts for their cheerleading squads.  This can be an anxiety-filled time for those of you who hope to make the team.  (more…)

Cheerleaders can get anxious about anything from an up-coming competition, tryouts, or nailing a tumbling skill.  I’ve written many blog posts about this topic and because it’s something that affects so many cheerleaders, I will continue to do so.

Today, I came across a quote from best-selling author Seth Godin and I immediately thought I should pass it on to you.

Here is what he wrote: “Anxiety is nothing…but repeatedly re-experiencing failure in advance. What a waste.”

Simple yet profound.  I like that he summarized the essence of anxiety in one sentence. Let’s look at this, ok?

If you are getting ready for tryouts, you are likely experiencing some anxiety.  But what are you anxious about? Taking a cue from Seth, you are anxious about failing and even more than that, you are anticipating failure; you are envisioning failure; you are seeing yourself fail over and over again and you haven’t even been to tryouts!

Remember – the body does what the brain thinks.  So, if you are thinking failure, what will your body do?  It will perform at a less than optimal degree.

How can you change this?  Well, first of all, review my many other blog posts on this topic.  In essence it’s a matter of awareness – noticing that you are filling your head with negative predictions and then learning how to neutralize the negativity.

Want to learn more?  My program – The Mental Game of Cheerleading: Tryouts! looks at all these issues in depth. It’s a 2-CD audio package plus a 50-page Action Guide.  If you order the digital version, your investment will be even less!  Plus I’ll throw in a complimentary coaching session.

Cheerleaders, cheer coaches, and cheer parents – are you looking for a last minute Christmas gift?  This may be just the gift you’re looking for!

To celebrate the holiday season,  I am offering each of my training programs for $20 less than the normal investment of $67. That’s right…instead of $67, you only pay $47! (Please note: when you click on the info about the products, the price will say “$67″ but the price on the order page will reflect the holiday discount.)

And – as an extra special bonus, I will offer a complimentary telephone coaching session to anyone who invests in either of these programs! Simply let me know you have purchased a program and we will arrange a time to talk about anything related to the mental game of cheerleading!

This special offer is good until December 31, 2009!

Here are the 2 programs:

The first program is The Mental Game of Cheerleading: Training for Competitions. This is a comprehensive step-by-step mental skills training program to maximize success in cheerleading competitions.

This 2-CD audio program plus 40-page Action Guide provide you with everything you need to break through barriers, immediately improve concentration, eliminate distractions, and transform your performance.

This program will change forever the way you practice and prepare for competitions. For more information please go to the Products section of this blog or http://www.confidentcheerleading.com/competitions/.

The other program is The Mental Game of Competition: Training for Tryouts! This is a complete mental skills training system that will maximize your success on tryout day. It is a 2-CD audio program plus a 54 page Action Guide loaded with practical information and worksheets – all designed to help you get on the team you want!

Please see the Products page on this blog or go to http://confidentcheerleading.com/competitions/Tryouts-Product.html 

It has been a little over a year since I launched Confident Cheerleading and my success is due to readers like you. As an expression of my thanks and to commemorate our national day of gratitude – Thanksgiving, I am offering a special price reduction on 2 of my programs.

For a short time only – until Monday, November 30th – I am offering each program for $20 less than the normal investment of $67. That’s right…instead of $67, you only pay $47!

And – as an extra special bonus, I will offer a complimentary telephone coaching session to anyone who invests in either of these programs! Simply let me know you have purchased a program and we will arrange a time to talk about anything related to the mental game of cheerleading!

Here are the 2 programs:

The first program is The Mental Game of Cheerleading: Training for Competitions. This is a comprehensive step-by-step mental skills training program to maximize success in cheerleading competitions.

This 2-CD audio program plus 40-page Action Guide provide you with everything you need to break through barriers, immediately improve concentration, eliminate distractions, and transform your performance.

This program will change forever the way you practice and prepare for competitions. For more information please go to the Products section of this blog or http://www.confidentcheerleading.com/competitions/.

The other program is The Mental Game of Competition: Training for Tryouts! This is a complete mental skills training system that will maximize your success on tryout day. It is a 2-CD audio program plus a 54 page Action Guide loaded with practical information and worksheets – all designed to help you get on the team you want!

Please see the Products page on this blog or go to http://confidentcheerleading.com/competitions/Tryouts-Product.html

This is my way of thanking you for your interest in Confident Cheerleading.

Whether you invest in one (or both!) of my programs or not, I truly am grateful for your continued support. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Warm regards,

Pamela (Dr. Pam)

Any cheerleader and cheer coach knows that there are times when you experience too much tension.  It could be right before a big event like tryouts or competitions or just in your everyday life.  

You tense up your body in reaction to a perceived threat.  Performing in a high stakes event is experienced as threatening to you even if you aren’t consciously aware of this.  And a perceived threat leads to muscle tension along with all of the other classic flight-fight reactions.  As I’ve mentioned before, this series of events can undermine your performance so it’s wise to learn how to manage this. 

Here’s one quick technique that was described to me by Denise Maldonado, a wonderful coach with the World Cup All Stars whom I met at Cheer Ltd’s CheerConference 2 weeks ago.  (Denise was also given one of the 30 under 30 coaching awards at CheerCon!) 

This is what Denise taught her cheerleaders to do prior to a big event: 

Take a balloon and blow into it.  While you do so, imagine that you are getting rid of all your tension and anxiety and putting it into the balloon.  Once the balloon is full, tie it up and then pop it!  There goes all your fear and tension! 

I like this because it’s so simple and fun.  Denise said her team likes it, too!