#cheerblog

[christiansocialmediamktg]

Where is Cheer Going?

I think Cheerleading can arguably be one of the fastest growing sports in the world right now. The introduction of competitive cheerleading sparked a huge interest in hundreds of thousands of people and it is only growing every year. 

The first Cheerleading Worlds was held in 2004, and back then, the number of divisions was very limited. Today, in 2021, the sport has grown to include tons of divisions that range by age, skill, team size, and gym location. There has even been news recently of having to change and expand venues that the Cheerleading Worlds and other competitions can be held at due to the amount of competitors and spectators that come to the event. Though it is great to see Cheerleading expanding, it makes you wonder where Cheerleading is heading. What’s going to happen when individuals in charge of the sport cannot handle the sheer size of competitors and spectators?

So far in the sport, there is somewhat of a monopoly on cheerleading apparel, venues, and competitions. Varsity is a huge business in the sport, and they have gotten in trouble many times for creating a sort of “monopoly” on it. With the growing of the sport, I can foresee other companies penetrating this market, and creating competition for Varsity. As of now, Varsity has a lot of control on prices, content, and branding related to the sport. Obviously, as the sport grows, companies will realize the monetary potential of the sport and engage in it. With this, the monopoly that Varsity has will be broken down and there will most likely be lots of lawsuits and legal battles to break it down. I think in this regard, the future of the sport will be better with more competition and less of a Varsity monopoly. 

I can also see Competitive Cheerleading turning into a huge mainstream sport like football and other sports. With this, there will be much more rules and regulations on the sport. In this regard, I can see the sport being more negatively impacted. This might be personal preferences though. Currently, competitions are not monitored very strictly. You are able to talk with other competitors and spectators very freely, and you are able to walk anywhere throughout the venue with ease. I enjoy the sport in this way. Competitions feel like a very big social gathering with all of your friends and family across the country. If cheer was to become mainstream, competitions would become much more strict like other mainstream sports are. There will most likely be more restrictions on where you can go at the venues, you will not be able to talk to your kids that compete, and you will not be able to see and hangout with your other competitors. The schedules will be more tight, and overall everything will be more static. 

So in all, there are some potential good and bad outcomes for the future of Cheerleading. Though it is growing, there will most likely be more restrictions on the sport. Venues will be stricter. Requirements will be tighter. Cheerleading will become very mainstream and there are positives and negatives associated with that. It will be exciting to see more companies partaking in the business of cheerleading. I think, in the future, we will see more creativity and innovation with the introduction of more companies. Funding will increase dramatically so hopefully the cost of cheerleading will decrease making it easier for people to join the sport. I think it can be said that whatever happens, I am excited to see the sport grow and become what it is meant to be. 

[christiansocialmediamktg]

Cheer : My Personal Story

Now that I have told you a bunch about how to perform skills, I think it would be a good idea to tell you why you should even listen to me. What’s my story? Where did I come from? How did I come up to being the coach I am now? I think this is pretty important to help bring some validity to my posts.

I remember the first time I saw someone tumbling. It was actually at a middle school event, and I saw one of my friends - on the basketball court - do a Round off back handspring tuck. I was so intrigued by this. I had never watched gymnastics or anything like that before, so this was all new to me, and I knew that it was something I had a desire to learn. 

Where do I even begin? I didn’t know what competitive cheer was, and I knew gymnastics/sideline cheer was not what I wanted to do. So, I researched. I found videos all over YouTube on cheerleading, tumbling, and stunting. I watched teams compete at the Cheerleading Worlds, which is essentially the Olympics of Cheerleading. These teams I watched all those years ago have become teams that still exist now and that I have fallen in love with. Now, I even work with some of them. It is really crazy how life comes full circle. 

After looking into the sport and becoming even more fascinated with it, I decided it was time to finally figure out how I can become apart of it. My high school had a competitive cheerleading team, and I had a really good friend that competed with them. I asked her about it, and she told me that she was currently cheering at an Allstar gym not too far from where I lived. 

Allstar cheer and high school cheer are two separate entities. High school cheer limits teams to compete against other high schools in the state, while Allstar cheer allows you to compete against teams all across the world. There are gyms all across the country that train teams to ultimately compete at the Cheerleading Worlds at the end of the season. It is a very interesting world.

So, I took a leap into this world and went to the Allstar gym my friend told me about for the first time in 2014. When I got there, I met the head coach that changed my life forever. When I started, I had nothing. No experience. No skills. No knowledge. Just what I had seen online. The head coach walked me through this new world and helped me gain the skills I needed to compete. He placed particular emphasis on the importance of stunting. That is where my story of my future began.

This gym I started at was a relatively small gym. They had never been to the Cheerleading Worlds and there was not much room to grow there. I progressed extremely quickly, and within a year or 2, I became the top athlete in the gym. Tumbling and stunting wise I had reached my peak there. From here, I set my sights to my next step - The Stingray Allstars. The Stingray Allstars is located in Marietta, GA. This is the biggest gym in Georgia, but also one of the top Allstar cheerleading gyms in the world. They have won title after title at the Cheerleading Worlds, and they are a household name in the cheerleading industry. 

I knew this was my next step, and I knew I had to do it. I worked really hard to prepare for tryouts, and I ended up making the Stingray Allstars Steel in 2017. This was the top coed team in the gym and one of the top contenders in the industry for their division. I was ecstatic, and it took me awhile to come down from my high. Now my next target- The Cheerleading Worlds.

In the end, I completed my entire goal of winning the 2017 Cheerleading Worlds that season. From the very first time I researched cheer, winning something like Worlds seemed so unattainable, but I did it. I still can’t even really believe it is real sometimes. Ever since then, I have fallen in love with the culture, the kids, and the stunting in this world. I have spent every year since then helping kids realize the same love and passion I have for the sport and especially for stunting. I hope, one day, I can become the coach that is the start of another kid’s future. 

[ohhighhails]

When you hit a perfect routine.. 💪🏼❤️

[toesproscheerbows]

About Pointed Toes, Cheer Pros, & Big Bows

Hello everyone,

I’m Nikki Moore. I’m just a 22 year old girl that fell in love with cheerleading at the age of 5. I’ve always had big dreams and even bigger goals. I have had the honor of cheering on one of the top collegiate teams in the country, University of Kentucky. I’m now coaching and taking a break from the limelight. I decided to create a blog to give ideas to coaches and athletes. So this blog will consist of drills, quotes, photos, and my own personal stories. The more we share with each other the more the sport grows. So, with that being said please feel free to explore my lovely little blog and share with others. 

Cheerfully, 

Nikki Moore 

[ualisette-blog]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3wVN74UR9c)

Please subscribe to my YouTube U.A Lisette and look out for videos from competitions and training 💛💛

[anaccidentalcheermom]

Huge storm forecasted to impact the east coast this weekend. Apparently Mother Nature didn't see the competition schedule. 😒

[anaccidentalcheermom]

Three Cheer Resolutions for the New Year

Another year down and more competitions ahead.

As much as we love cheer, having a child who participates in this amazing sport can lead to a ton of stress. So in honor of the new year, here are three resolutions for us cheer parents.

Feel free to add your own.

1. Clean up last year’s glitter.

And by glitter I mean crappy cheer feelings -which can be a lot like glitter. You bust your butt to get rid of it (cursing yourself for spilling it in the first place) but even then it never really goes away. Sometimes you find it when (and where) you least expect- like in dark corners and under cushions.

-You wanted your athlete to be a flier this season but she’s a base. -You wanted your child to be on level 4 but he was placed on level 3. -A certain kid “took” your kid’s spot in the dance portion of the routine.

Our kids hear everything and pick up on all our negative vibes. Suck it up, shake it off and move on. You’ll feel way better about the rest of the season (and then you can help your kid move on also).

2. Let the coaches coach.

Viewing the practice through the lobby window, it’s easy to think you know it all.

-“The coaches need to switch the stunt groups.” -“Those tumbling passes need to be shorter.” -“The routine is too complicated.”

Even if you have been a cheer coach (and let's be honest- 99% of us haven't), if you’re not YOUR child’s cheer coach, it’s not your job to suggest cheer routine changes. The goal of all coaches is to win and all decisions (big and small) are made to that end. 

Of course it’s fine to have questions (most parents do). We want our kids to be safe and happy. We just need to be careful about drawing the line and not morphing into Coach Wannabe.

3. Pass the baton.

Help your athlete advocate for themselves. Most kids will have questions about something at some point but not all kids will speak up for themselves. I’m working with my daughter on this now and It’s an ongoing process for sure. It’s sometimes easier to try to step in and try to solve the problem myself.

Instead of saying what I usually say: “Oh, you have a question about the new stunt? I’ll just text your coach.”

Instead I’ll say: “That’s a good question but I don’t know the answer. We’ll get to the gym a few minutes early tomorrow so you can ask your coach.”

Helping her advocate for herself will benefit her in and out of the gym. It’s a win-win.

Maybe this entire list won’t click with you-so take it as a challenge to think of what will make the rest of the season better for you and your athlete.

Make your own cheer resolution and enjoy the rest of the season!

*Photo credit: Freepik.com

[2nnfinitiesandbeyyond-blog]

Hey!

Hey ya’ll! I’m 16 and I’m starting this blog because I absolutely love cheer. I started competitive cheer when I was just 4 years old. I took some dance and gymnastics classes when I was 3 and loved them both. My mom signed me up for a cheer class at our rec center, and when I realized that cheer combined dance and tumbling, I fell in love with the sport. :) My rec center cheer coach told me I had a lot of potential and wanted me to try competitive cheering. I agreed to try it with out thinking, and that decision, ended up being a life changer. I was put on a Peewee Novice team. (Shout out to those of you who remember when the divisions were Peewee, Youth, Junior, and Senior. The levels were novice, intermediate, and advanced!) Since then I have been spending countless hours in the gym. I moved to a larger gym when I was 5 and was on their first ever mini team. My new gym was where my passion really developed. I started to understand the sport more as I got older, which only made me want to cheer more.

 I’m not gonna lie. Of course I have those days where I dread practice (which happens more than you’d think). Of course drilling full outs isn’t exactly my favorite thing. But at the end of the season I remember why cheer means so much to me. It’s about the bond you create with the teammates that take the floor with you. It’s about the memories you make, that feeling you get when you stick a tumbling pass, that rush of adrenaline that makes you shiver when you take the stage. That random urge to pee right as you take the floor. Does that happen to anyone else? lol.) Most of all cheer teaches you life lessons that you can’t get from anywhere else. Friendship, trust, balancing your life, pride, determination, confidence and so much more. That’s why cheer means so much to me. That’s why I keep coming back to more even when I feel like my body could fall apart. I’ve hit my bumps in the road but I wouldn’t trade cheer for anything. So here’s to all of ya’ll that share the same passion for this sport. Whether it’s your first or your tenth year. Cheer is so much more than just a sport. :)