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All Star Cheerleading Competitions: How To Make The Most Of Them

By revtjb | September 29, 2008

All Star cheerleading competitions are all about fun, adrenalin and competing, but never forget to attend to your planning prior to the cheer contest, during the event and afterwards when you return from the competition. You want to make the most of each and every all star cheer competition. Let’s face it, just to attend such a All Star cheer competition means investing hundreds of hours, lots of energy and quite a bit of money just to enter. So make the most of it, and maybe your squad will return from the competition as champions. Right, so the big day is dawning. What can you do to make the All Star cheer competition go off without a hitch? You need to get official, which means someone (usually the coach but this can also be done by a designated cheerleader) needs to create a checklist for each team member. This will be a full inventory of what they need to pack. But this means nothing if you don’t check each item for each squad member off the list before you leave for the competition. A good place and time to do this is on the bus before it leaves. There also needs to be a squad checklist for items that do not apply to individual cheerleaders but the squad as a whole. Once again, this needs to be complied with or it will be worthless. Also get your emergency list sorted. This means compiling a general emergency list such as team members’ family contact numbers, doctors, allergies, and so forth. Each member of the squad needs to provide input here. A first-aid kit should be part of the squad equipment (see above).

You should also organize for someone (a professional or a squad supporter) to take plenty of photos of the squad and video the competition. You will be so glad you did. In addition someone (perhaps the photographer/videographer) needs to write down relevant points during the competition, including scores, observations and any comments. This might be a valuable resource for later competitions. When you arrive at the All Star cheer competition venue the adrenalin will be running high and the cheerleaders will be in high spirits. But don’t lose it now! Try to get everyone to stay calm and focus. Keep the emotions to a minimum. It is a good idea for the whole team to go on a tour of the facilities on arrival, both to inform them and to keep their minds on the business at hand. It is also a good idea to have a team meeting on arrival where the coach can run over the cheerleading competition schedule so everyone knows where they are expected to be and at what time. Encourage your team to be polite and friendly. There is a good way for coaches to instill this great behavior in squads by example! Part of good manners at a cheer competition is for squad members to support each other and other squads from the same gym, such as elite cheer in North Carolina. Friendliness begets friendliness and the spirit will be tremendous. Positive thinking is closely associated with cheerleading competition success and a good team spirit fosters this. Encourage your squad to be gracious winners and gracious losers. Oh yes: carry a notebook for writing down thoughts or plans that arise in your mind that might be valuable in future, and ask questions if you are in doubt of anything. Finally, have fun when competing in a cheerleading competition. On your return from the All Star cheerleading competition, hold a meeting for the squad as a kind of debriefing. Analyze every aspect of the competition, listing strengths and weakness. Try to identify what went well and what went badly, what plans worked out and which did not. Look and photos and videos and learn from them. Take the squad through the notes that were taken at the competition and let your squad know honestly how you felt about the performance. But remember to be kind and constructive. Learn what you can from the experience and then set your sights on the next cheer competition and what you are going to do to do even better.

Cheerleading competitions are hard work before, during and after but they are also bundles of fun. Great memories are made at cheer competitions and cheerleading is part of every cheerleaders future memories. As long as you have given your all at a competition, the squad has shown that the cheerleaders are winners, each and every one. Remember to keep the tone light and fun, while letting the ambition and energy show. That is a huge skill the coach must learn to offer the squad if ultimate success is to be achieved.

Tags: all star cheerleading | all star cheerleading | elite cheer and dance | elite cheer and dance | all star cheer | cheerleading | elite cheer

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