Cheer Professional / Fall 2015 by CheerProfessional

Scott Foster: Go behind the“music” with Rockstar Cheer | PAGE 10 Spotlight: ICE | PAGE 12

www.TheCheerProfessional.com

Is It Time for Events to Step Up Their Medical Game? PAGE 23

IN CASE OF

EMERGENCY

FUNDRAISING

Mom’s the Word Are Team Moms Worth It? PAGE 38

PAGE 18

ROCKSTARS PAGE 18

PAGE 30 FALL 2015 $8.00 USA Volume 3, Number 4

S ES QU E I N N I HI C I TI ST

THE COMMU N I T Y

contents

THE COMMUNITY 6

Editor’s Letter

Mission: 2016

Herkies for Herkie

FALL 2015

INDUSTRY INSIDER 10

Spotlight: Scott Foster

Spotlight: ICE All-Stars

Game Changers: Nor’Eastern Storm

Candid Coach: Alicia Zito

DOWN TO BUSINESS 18 Fundraising

Parent Viewing Areas

Owner’s Manual: Beth Mundell

Team Moms

Injuries at Competition

26 Contests 29

MIND, BODY & SOUL 40

Overcoming Anxiety

Bone Broth

Attitude Adjustment

44 FALL 2015 PAGE 04 WWW.THECHEERPROFESSIONAL.COM

A DAY IN THE LIFE

Get a glimpse into the life of Scott Foster

Live FUll oUt Find out more on

theepicbrands.com

EArN yOur 2016 WOrlDs BiD With thE EpiC BrANDs Battle at the Boardwalk February 6-7, 2016 | Atlantic City, NJ

reaCh the BeaCh oC danCe March 11-12, 2016 | Ocean City, MD

reaCh the BeaCh oC all Star April 2-3, 2016 | Ocean City, MD

2 Full Paid Bids and 4 At-Large Bids to the Cheerleading Worlds

2 Partial, 2 At-Large, and 1 International At-Large Bids to the Dance Worlds

3 Full Paid Bids and 6 At-Large Bids to the Cheerleading Worlds

Managing Editor

Greetings CheerProfessionals! Revved up for yet another season? Us too, as our publication prepares to cover all the cheer news fit to print during this sureto-be-dynamic year. What better way to dive into 2015-2016 than to get inspired by gym owners making a mark on the industry? In this issue, you’ll find in-depth profiles that are sure to get your own creative wheels turning. Start on page 10, where we get to know industry “rockstar” Scott Foster and find out how he built his cheer city on rock and roll. On page 12, you’ll get the scoop from gym owner Darlene Fanning on how she grew her Midwest-based ICE All AllStars to be 800+ athletes and three locations strong. And don’t miss our “Candid Coach” interview with Eastern Cheer & Dance Association’s “Cheer Coach of the Year” Alicia Zito on page 17. For many gyms, fundraising will be a big part of making this season a success. If your inspiration well is running dry, turn to page 18 to see how three gyms are drumming up dollars. From a zombie run that’s raised up to $25,000 to a unique “Sponsor My Uniform” fundraiser, you’ll get some effective, energizing ideas and tips on making them happen. Of course, every season has no shortage of hot topics, and we’re getting to the heart of a biggie on page 23. In “In Case of Emergency,” we interview gym owners like Courtney SmithPope and Sydney McBride on the widespread call for more stringent medical coverage at competition, and we also talk to Spirit Celebration’s Billy Smith about how event producers are responding to that need. Also up for discussion is the topic of enlisting team moms—are you a yay or nay? After all, it may take a village to run a gym, but team moms aren’t for everyone. Hear from gym owners on both sides of the spectrum and see if having an army of parental help will be a fit for your gym.

Other topics we’re covering in this issue: building engagement with contests, the pros and cons of parent viewing areas, handling athlete anxiety and so much more. Remember: the conversation doesn’t stop here—come join us on Facebook, Twitter (@cheerproco) or at our website: www. thecheerprofessional.com. The cheer industry is on the move 24/7…and we don’t want to miss a beat!

Cheers,

Jen Jones Donatelli

Assistant Editor Copy Editor Editorial Contributors

Web Developer Art Director Photography/Art Contributors

Jen Jones Donatelli Stephanie Moss Topher Christianson Lisa Beebe, Molly Blake, Renee Camus, Dina Gachman, Phyliis Hanlon, Nicole Pajer, Arrissia Owen, Alicia Thompson Ben Phillips Matt Call Angela Christensen Danny Karnik

Sales Coordinator

Paul Lancia

Database Manager

Ben Phillips

Research Manager

Jake Owen

Office Services Coordinator

Hope Chanda

Publisher Sr. Publishing Consultant

Chris Quarles Helen Cohen

Cheer Professional, LLC 170 East 83rd St., Suite 7B New York, NY 10028 Phone: 917-597-0065, 321-960-8610 www.TheCheerProfessional.com facebook.com/cheerprofessional twitter.com/cheerproco Advisory Board Karlette Fettig, Indiana Elite, Noblesville, IN Cherokee Greendeer, Green Bay Elite, De Pere, WI Jeff LeForce, Twisters, Norman, OK Cookie Jamison McGowan, Maximum Cheer, East Greenville, PA Courtney Pope, Cheer Extreme, Raleigh, NC Pam Puckett, The Cheer Center, Grove City, OH Roger Schonder, Stingray All Stars, Marietta, GA Sarah Smith, Prime Tyme Athletics, Hendersonville, TN Orson Sykes, Twist & Shout, Edmond, OK Karen Wilson, All Star Elite Cheer, Diamond Springs, CA CheerProfessional™, Vol. 3, No. 4 is a trademark of and is published quarterly (four times a year) by CheerProfessional LLC, 170 East 83rd Street, suite 7B, New York, NY 10028; telephone: 917-597-0065; fax: 212-988-0621. Please address all editorial and advertising mail to: 170 East 83rd Street, suite 7B, New York, NY 10028; telephone: 917-597-0065; fax: 212-988-0621. Manuscripts, drawings and other material submitted must include a stamped, self addressed envelope. CheerProfessional™ is not responsible for loss or damage to any unsolicited material. Subscriptions are free to qualified recipients. Single copy sales: $8.00 in the United States. Send address changes to CheerProfessional™ Circulation, 170 East 83rd Street, suite 7B, New York, NY 10028; telephone: 917-597-0065; fax: 212-988-0621. Nothing appearing in CheerProfessional™ may be reprinted either wholly or in part without permission. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2012 by CheerProfessional LLC. Printed in the USA. All advertising is subject to approval before acceptance. CheerProfessional™ reserves the right to refuse any ad for any reason whatsoever. Prior publication does not constitute any agreement for continued publication in any form. Advertisers certify that the descriptions of the products or services advertised are factual in all respects, and CheerProfessional™ assumes no liability for the content of the advertising, guarantees made, or the quality/reliability of the products or services offered in such advertisements. Information provided by advertisers is provided on an “as is” basis without guarantee of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied guarantees of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. CheerProfessional™ expressly disclaims any and all responsibilities for any and all direct, indirect and consequential loss or damage, included but not limited to loss or damage to property or for loss of profit, business, revenue, goodwill or anticipated savings resulting or arising from the information contained in the advertisements appearing herein. The instructions and advice presented are in no way intended as a substitute for professional training. If you engage in any exercise program presented herein, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities and assume all risk of injury to yourself. CheerProfessional™ disclaims any liabilities or loss in connection with the exercises and advice herein. Stock photography by ©iStockphoto.com/TheCheerProfessional & ©Shutterstock.com

WOW Fu

Add-On

Adventu

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WOW Aw

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+SO MUC

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Competit

THE COMMU N I T Y

MISS

ION

Roll call: what are your business and team goals for the upcoming season? We polled gym owners and coaches from around the country to find out.

Jessica Cestare Co-Owner, Coastal Athletics Cheerleading (Setauket, NY)

Nicki Haynes Baker Co-Owner, Nebraska Cheer Center (Lincoln, NE)

“This season, we are aiming to bring the love of cheerleading to new athletes. As a first year gym, we want all of our athletes to fall in love with the sport and the discipline, hard work, family atmosphere and new experiences of it all. We want them to find their ‘home.’”

“Our business/gym goals are to run a successful program that continues to be a second home to 250+ athletes— running a cheerleading business first, but helping and supporting all of these young athletes both on and off the mat. Being good mentors and leading by example. Our competitive program goals, similar to others, are to hit deduction-free routines and bring home wins, as well as being proud of weekly, monthly and yearly goals and new accomplishments. We want to put some amazing performances on the mat!”

Justin Lenhard Tumbling Director, Ultimate Allstars (Port St Lucie, FL) “Our goals for this season are to continue to grow our lower level teams and earn a bid to the Summit for cheer and dance. Also, we are aiming for paid Worlds bids for our senior and international dance teams and our Medium Coed Level 5 team!”

Mandi Spina Program Director, Cheer Fusion (Fredericksburg, VA) “This year, our goal as a program is to receive overall perfection in technique.

FALL 2015 PAGE 08 WWW.THECHEERPROFESSIONAL.COM

Teams also set individual goals for Summit and Worlds; athletes were provided with goal-setting sessions to ‘work backwards’ toward their personal and team goals.”

Michaela Gonzales Owner, ACX Twisters (Columbia, SC) “I want our gym to meet the demands of creativity and difficulty that the sport now demands—but still hold technique and proper progression at the heart of our program! Both are important to the sport, and now that the scoresheet equally rewards all three areas, it will be a challenge on the mat always.”

CheerProfessional wishes all gyms in our industry a successful and safe season! Here’s to 2015-2016 ushering in continued growth and prosperity.

HERKIES

Herkie for

by Lisa Beebe

This year, we said goodbye to a beloved cheer pioneer who paved the way for what we do today. To pay tribute to Lawrence “Herkie” Herkimer’s legacy, we asked cheer professionals to share their photos honoring our late hero.

Limelight Allstars owner Jerry Mauldin does a spirited Herkie leap to commemorate Herkimer’s legacy.

Nicole Wood of Fierce Connection poses with Lawrence Herkimer and Josh Johnson at NCA Nationals back in 2007-2008.

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Wood does a Herkie jump shortly after Herkimer’s passing as part of the #herkiesforherkie campaign.

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a program pack The staff at GymTyme took a moment to honor Herkie as well.

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I N D U STRY I N SI D ER

SPOTLIGHT

O P S

T H G TLI

by Molly Blake

Go behind the “music” with Rockstar Cheer’s head maestro, Scott Foster. If what happened in Vegas actually stayed in Vegas, then Greenville, South Carolina’s Rockstar Cheer and Dance might not be where it is today. After all, it was a 2007 visit to Sin City—specifically the Hard Rock Hotel—that inspired owner Scott Foster and his wife, Kathy, to pick a unique theme for their gym that was “different and out of the box,” says Foster. Out of the jukebox is more like it. Every team at all seven Rockstar gym locations is named after a rock band, and Foster doesn’t discriminate one genre over others. There are teams named for classic bands, like the Small Senior Level 5 Queen and the Large Junior Level 3 Heartbreakers. Then there’s The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Journey, Nirvana, Poison, No Doubt and the Dixie Chicks. Plus, there’s a team called The Wiggles and a few nods to the 80’s, including Vanilla Ice. “We even call our team moms band leaders,” says Foster laughing. The playfulness ends with the team names, however. After all, Foster cut his teeth cheering on the University of Louisville JV and Varsity teams (earning three team National Championships and one Partner Stunt National Championship) and coached for five years with Louisville-

based powerhouse GymTyme. Translation? “It was all business,” says Foster. “And I am definitely a product of that ‘get it done’ environment.” And the environment that began with just one gym in Greenville now includes seven gyms across three states, which collectively boast 47 teams and nearly 350 athletes. Foster is quick to point out, however, that the six gyms he’s partnered with operate largely on their own. “I don’t spy on them or anything,” says Foster. Instead he shares with them what he calls simply, “the Rockstar style.” “From top to bottom we have a quality product,” says Foster. Much different than a franchise, insists Foster, his team helps partner gyms absorb everything Rockstar from branding to skills and choreography consultation to uniforms, management, business and staff training. The process takes as little as a few days to more than a

FALL 2015 PAGE 10 WWW.THECHEERPROFESSIONAL.COM

month because, says Foster, “you can’t put what we do in a manual.” “We also share a work-hard philosophy and network,” says Foster, who does visit partner gyms in person on occasion and will Facetime into a class to offer suggestions on choreography or stunting. However, for the most part, he leaves the gym’s day-to-day operations up to the local management teams. And the teams are doing well on their own, winning over 300 national titles and three silver and two bronze medals at Worlds. It’s an impressive haul for small

SPOTLIGHT

“If I lose a Level 5 athlete to injury, I need to get a Level 4 kid up to fill that spot,” says Foster, who also coaches five high school teams. “But I’m proud of that.” Foster also prides himself on the fact that his coaches, including his wife Kathy, will instruct a Mini 2 as well as a Senior 5 class, hardly groundbreaking but still important, says Foster, as it demonstrates that cheerleading is not just about Worlds— it’s about being part of Rockstar’s legacy. Foster’s legacy also includes the Cheerlebrity competition. Founded in 2011 by Foster, the contest is an opportunity to compete but with rare, live feedback from peers, choreographers

and cheer royalty like Maddie Gardner, a member of the lauded University of North Carolina cheer team. Foster downplays his role in the success of Cheerlebrity, but a quick glance at its social media feeds— almost 19,000 Twitter followers—proves how popular the events are for athletes. It’s all part of what Foster describes as a renewed sense of genuineness within the sport of cheerleading. A far cry from past years, when Foster says just about everyone and anyone claimed a national championship. “It felt a little fake,” admits Foster. But now with a score sheet that “dictates the routine,” cheerleading is get back to a good place. “It’s booming,” says Foster. “It feels really good to be a part of cheerleading today.” As for the future, Foster isn’t opposed to partnering with two or three more gyms in the area in order to keep growing at a steady pace. After all, there’s no team named Taylor Swift yet.

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I N D U STRY I N SI D ER

gyms located in and around “little old Greenville, South Carolina”—particularly since Rockstar competes against teams from massive cities like Dallas and Atlanta that are brimming with a seemingly endless pool of talented athletes. Foster has reconciled and even embraced this, however. He has to—one of his gyms only has 35 athletes on its roster.

I N D U STRY I N SI D ER

SPOTLIGHT

by Nicole Pajer

ICE, baby! Owner Darlene Fanning shares her secrets for this Midwestern gym’s success as they prepare to celebrate their 20th anniversary.

“If you’re not prepared to put TEAM first, turn around.” This is the motto of ICE All-Stars, and a slogan that hangs on a banner in the windows of all three of Darlene Fanning’s Illinois- and Indiana-based gym locations. It’s a mentality that’s gotten the ICE program founder far since launching her first location in 1996. “Next year will be our 20th anniversary,” says Fanning, who got her start as a high school coach before making the transition to the all-star world.

When ICE was first established, Fanning found herself with 50 athletes and three teams. Over the last two decades, she has expanded to two other prominent Midwest locations and now has a roster of 800 athletes across 37 teams. She credits her initial success to ICE’s ideal location. “You have to be in the right area,” she explains. “I’m amazed at how many gym

FALL 2015 PAGE 12 WWW.THECHEERPROFESSIONAL.COM

owners are in a small metropolitan [town] where they think they are going to get 300 athletes. It’s not possible.” Fanning, who also owns an exercise facility, says that she looked to the fitness industry as a guidepost. “Only seven percent of the population goes to a gym,” she explains. “Cheerleading is less than that. So you have to look at your area and

SPOTLIGHT

Once she honed in on a location, Fanning began to focus on properly developing her teams. “It came with a lot of educating parents and kids and just working skills,” she explains. “If you’re successful, people see you at competitions and that makes a statement.” Another area of focus was to hire a solid staff. “The best staff is homegrown—ones that you’ve trained. A lot of mine have worked for me for a long time or been in the program under me,” says Fanning. And when recruiting from within is not an option, the ICE owner scouts for coaches bearing that “natural ability” to guide athletes. After growing to 70 athletes, ICE finished in third place at Worlds. And from there, the program continued to expand into the budding powerhouse that is it today. At one point, Fanning found herself managing six gym locations, but she has since scaled down and shifted her primarily focus towards her three most promising gyms. She’s also learned the

importance of treating her program like a business. “Sometimes we emotionally get involved with the kids, so it’s hard for us to let a kid go because they can’t pay,” says Fanning. “But this is my theory: if they can’t pay, then they can do a job in the gym—sweep the floor, clean bathrooms, run stunt classes. They can work, but giving it to them for free is not okay and not fair to all the other athletes in your gym that are paying. Treat it like a business from day one and don’t treat certain kids more special than others.” Having been in the all-star game since the early days, Fanning has seen a lot of changes over the years. “The biggest thing that’s changed for me is social media and how quickly you can see everyone’s routines and what they are doing,” she explains. Fanning mentions that sites like Twitter have allowed her to gain access to videos and information about current trends and cheer routines, as well as gain exposure for her gym. Such technological advances, however, have also come with a dark side. “It starts rumors and a lot of negativity,” she explains. Thus, ICE has established a rule that athletes and coaches are not allowed to make social media posts about their gym or others without Fanning’s permission. “This helps keep things positive so we can focus on our routines and what needs to be done on the floor,” says Fanning. Another issue she’s seen in the last few years is the attitude of the millennial generation. “I started with almost 20 years and the generation now are very different. It’s a more entitled, more ‘everyone needs to win a trophy,’” says Fanning, who works to foster a healthy competitive nature by teaching her athletes that they won’t always win— and that hard work and perseverance are the best ways to combat defeat.

Such was the case with her 2015 Lady Lightning Small Senior 5 team, who went into Worlds ranking third but experienced falls, which ultimately placed them in ninth position. “I learned lessons from the losses, and I feel like the kids did, too,” Fanning explains. “But I think the best thing I’ve learned is to gauge what the teams can hit because nothing makes them feel worse than walking out of a routine that you know is too hard for them. If they are not hitting five out of five times in practice and you put them on the floor, of course something is going to fall. You might as well go with an easier routine and hit it and build up to the difficulty so that you don’t lose their self-esteem along the way.” Fanning has also come to realize that teams will always have a mix of stronger and weaker athletes. To bridge that gap, Fanning has her girls focus on what they can bring to the table. “We did three days of bonding this year with the different teams,” she reveals. “Each girl put on a poster what she brings to the team. Certain girls don’t have the tumbling, but they are a really good back spot, a really good base or have really good jumps. So they might say, ‘I might not excel at that stunt, but I can make sure that my jumps are about level and that my stunt never comes down.’ We look at, ‘What are you bringing to the team?’ At that point, nobody gets upset that these girls aren’t throwing as much because they know that they are bringing other things.” Fanning’s approach seems to be working. The gym’s Small Senior Coed 5 Thunder team took sixth place at Worlds this year, on the heels of a first-place finish in 2014 for Lady Lightning. Her secret to running three successful locations? “Get good people…and stay as organized as you can,” she says, with a laugh. And, of course, put TEAM first.

FALL 2015 PAGE 13 WWW.THECHEERPROFESSIONAL.COM

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realize if you are in a town of 15,000, you are not going to have a gym with 500 kids. You have to go to bigger areas or be fine with running a smaller program.”

I N D U STRY I N SI D ER

GAME CHANGERS

NOR’EASTERN

STORM by Arrissia Owen

Thanks to cultivating strong mentorship and thinking big, gym owner Pam Duke has created the “perfect storm” for success.

For Pam Duke, owner of Nor’Eastern Storm, recognition as USASF’s 2015 “Small Program of the Year” means everything. It’s validation of her vision, dedication, perseverance and aspirations. The only problem is that she doesn’t operate like a small gym—which just might be the key to her success. Going into her 10th year, Duke has learned a thing or two about how to succeed in the all-star cheer industry despite living in an area with limited population. Located on the eastern shore of Maryland, an area that does not realistically have enough potential athletes to support a large gym,

Duke makes the most of what she’s got… and that’s a lot. The small-but-mighty gym’s owner started thinking big from the start. She studied other gyms, particularly the success of another then-small gym she admired, Washington D.C.’s Crimson Heat. Aside from the success of the program and its stellar athletes, the faith-based, non-profit program had another impressive element: Jon Rolle, who coaches Crimson’s Worlds team, 5 Alarm. It didn’t take long before Duke recruited Rolle (also Crimson Heat’s cheer program

FALL 2015 PAGE 14 WWW.THECHEERPROFESSIONAL.COM

director) as her choreographer. He instantly became an integral part of the Nor’Eastern family, adding friend and mentor to his title. And while camaraderie comes first, technical skills and staying current are a close second. With so much innovation coming out of the larger, more advanced cheer gyms, Duke never underestimates how important it is keep up with the curve. That’s where Rolle’s expertise comes in handy the most—he’s helped the gym bring home recent titles such as 2014 Level 1 Grand Champions at U.S. Finals and 2015 Level 4.2 Senior Cheer Champions

GAME CHANGERS

It is no surprise to Duke that Rolle shares the spotlight with her this year, having received USASF’s “Coach of the Year” award. “He is such a supporter of the industry, period, that I just feel so tremendously blessed to have found him,” Duke says. “I almost feel like it goes hand-in-hand with us getting Small Gym of the Year. We have been together so long that it almost seemed like a natural thing to happen.” And it’s not just the athletes who notice the difference. “All of our parents who come from other gyms, one of the most important things they notice is that we are willing to go outside the box and not just rely on in-house choreography. We are willing to invest in their children by bringing in the experts to make my gym, their team, their program, the best it can be the next season,” adds Duke. Duke digs in her heels, too. At every competition or event, she can be found tracking down EPs and nurturing relationships, getting her gym name recognition and building its reputation while learning from others’ successes. “I look at these gyms, and I think, ‘Wow, how does somebody become that?’” Duke says. “But I am realistic. That is not going to happen in my area. But I can make my

small gym feel as big as them to my kids and my gym family.” The biggest challenge back home, she says, is educating people about the sport and getting new people through the doors to see the great things happening inside. She does so by passing out flyers at athletic clubs and setting up booths at family-friendly events and fairs. She doesn’t shy away from guerrilla marketing, but her best weapon is word of mouth. Cheer titan Kevin Brubaker instilled that in Duke from the start. “He told me all the money in the world spent on advertising isn’t going to do as much as word of mouth,” Duke says. “[It’s all about] that parent or that child that raves about your gym and says good things about the coaches and the gym. I took that and ran with it.” Once athletes join the program, retention takes care of itself because of the program and the family environment Duke creates—complete with movie nights at her house, swim parties, bowling excursions and more. The 12 girls from her first team are all still part of the program, with her first graduate heading to college this fall. “They all know they are my children,” she says. “It is important to me. We need to be their second family. We need to be the place they can go to escape a bad day at school or to just have their own time to work hard and have fun.”

To keep things going, like most gyms, Duke has come up with ways to supplement her competitive teams via other programs that generate revenue. The gym offers prep teams and unique programs like this past summer’s Superhero Camp and a new recreational tumbling program, Galaxy Athletics, which opens the gym up for kids who simply want to learn to do cartwheels and handsprings in a no-pressure setting. Seeing that there was no other program locally offering a recreational gymnastics program, Duke seized the opportunity— and it was an instant hit. She also accepted a request from the local AAA baseball team, the Orioles-affiliated Shorebirds, to run the team’s dance squad. The program brings more attention to the gym because of the exposure at games and has added some new faces to the roster in-house. It’s a unique dance offering in an area saturated with dance programs, in addition to Nor’Eastern’s own. The program that is closest to Duke’s heart, though, isn’t about making money or growing the program. It’s the gym’s co-ed special needs squad, made up of athletes ages 8 to 32 with intellectual and physical disabilities. The team, led by coaches with special ed certifications, trains at the gym and faces off against other special needs teams at competitions. “They want to be like everyone else,” she says. “It has been quite an education. It’s amazing.”

FALL 2015 PAGE 15 WWW.THECHEERPROFESSIONAL.COM

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at JAMFest. The program also won IEP’s “I-Award” for 2013-2014, recognizing the qualities of integrity, enthusiasm, and passion. “[Jon] is our catalyst for helping us stay in the forefront of competition,” she says. “He has been amazing for us.”

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I N D U STRY I N SI D ER

D N A C

H C A O ID C

ALICIA ZITO

by Renee Camus

When it comes to “Rebels,” Alicia Zito is the leader of the pack. Talk about balance—Alicia Zito isn’t just 2015’s Eastern Cheer & Dance Association’s “Cheer Coach of the Year,” but also a choreographer, judge, mom and a full-time attorney. When not practicing law, Zito runs the Reading, PA-based gym Rebels Elite, which currently has just over 90 athletes. CheerProfessional caught up with Zito between the court and the competition mat for a candid Q&A session. You took over the Rebels All-Star program and named it Rebels Elite in 2013. How does the new program differ from the old one? Zito: They were small, almost like a prep program, in a tiny facility with no equipment. The athletes were ready to be more involved in the competitive cheer world. The old program was really economical [in order] to get the kids in the community involved in cheering; we don’t live in a very wealthy area. We wanted to give kids a chance to participate in something like this, without all the highend costs. And I still try to stay true to that today, even though we’re now on the national circuit. We’re one of the lowercost programs in the area.

Like many cheer professionals, you hold down a full-time job outside the gym. How do you balance being an attorney with running the gym? Zito: My schedule is tight, but I make time for it because it gives me an outlet for my high-stress job. I’ve always coached cheerleading, even when I was in law school. I needed something to break up my day from studying, and I can’t pull myself away from it. I enjoy it so much. It is stressful running an all-star program, but to watch the kids learn and grow and have fun is my release. Your tagline reads, “Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.” How important is it to you to have that family feeling among your students? Zito: I’m a gym owner who’s really involved with the kids. I know them and their families. I know what they’re doing at school and what they’re involved in. You’re dealing with primarily a lot of high school girls, and with that comes the typical teenager issues and school issues—and the fights and the bullies. We try to circumvent all that and keep the kids positive. The kids will talk to me about whatever they need to.

I really think the kids can learn and grow in a family environment, and like in any family, we hold them accountable for what they’re doing. We have our good days and bad days, but at the end of the day we’re still family, and everybody has to understand that. You pull together when you’re a family, and that’s how you win. That’s how you succeed, that’s how you learn to grow. What’s your advice to teams deciding whether to hire a choreographer or do the choreography in-house? Zito: If you’re doing it yourself, you need to be knowledgeable about the new rules and scoring grid, because every year it changes. Every year, you have to be on top of the game, performing the elite skills and sequences in order to stay competitive. If you’re able to do that in-house, it’s great, because you know the kids best. You know their abilities, and you can work with the routine. But there’s something to be said about having an outside choreographer bring their fresh ideas and creativity to the program. [Those who] have worked for high, nationally-ranked Worlds teams are able to give you that extra bit of flair that you may not be able to get yourself.

FALL 2015 PAGE 17 WWW.THECHEERPROFESSIONAL.COM

D OWN TO BU SI N ESS

SMART BUSINESS

FUNDRAISING ROCKSTARS by Lisa Beebe

Fundraising is a challenge all gyms face, but done right, it can be an exciting, memorable experience for everyone involved. For inspiration, we spoke to three gym owners who’ve found ways to put the “fun” in fundraising.

CASE STUDY 1.0 Xtreme Athletics

For the past four years, Troy, AL-based Xtreme Athletics has organized a highly successful zombie-themed 5K run, raising as much as $25,000. Gym owner Josh Filiault explains what’s involved. How does the zombie run work? It’s a 5K race, and “zombies” are scattered throughout the course. We get volunteers—athletes, parents, coaches— and they dress up as zombies. You can sign up as an individual or as a team, and most of the teams wear costumes. Each runner gets a flag football belt with detachable flags, and the goal is for them to get through the entire 5K with at least one flag left on their belt. If they do that, they’re considered a “survivor.” We

charge each runner $30, and every runner that comes through the race gets a T-shirt, a meal (chips and a hot dog) and a bottled water at the end. We set it up out in the woods, including obstacles. (My business partner has about 100 acres of land with a lot of natural trails, and we bulldozed it level.) We tie our gym sponsorships through it all; we’ve found we get a lot more sponsorships going toward the race than going straight into the gym.

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How are the sponsors involved in the race? There are two kinds—monetary and goods. The first year, we had a lot of expenses because we had to buy the belts and get the trail ready, but for the past couple of years, we haven’t had many expenses. We do medals for the survivors, so that’s around $100+ a year. Almost everything else is donated, including the runner packets. I don’t think of the T-shirts as an expense, because it’s built into what we’re charging them.

SMART BUSINESS

How has the event grown? The first year, we had about 175 runners. We didn’t have a lot of sponsors, but we raised a couple thousand dollars and were pumped about that. It was a lot of work, but the volunteers that were zombies and the runners had fun doing the race. Every year, people keep coming back to it. This year, our goal is 500 runners. We’re in a relatively small town, but we have a lot of people that drive in for it. Last year, we raised between $20,000 and $25,000,

and our goal this year is $30,000. We have some teams going to Triple Crown this year, and we want to raise enough money to pay for their charter bus to Dallas, their entry fee and at least half of their trip to UCA Internationals. How do you promote the zombie run? Word-of-mouth is a big part of it. We have a guy who works for us who’s a graphic design major, and he does posters for the run. We print 300 14x17” posters for about $1 apiece in our area and hang them up wherever we can within an hour’s drive. We also reach out to runners’ clubs that are nearby. We’ve had people drive as far as four hours to come to the race because their runners’ club liked the idea of it. What advice would you give another gym that’s interested in setting up a 5K fundraiser? Be organized and start planning early. We do the run in October, and we start planning it in May. There are so many races nowadays that if you don’t start advertising it as early as possible, another race will pop up and take runners away from you. We experienced that the first year—there were like four races the

same weekend as ours. The second year, we started communicating with some of the other races, and worked together to make sure we weren’t on the same weekend. Really think through the whole race— making sure your water coolers can stay cool, that you have people managing those stations, that the zombies are getting water and that they’re not out there dehydrating themselves. Where we are, parking is an issue, so we have a shuttle service that brings people out to the woods. Make sure that your volunteers all understand what’s going on. The zombies sometimes get competitive and see who can get the most flags, but it’s not a fun race if you get through the first half-mile and have no more flags because the zombies were too aggressive. We do a zombie training session before the race; some sprint, some crawl, and some don’t try to get a flag at all but just try to scare you. This year, we’re actually doing it on Halloween, [followed by] a Halloween party at the gym that night. It’ll be a long day, but everyone’s going to be talking about it and it’ll end up on social media.

CASE STUDY 2.0 Cheer Texas Arlington

Cheer Texas Arlington hosts a Flip-a-Thon fundraising party, and gym owner Brent Horton talked to us about how it works. They’ve been hosting the fundraiser for four seasons, and this year was the biggest yet. How does the Flip-a-Thon work? It’s designed to get our teams together along with their families; they’re more than welcome to bring friends. The event is about 4-5 hours long. When we set up the time frame, the kids have a month or two to raise money for their teams. Season to season, we raise money for different things—last year, we raised money for team letterman jackets that we gave out at our cheer banquet. After collecting as much money as they can, they come in the day of the Flip-aThon and jump around, flip around and play. The dads get together and grill hamburgers and hot dogs; we have moms that are selling chips and cookies and drinks. Parents get to know each other, and it’s a laid-back atmosphere where we’re not doing cheers or routines, just

having fun and getting closer together as a family. Last year, I had an auctioneer who came and auctioned off about 20 items. For the auction, we had parents go to sporting goods stores and get things, we had teams that made baskets with themes like “Movie Night” or “Date Night,” and we had lotions, candles and other donations from local businesses. It’s pretty simple, but it’s been one of our best fundraisers. Do you promote it to the community, or is it mainly for the gym families? We advertise it through our gym, including our recreational classes. We don’t necessarily advertise it in the community, but we are thinking about doing that this year. It’s hard, because when we do it within our gym, we have an idea of how much food to get, etc., but when opening it up to the community, we don’t know how many

people will show up and if we’ll have enough food. What advice would you give to a gym owner trying a fundraiser like this for the first time? Our biggest philosophy in our gym is that we want to be a family. We want our families involved in what we’re doing, and we want them to believe in what their kids are doing. We have done so many little fundraisers, like selling candy or candles, or whatever it is, and we may raise money—which is good— but it’s hard to be motivated by that, because there’s almost like a disconnect. When nobody’s excited to do it, you have very few who really jump on board. With the Flip-a-Thon, we’re getting families together, and there’s an atmosphere that’s created that’s beyond you. continued on page 21

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Our platinum sponsors pay $650 for a 4’x8’ banner. They can design it however they want, and we hang it up in our gym for one year. Our platinum sponsors, we advertise pretty much everywhere we can—their logo is on the shirt, and they can hand out whatever they want to at the race. Gold sponsors get a smaller banner, their names on the T-shirt and are able to hand things out at the race. At the silver level, we put the logo or name on the back of the T-shirt. We also give the businesses free cards for our “Kids Night Out” and allow them to have a free team entry of three people into the race. We try to make it a big deal that whoever supports us, we will support those businesses.

continued from page 19 Flip-a-Thon. We also went to businesses and sold gym sponsorships. How do the sponsorships work? It depends on the level of sponsorship. We have a handful of businesses that have big banners with their logo hanging up in

our gym; their names are on some of our T-shirts. We invite them to our banquet at the end of the year, so they can see where their money went.

CASE STUDY 3.0 Spirit Ohio All Stars

Mansfield, OH-based Spirit Ohio All Stars runs a Sponsor My Uniform fundraiser. Gym owner Steve Fuller spoke with us about why he thinks it’s something every gym should do. How does the Sponsor My Uniform fundraiser work? We break the uniform down into parts—right sleeve $50, left shoe $25, etc.—until the sum of all the parts is what the total uniform costs each athlete. The athlete then takes this form to family reunions, parent company picnics, places like that—anywhere they’ll run into close family friends or relatives that would like to kick in a few bucks to help out. Uncle Bob sponsors the right sleeve, and Mom’s co-worker sponsors the left shoe, and before you know it, 11 people have spent a little money to help purchase the athlete’s uniform, complete with hair bow and shoes. We caution kids about going door-to-door without a parent’s okay. We borrowed this idea from another gym and I can’t believe there’s anyone not doing this. It’s the easiest fundraiser we’ve ever done. Some parents put their own creative spin on it—we had a mom put the value of certain chores on each part. For instance, if a person sponsored a sleeve, they would get their flowerbed weeded for it. Do most of the athletes participate? You always have a certain number of people who don’t need financial help, but the uniform is kind of a tough nut. It’s $450, plus there’s tuition due, so if you can share that [financial burden] with other people, it’s a lot easier to swallow. We have a lot of single moms, and cheer is kind of a luxury sport, so if people can get help with that one big bill, they appreciate it. Probably two-thirds of our kids participate in the fundraiser—and they don’t have to do the whole thing. Even if they get $200 worth of sponsorship, that helps. On your end, what is involved in running it? The only thing we do is hand out the picture of the uniform with the parts and

prices labeled. Everyone who’s on a team in our gym has a folder in our foyer, in bins that are labeled by team. We make copies of the uniform flyer, and every athlete gets one. We also have it up on our website, so if you lose it or need another one, you can just download it. That’s really all there is to it. Then they go out [to approach sponsors], and people write their check right to us. We hold all of those checks until they’re done, and they include their own check to cover the rest of the uniform. Do the uniform sponsors get anything special? Athletes take pictures of themselves in their uniform and send them out with a thank-you note to everyone who sponsored them. We’re also have a sponsor page on our website and a monitor in the gym that displays the sponsor names. It’s not a huge deal—it’s more of a big deal for the child seeing their name up there than it is for Uncle Bob, who’s probably never coming into the gym. We also offer that to other sponsors. If you’re a pediatric dentist and you want 1,000 people who have kids to see your name, then you might run an ad in our gym, so your ad pops up there for 8-10 seconds. Do you have any tips for a gym that’s interested in trying the Sponsor My Uniform fundraiser? No. This is the simplest, most effective thing we’ve ever done. Nobody these days wants to get involved in fundraisers—they always feel like a certain amount of work. This thing sells itself. If you’re somebody’s aunt, and your niece comes to you and says “Would you sponsor me?” [The answer] is, of course you would! Plus, you only need 11 people [to cover uniform costs]. Do you think it works so well because parents are benefiting by having to spend

less on the uniform? Exactly. $450 is a lot to come up with at one time. We’re buying uniforms in July, typically, when you also have family vacations, and your kids are [on summer break], eating you out of house and home. It’s just an expensive time of year, and it’s nice to be able to spread that cost over a bunch of people. People are happy to donate $25 or $50. Have you done any other successful fundraisers? We just did a Cartwheela-Thon, and I want to do it again this winter when the gym is packed. We got this idea from another gym. You give everybody a Cartwheel-a-Thon packet with a sponsor sheet. All the kids go out and get sponsors, and they can suggest a flat amount or do it per cartwheel. Week one is about getting donations. Week two, coaches and parent volunteers pull these kids at the end of class to see how many cartwheels they can do in two minutes. (If they’re little, they can do forward rolls.) In week three, they go out and collect the sponsor money. This is the first year we did it, and it generated about $2,000. You have prizes for the top three kids, like a $50 gift card. Do you have any tips for a gym owner setting up their first Cartwheel-a-Thon? You need somebody to oversee the whole thing—an organized point person who keeps track of participants and winners, puts pictures on Facebook, makes sure the prizes are distributed—and makes sure all the money gets collected. It’s a three-week deal—a week to collect sponsors, a week to monitor everybody doing cartwheels and then a week to get the money turned in. It’s easy to lose focus during that three-week time, so you need somebody who’s going to keep the kids motivated.

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How does fundraising contribute to the overall picture at the gym? We do about three or four fundraisers—two really big ones and maybe two little ones for an extra push. It really depends what our goal is. Last year, our goal was to raise $20,000, and we hit it. Half of that came from the

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COMPETITION

EMERGENCY by Nicole Pajer

Cheer professionals are making a push for better emergency response protocol at competition. Prior to taking the floor for a 2010 competition, former Shine Athletics owner Sydney McBride wrangled her team into the warm-up room where they did a quick final run-through of their routine. Everything was right on schedule, until an unexpected accident occurred. One of McBride’s girls tumbled to the floor, landing on her arm and suffering an open break. The injured all-star cheerleader was scared, in pain and lying on the floor—unable to lift her limb. Someone dialed 911, but it took a full 15 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. “In those types of situations, when an athlete is in pain, 15 minutes can feel like an hour,” says McBride. “The venue was in a remote area, and there were no medical personnel on site. We just had to sit there with her and wait!” This isn’t the first time that a wounded cheerleader has suffered from the lack of on-site emergency staff at a competition. Cheer Extreme owner Courtney SmithPope once had to wait 21 minutes for an EMT to arrive and tend to one of her injured athletes. On top of that, she says delayed medical attention has even been an issue at competitions where there are stationed medics onsite. “I’ve had several situations where the kid just lies there and the lights go off. The competition may have one EMT, but he’s 16 convention booths away. It can take so long for help to get to your kid. It’s terrifying!” says Smith-Pope. As we approach the upcoming cheer season, coaches, parents and gym owners are calling for events to step up their game and implement more effective emergency response protocol. After

speaking with some key players in today’s competitive cheer world, we came up with a list of suggestions for ways in which event organizers and cheer professionals can work together to ensure that athlete safety is the number one priority. Allow on-site medics to give the final say on whether the athlete should return to the floor or not. During 2015 Worlds, Smith-Pope had two members of her coed elite team suffer pre-performance injuries. One girl got hurt on the warm-up floor and, to make up for the handicap, one of the male athletes attempted a move that was unrehearsed, fell and tore his ACL. As Smith-Pope points out, a lot of commotion occurs when an athlete is injured—and this case was no exception. “You’re standing back there like, ‘Oh, you got it. You can do it.’ But [gym owners and coaches] don’t know. I actually appreciated the fact that they said, ‘No. The kid is not going back in,’” says SmithPope of the medics at Worlds. “They were fantastic. It takes the decision off the coach in an already stressful situation, and I appreciated that it was a trainer having the say.” It’s not always fully up to the event producer, though—Billy Smith of Spirit Celebration says that while paramedics at his events may voice their opinions on an injured competitor’s situation, athletes’ parents often come down from the stands and override the decision on whether or not their children should go back in and compete. “Sometimes we have to rely on the age of the child, too,” he adds. “If it’s an older athlete, they know their bodies more, versus a younger athlete.”

Ensure better cell phone reception. Many gym owners report that a lack of cell phone service can be one of the biggest obstacles to ensuring prompt attention to athlete injuries. Competitions are often chock-full of parents and athletes, many of whom are on their cell phones in between exhibitions. For this reason, being able to nab a signal in an emergency situation can be challenging, and cheer professionals say they could benefit from event organizers working to outfit their competition sites with mobile hotspots and devices that help facilitate better cell phone coverage. This is an issue that is also recognized by many event producers, but Smith says it doesn’t affect his emergency response abilities. “To get around this, we don’t use our cell phones at all,” he explains. “We have a manager over each area that has a walkie-talkie and paramedics on-site that are also equipped with one.” Put a proper emergency response plan in place. McBride suggests that event organizers place banners up that inform competition attendees of what to do in the event of an emergency. “In those panic situations, you don’t always know how to find someone or how to get someone there quickly,” she explains. “You have so many different people in different places that it’s important to actually take the time to make sure everyone is aware of how to get help.” An event’s emergency response plan should include information such as the address of the event hall and instructions on how a parent, coach or athlete should go about finding an emergency response personnel member in the event of an

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IN CASE OF

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continued from page 23 athlete injury. “When you’re at these big events, a lot of people don’t know the exact address. I can tell you, ‘Hey, I’m at the Orlando Convention Center,’ but what’s the actual address?” says McBride. “It’s little things like that. How can we make help come faster, and how can we help ourselves better?” Smith says Spirit Celebration tries to keep its attendees in the loop by sending out emergency information to coaches prior to events. “[It’s included] in pre-literature that we email before the event, and then at the event, they have to read it and sign off that they are aware of our emergency response protocol,” says Smith. Call on paramedics strictly for emergencies. Smith would like to remind coaches that his paramedics are not the same thing as trainers. “They are not there to tape ankles, only to handle emergency situations,” he explains. The Spirit Celebration producer suggests that coaches take a class to learn how to tape their own athletes and that they tend to minor scrapes and cuts, keeping the EMTs free to handle the high-risk situations.

Station a paramedic at a central location. When an athlete gets injured at a competition, people don’t always know where to find the on-site responder. As a remedy, gym owners suggest that each competition place their medical personnel in the same, easy-to-find location within the arena. “It may not be feasible to have stretchers in every performance area, but I think having medical personnel—even if it’s an assistant or somebody that at least has a radio or the ability to perform CPR— parked at the music station where a coach is already positioned would be a great idea,” says Smith-Pope. Establish consistent rules. According to Smith-Pope, the rules for how injuries are handled during competition need to be consistent across the board. “Your first impression is shocking, especially when you see a very ugly brutal injury. You have to think to yourself, ‘If I push stop, does that mean we get disqualified? Do we start over? Do we start from the beginning? Do we go full out and take a deduction? There needs to be a policy that no matter what competition you’re at or what event it is, the same thing happens when a kid gets hurt,” she suggests.

For Smith’s part, he stresses that that every competition does things differently—and he doesn’t see that changing anytime soon. As such, he believes that it’s best for coaches to take a moment before each competition to educate themselves on each event producer and their policies. One area where Smith would like to see improvement is better boundaries industry-wide: “I don’t understand why you can step out of bounds with both feet before you get a deduction. Some of our floors have a drop-off, and some have slanted foam that is not safe,” says Smith. “We have to establish a boundary and a safety guideline that being out of bounds is not safe. [The fact that] we don’t have that in our sport just blows me away!” McBride agrees that some reform is necessary. “Keeping our kids safe needs to be the number one priority,” says McBride. “The best way to do this will be to make sure that competitions have some sort of safety professional there and that parents, coaches and athletes are all familiar with the established safety protocol going into the competition.”

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Keep Your Eyes on the prize by Lisa Beebe

CheerProfessional spoke to a few gym owners about how to run contests that benefit the gym while building community spirit.

At Midwest Cheer Elite’s Lima, Ohio location, a cheer dad approaches a wall covered in Post-Its and takes one that says “Band-Aids.” When he goes to the store later that day, he’s not just buying the gym something they need, he’s earning an entry into Midwest Cheer Elite’s contest for a month of free tuition. Many gyms use contests like this one to engage athletes and their families and generate excitement—and, more often than not, it works. Here’s how it works: “We have a wall in the gym, and once a month, we put up Post-It notes,” says gym owner Jamie Crippin. “Each Post-It has an item on it—a case of water, pens, paper towels, office supplies, first aid supplies and other items. Everybody comes in and pulls a Post-It note; when they buy that item and bring it in, they get a ticket that’s put into the drawing for a free month’s tuition.” Crippin runs the contest almost every month, and it’s been very popular: “I will put up a hundred Post-It notes, and within a day, half of them are gone. People take five or six.”

To keep the drawing anonymous, Crippin gives out numbered carnival tickets in exchange for the items. That eliminates any accusations of favoritism and makes it easier on Crippin, who simply picks a number and posts the winning one on Facebook. Crippin has also learned to be very specific about the quantity of items needed. “Once I put toilet paper on there, and I got [only] two rolls of toilet paper. [So now], even with pens, I’ll specify how many I want in a pack.” She also recommends that gym owners post more notes than they actually need: “A lot of times, you’ll have people take them, and they won’t bring them back. You may put up 100 Post-Its and only get 75 back.” While the Post-It contest is a practical way to keep the gym stocked with supplies, other contests offer silly family fun— which can also be worth its weight in gym gold. After Burns, TN-based Elite Storm Allstar Cheer & Tumble opened in May 2015, owner Dida Finch thought a contest would get people working together and get the gym some attention. Over the

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July 4th weekend, the gym held a video contest for the best daddy/daughter dance to the popular Silentó song, “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae).” The video that got the most likes on Elite Storm’s Facebook page would win an Nfinity backpack. To Finch’s surprise, one of the contest videos went viral. “The last time I looked, it was at 3.4 million views. The newspaper did an article about it, and it was on the radio and on TV—it just kind of skyrocketed,” shares Finch. “It was crazy.” The winning video featured cheerleader Gabi Mann doing the “Whip/ Nae Nae” dance with her dad and her two grandfathers. When Gabi won, she gave the Nfinity bag to a friend, and Finch made her a custom T-shirt so that she’d have a prize, too. Because the contest reached such a wide audience, it grew Elite Storm’s Facebook page from around 230 likes to over 6,000 likes. Finch recommends that when choosing a prize, it’s important to pick something that the children really want: “Our next contest is going to be for one of the gym’s letterman jackets. It’s continued on page 28

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continued from page 26 something that parents don’t necessarily buy, but all the kids want.” Tiffany Hayes, owner of Chico, CA-based Chico Cheer All Stars, also ran a “Whip/ Nae Nae” contest featuring girls and their moms. “I knew our families would dress up and totally go for it. We got a bunch of new followers,” says Hayes. “We had one family that made a full-on music video.

They had matching outfits—they spent hours on it.” The prize: free shirts for the family. Chico Cheer also hosted a bow-andarrow stunt photo contest for fathers and daughters, and the cheerleader whose photo got the most likes on Facebook won a free summer camp. Hayes says, “We have these dads that are diehard fans of their daughters, so I thought it would go over really well, and our dads went nuts with it. They’re competitive, yet they want to have fun, you know?”

compete for the most “likes” on a silly photo or video helps the gym’s social media accounts grow. To that end, Hayes recommends posting any submissions directly on the gym’s official Facebook page: “You want it to be about your gym, and about your program.” She also points out that her contests aren’t just for cheerleaders who are on teams—anyone who attends the gym can participate. When a contest gets clients excited, while also promoting the gym, everybody wins.

Hayes likes running contests because they help build a feeling of community at the gym. “I feel like we can get caught up in the competitiveness and getting tuition in on time,” she shares. “Contests like these bring positivity into the cheerleading atmosphere and make it more familylike.” Even if a contest only gets a few entrants, as was the case with Chico Cheer’s bowand-arrow contest, the results are a lot of fun. A social media contest where people

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ATHLETES

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Attitude ADJUSTMENT by Alicia Thompson Guy

Does your team need a tune-up when it comes to a healthy dynamic? Hear from top cheer professionals on how they decrease the drama.

When Brandon Hale looks out at the practice mat at North Carolina-based Cheer Extreme Allstars, he wants to see athletes focused on tumbling, twisting and training—not distracted by drama. So when a trio of troublemakers threatened to take the focus away from what matters, Hale knew he couldn’t let it slide. “These girls just sat at the back of the mat, creating drama,” remembers Hale, who acts as head coach and head of choreography for the high-profile gym. One girl in particular “had a lot of insecurities and hung out with the wrong people on the team, who were more negative.” Sound familiar? Whether it’s jealousy that erupts among team members, animosity causing a divide or lazy attitudes tainting the work ethic, bad attitudes can create a harmful ripple effect—and affect the team’s performance throughout the season. The good news is that it’s never too late to set the tone as a gym owner and/or coach and take action that will nip the negativity in the bud. Check out these strategies, which can turn such challenges into team-building opportunities: Encourage positivity. Early in the season, Hale chooses a standout athlete to send home with a journal. He or she is free to

add pictures, write messages and use feathers, glitter or stickers—whatever creative expression comes to mind. At the beginning of the next practice, the journal is shared with the rest of the team, and by the end of practice, the athlete who had the journal gets to choose which teammate takes the journal home next. “They have to notice the greatness in each other,” Hale says. Not only is the journal a light-hearted way to frame practice, but it also helps encourage team bonding as the kids open up with each other. “Even if they’re not being spoken about or spoken to,” Hale points out, “they hear what each other has to say.” Consider the source. Puma Cheer owner Jennifer Uselton believes that issues arise as “a matter of respect—not getting respect, not giving respect.” She started her Texas-based gym after years of coaching high school cheer, and she believes strongly in treating even young children with the same respect owed to an adult. The takeaway? A child who feels respected is more likely to reflect that back in his or her attitude.

Another source of friction is the frustration that comes with learning a new skill. “It’s a learning curve more than an attitude,” Hale points out. “Kids can get upset when things aren’t working out for the first time.” Uselton agrees, and to combat that, she’ll often pair two athletes together whose skill sets complement each other in some way. For instance, a girl whose jumps are low but is a natural dancer might be partnered with a more flexible gymnast who hasn’t learned the dance moves yet. “I want them to learn to embrace both strengths and weaknesses,” Uselton says. Often, an athlete’s attitude stems from forces outside the gym. Mandi Spina, program director of Fredericksburg, VAbased Cheer Fusion, emphasizes that this is especially true of more senior athletes: “They have much more active social lives than younger athletes, as well as heightened school activities.” For his part, Hale was surprised when the journal exercise worked just as well with older athletes as with the younger ones. “[They] actually seem to need it the most,” he says. Hold kids accountable. At the end of the day, though coaches and parents can continued on page 35

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PARENT RELATIONS

THE

VIEW

by Renée Camus

Should your gym offer a parent viewing area? We explore the pros and cons. On the surface, it sounds like a great idea: provide a specially designated room where parents can watch cheer practice and see the hard work their kids are putting in. But some gym owners say that introducing a parent viewing area can open doors that remain better closed— and invite unwelcome feedback and drama. That’s not the case for Karen Brenner, owner of All Star One in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. She vowed to always provide a viewing area for parents based on her own experience of not being allowed to observe her daughter at her dance studio. “I couldn’t stand it, I wanted to watch,” Brenner shares. “I like my parents—they’re my clients, and they should be able to watch what I’m doing with their kids. I feel like [having a viewing area] helps our parents be involved.” While that’s true, it can also be a liability when parents want to get too involved. “It’s hard to sit and watch someone do

something and not think, ‘Oh, I would do that differently,’” explains Casie King, owner of KCK Wildfire in Brookings, South Dakota. “I think if anyone had people constantly watching their job and critiquing what they were doing, they would understand.” For King, it’s a matter of setting clear boundaries and keeping the roles separate. “When [the coaches] walk in the gym, the athletes need to know to respect them,” says King. “If they’re looking up to see if it’s okay with Mom, that’s not going to work.” With that in mind, King recently closed her grand viewing area completely after interviewing coaches and weighing the pros and cons. A business consultant told her she was letting her biggest asset go to waste: her gym. King took the consultant’s advice to heart, and what used to look like a stadium VIP lounge is now two smaller rooms

separated by doors. One side hosts a party area with tables and chairs, while the other is a classroom. King offers yoga, flexibility, jumps and conditioning classes, and also rents the space to a taekwondo teacher. She’s now maximizing all of her gym, which has helped her financially, reduced her workload (less cleaning to do), lessened her stress level and virtually eliminated any gossip or negativity. And what about King’s cheer parents, who can no longer watch their child’s practice? “I was really nervous about it,” she says. “I thought we would have a lot of complaints, and we haven’t.” At Midland, MI-based Michigan Storm, owner Tara Wieland does offer a viewing area, but has struck what she considers a satisfactory balance by being strict about its use and closing it during choreography, before competitions and “randomly when I feel like it.” Says Wieland, “Parent viewing is a privilege, not a right, and if it’s abused, they can lose that privilege.” continued on page 35

FALL 2015 PAGE 32 WWW.THECHEERPROFESSIONAL.COM

continued from page 29

certainly influence a child, the biggest growth is always going to come from within. Spina prefers to circumvent direct parent involvement unless absolutely necessary, focusing instead on “team bonding activities, having captains (if applicable) speak to the athletes,” and emphasizing that “attitude is just as important as skill set on any team.” Hale believes strongly in deputizing athletes to solve problems within the team. He’s created sub-groups based on the Fantastic Four, where natural leaders are “Mr. Fantastic,” while athletes who are silent but deadly fall into “The Invisible Woman” category. Finding a fun way to split a larger team into smaller groups can be incredibly helpful, particularly for attitude checks. “The ratio becomes 8-to1 instead of 36-to-1,” Hale says. Uselton has also found a unique way to ensure her team stays accountable—not only to each other, but also to themselves: “They put together a commitment contract with three things that they are going to do

to personally to better themselves so that they could better their team.” Uselton uses commitment contracts with athletes as young as five years old, and has them sign their names and share their goals with the whole group. Not only are athletes more motivated to work toward self-chosen goals, but those goals are helpful for coaches to monitor what their team is worried about or focused on. “I thought most of my kids were going to write things about tumbling or jumping or stunting,” Uselton says, “but many of them wrote about attitude adjustments.” Uselton promotes team togetherness online as well as in the gym by encouraging her girls to post their progress on their commitment contracts on Instagram and Twitter using a team hashtag. Kindness online is important to model, too, Uselton points out, especially in this era of social media. It takes time, but the efforts are rarely wasted. “Dealing with athletes who have negative attitudes is a long process,” Spina

THE VIEW To that end, she has no qualms about dismissing a parent who fosters negativity or oversteps boundaries. When asked whether students or parents are the bigger gossip culprits, Wieland doesn’t hesitate. “If I could coach a team of orphans, I’d do it any day of the week,” she says with a laugh. Wieland even installed audio and video surveillance in her viewing area to watch over the rumor mill, an investment she feels was well worth it. “Kids will get over it in two seconds,” Wieland says of negativity. “The minute Mom becomes involved, it is a huge to-do.” If, like Wieland and Brenner, your gym does offer a parent viewing area, there are some ways to make it as hassle-free as possible. Most gym owners suggest an enclosed area, so that there’s no possibility of interaction between parents and kids during practice. Brenner also recommends that the room be on the same floor as the gym: “When you put

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Attitude ADJUSTMENT

says, but watching those athletes who’ve risen above help other athletes through the same type of behavior “makes the process worth every minute.” Hale agrees. That girl he spoke about, the one who sat on the back of the mats creating drama? “She’s now about to graduate through the program,” Hale says, and he cites positivity and compassion as two of the biggest forces that turned her around. “We just had to show her that we do care about her,” he says, “and everything changed immediately.”

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people up overhead, you can see too much. Then the parents start telling you about lines and formation,” she laments. At C&C Cheer Factory, owner Angie Crissman added another layer of protection by installing two-way mirrors on what she calls the “Fishbowl,” reducing distraction and serving a dual purpose: “[Students] can use the mirrors when we need them to see what they’re doing, but they can’t see their parents.”

parents] are yelling or coaching from the side, it’s distracting.” And when parents understand that, it benefits everyone. “Parents have to trust you as the coach,” explains Wieland of Michigan Storm. “If they don’t trust you as the coach, the kids are not going to trust you, either.”

As Crissman sees it, it’s vital to do whatever it takes to send parents the message that coaching is best left to the coaches. “Why are you here if you’re going to teach your kid by yourself?” she says. “[When

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OWNER’S MANUAL

BETH

MUNDELL by Dina Gachman

ARIZONA ALL-STARS FYRESTORM

VITAL STATS Name: Beth Mundell, Owner and Coach Gym: Arizona All-Stars Fyrestorm Locations: Tempe, AZ and Maricopa, AZ Founded: 2012 Size: 75 athletes on six teams Gym size: 2,200 square feet The Debrief: Mundell’s team rep program has been in place since the gym first opened four years ago. Currently, the gym has 10 team reps spread across six all-star teams and two rec teams—depending on the age, size, and needs of each team. And it works: “I believe very strongly in the program,” says Mundell. The Dish: I think team reps are one of the most valuable positions you can have [at an all-star gym]; it’s an additional layer as far as point of contact. By calling them “team reps” instead of “team moms,” we allow it to be an older sibling who may have custody or a father or grandparent— it welcomes everyone, as opposed to just the moms. I often hear horror stories from other gym owners, [probably because] some gyms just choose whoever wants to volunteer. I didn’t have hesitations because I believe that if you choose reps wisely, you won’t have a problem. We’re very particular about how we operate, and we don’t bring on team reps until about three months into the season. During that three-month time period, people who are interested come to us. We don’t open an application process; it’s not that formal.

If team reps who’ve been successful in past years are interested in doing it again, we’ll utilize them in the coming year. If someone didn’t work out, it allows us to search for someone who will be a better match. The coach and the team rep have to be an incredibly good match, and their communication styles have to work because that’s the coach’s right hand. After we meticulously find out who is interested, we explain in full what their days will be like and what our expectations are—both in the gym, at competitions, and outside the gym. We expect them to represent the gym in a positive light and not gossip on Facebook or cause drama. We expect them to solve problems. The team reps report to my gym director, and parents can then direct their questions to the team reps. Mostly, team reps send out emails and texts, but if we need help during practice, they come in. During competition, team reps are the point of contact—they hand out the schedules, carry first-aid equipment/ inhalers and help with bathroom trips. They’re our hands on the mat. They’re not there to coach; they’re there to allow the coaches to coach.

It’s a volunteer position, but we do sign a contract with them that includes confidentiality clauses. They have a little bit of advanced access, and they get to be part of the business part of the company, so I guess that’s a perk. My biggest piece of advice for anyone thinking of bringing on team reps is to choose wisely. If asked in hindsight, I think every single gym owner who has had issues knew at some point that this person was going to be a problem, or they were warned. When there is a problem, address it immediately. With clear expectations, there’s no grey area there. The most positive outcome I’ve seen is that the drama and gossip is cut down by a ton. In the contract our reps sign, we are very specific about drama. When I have four kids who need inhalers and injuries, I need somebody that I know will be good in an emergency and be an asset, as opposed to someone who panics. Overall, I think every single gym should have a team rep—people are afraid of giving control away, but if you choose wisely, it’s a huge help.

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UA N A M N E R’ S

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TEAM MOMS

Mom’s the Word by Dina Gachman

Should you use team moms at your gym? Cheer professionals at Eastern Elite, Cheer Savannah and Cheer Factory Florida weigh in. It’s every gym owner’s nightmare: put your trust in team moms, and then see that trust betrayed in a big way. Few know that better than the Ohio Pink Panthers, who made headlines in 2014 when a team mom allegedly collected $310 per cheerleader for new uniforms, then disappeared with $6,500 of gym parents’ money. More common are less extreme cases, which are often a matter of team moms being too opinionated or overstepping their boundaries—leading to drama, miscommunication and often one big headache for the gym staff. Luckily, not all experiences with team moms turn out to be so devastating. In many cases, team moms become a coach’s right hand and trusted confidante. So what makes the difference? Choosing the right people. At Bel Air, MD-based Eastern Elite Training Center, team moms are a “huge and very important part” of their cheer and dance family, according to coach-owner Karen Eisenhuth. Eisenhuth instituted a team mom program from day one, with the

goal of providing an “open and inviting atmosphere for our families.” Though Eisenhuth had heard the horror stories, she says she had no reservations before enlisting team moms. To find the right folks, she provides a job description and is straightforward about expectations; the selection process takes about two weeks. Once on board, team moms are responsible for sending out information (via calls, texts and emails), organizing team bonding events/fundraisers, assisting with parties and ceremonies and taking on various duties at competition— from holding gear to fielding questions from parents to wrangling the team. “Our team moms are counted on a lot,” shares Eisenhuth. “However, they have no voting power in coaching, cheer and dance decisions—[instead], they are a support system.” There is a hierarchy in place as well. The head team mom meets with Eisenhuth and her co-owner each month, and they give her information to pass on to the

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other team moms. Eisenhuth says this process streamlines communication and keeps things running smoothly. For Eisenhuth, this is the biggest objective of the program—providing open communication lines between owners, coaches, athletes and parents. “[Our team moms are masters of [the] communication chain of command,” she says. At Pooler, GA-based Cheer Savannah, owner Stephanie Britt’s team mom program is thriving after 15 years, and it works because, like Eisenhuth, she’s particular about who she chooses. “You have to almost do a credit check,” jokes Britt. “We choose people that we recognize as sane, involved, normal, enthusiastic and positive. I prefer people who work [and] who have businesses who are strong leaders in the community. I prefer people who run things.” Britt works with 14 moms total, or one per team at Cheer Savannah, as well as a “head” team mom. She believes that a big part of having a successful program is running a tight ship—and being able to

TEAM MOMS He believes that team moms may be more hassle than help, mainly because he has seen the negativity that it can potentially cause. Instead, Woodfell and his staff choose to communicate directly with parents via Facebook, and he is involved in every aspect of the gym. “We handle any situation you would need a team mom for,” he says.

In the vast majority of cases, team reps are not compensated, but they will get small discounts or end-of-season gifts. At Cheer Savannah, Britt offers perks such as free “Team Mom” T-shirts or free event admission. Keeping the program dramafree is a major goal for all owners, and choosing wisely and avoiding favoritism is key. Eisenhuth suggests choosing moms who get along with everyone, who don’t have a history of conflict or drama, and, “when in doubt, watch how the mom interacts with her children and other athletes.”

Though he knows that most parents have “the best intentions,” Woodfell has seen jealousy and drama erupt in the past, and it’s something he chooses to avoid. “Though one would hope they could trust other people whom they place in positions, things don’t always work out as you may intend,” explains Woodfell. “Others may use the platform of team mom and new contact information of other parents to gossip, spread rumors and bring unnecessary drama to the team and organization.”

But not all gym owners are on board with the idea of having team moms—like Cheer Factory Florida’s Cody Woodfell.

As Woodfell sees it, it’s best not to blur the lines and responsibilities between clientele and gym staff. He knows that it’s impossible to eliminate drama entirely,

but finds he’s able to keep it at by “finding ways to limit it, and then you slow down your own aging process and gray hairs. By keeping parents in the role of parenting and the coaches and hired staff in the role of running everything gym-related, you can do just that.” In order to avoid any such drama, the coaching staff and gym owners Woodfell knows you can never eliminate drama, but, “You can find ways to limit it, and then you can slow down your own aging process and grey hairs,” he says. “By keeping parents in the role of parenting and the coaches and hired staff in the role of coaching and running everything gymrelated you can do just that.” Though not everyone is a fan of the team mom concept, it’s worth at least exploring to see if it might be a fit for your gym. For Britt, it’s all about liberating her staff and keeping their focus on what they do best. Says Britt, “It allows the coaches to coach.”

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acknowledge when things aren’t working. “I’ve had to release team moms from their duties [mid-season], absolutely,” says Britt. “Usually, I just note that I won’t use them again the next season. I also have them sign a contract with a handbook and policies, and I constantly remind them of their jobs —what works and what doesn’t, just like an employee.”

MI N D, BODY & SOU L

MIND, BODY & SOUL

FREEZE FRAME: Overcoming Athlete Anxiety by Phyllis Hanlon

After months of practice, “Heather” had mastered every skill in her routine and her timing was perfect. But once she hit the mat during competition, her face went blank and she froze mid-step. Although she’d been involved with cheer from the age of five, she still experienced periodic bouts of performance anxiety, especially at key moments. Heather isn’t alone—the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) reports that about eight percent of teens age 13 to 18 have an anxiety disorder. In many cases, a certain amount of anxiety can be beneficial, providing an effective way to handle a difficult situation. But excessive anxiety can, in certain circumstances, become disabling, and for cheer teams, too much anxiety could spell serious trouble.

Changing Mindset

As a sports performance expert and owner of Mind Body Cheer, Jeff Benson is all too familiar with scenarios like Heather’s. He notes that some athletes operate with a “fixed mindset,” viewing possible failure “as a life or death situation.” Case in point: Benson worked with one athlete who resisted his attempts to teach her a more correct and advanced version of a basket toss. “She was thinking she might not be perfect right away and couldn’t tolerate the learning process,” he says. Although her response wasn’t logical, it was real to her and she had to quiet her “critical coach.” By breaking the skill down into steps, helping her visualize execution and reminding her of past successes, he was able to cut through her fear and reduce her anxiety. In more challenging situations, Benson uses a “traffic light system” to ease athletes into attempting an advanced skill. While the rest of the team might be executing a tricky back handspring, an anxious athlete would prepare by first working on a less demanding “green light” exercise, such as a cartwheel, then proceeding to a more difficult “yellow light” skill, potentially inducing some degree of nervousness. The “red light” skill—or the one that is completely overwhelming—is attempted only after successfully completing exercises at the green and yellow levels. Jeanine Russell, cheer director at New York-based Core Athletix, notes that in some cases, the athlete is not aware of the underlying cause for her anxiety. As she sees it, there are two main types of athlete anxiety: one related to performance and

the other based on skills. Either way, the first step for Russell is helping them “open up and acknowledge there is an issue.” She calls her process “address and correct,” noting that fear often stems from lack of confidence. To that end, Russell empowers athletes by letting them know that everyone has to start somewhere—especially when attempting a stunt for the first time. “I tell them this is a challenge as you continue to grow. If you could do it the first time, it wouldn’t be such an accomplishment,” she says.

Acknowledging Age and Gender Differences

Russell finds that anxiety seldom manifests to a debilitating degree in athletes younger than 10 years old. “Preteen and adolescence is usually when anxiety starts and then increases,” she says. “There are a lot of things going through their bodies and their heads at this stage.” At this age, female athletes tend to put too much pressure on themselves, and hormonal changes may also play a role in amplifying anxiety levels, she surmises. In Russell’s experience, anxiety isn’t as common in male athletes, but does surface occasionally. “Males participate in other sports, like lacrosse, football and soccer, so they have a tendency to rise in the face of competition,” Russell says. “But I’ve seen it in males who were more intense with their emotions and more sensitive.”

Finding Homeopathic Solutions

Beth Mundell, coach-owner of Maricopa, AZ-based Fyrestorm, finds that anxiety

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might sometimes be mistaken for asthma. Amid the often “chaotic energy” in the gym, such excitement can spark vitality and excitement, but can also infuse a sense of panic in even the most seasoned athlete. “[Some] people are quick to shove inhalers at the athlete, but you’re revving up an already revved-up system by doing this,” she says. “An inhaler is a stimulant; when an athlete uses it, she becomes worse.” One solution that has worked for Mundell is consistency. “Cheer is a superstitious sport. We do the same things in the same order every time. If I change the routine, anxiety gets worse,” she says. Based on consultations with a naturopathic doctor, Mundell also employs some homeopathic remedies to help her athletes. She has found that magnesium oil rubbed on the soles of the feet has a calming effect. “We also put tea tree oil on the sides of the nose. When the athlete is on the floor, she can smell it and it’s a reminder to breathe,” she says. She admits there is no science to back up her claims and the result may be purely psychosomatic—but the technique does tend to get results, at least with her athletes.

Managing Team Reactions

Athletes are often so closely bonded that they’re very sensitive to each others’ cues and dynamic shifts. Russell relates a situation in which one athlete’s elevated anxiety infected the entire team: “This girl happened to be a leader on the team. When she broke down, they couldn’t handle it,” she says. “One girl was hyperventilating, another was vomiting on the side and another was having hot

MIND, BODY & SOUL

To prevent mass contagion, Russell takes a proactive approach. “As a group, I don’t allow them to watch the competition. They keep their backs to the performance,” she says. “[To distract them], I also make them sing a song or count eights.” Not enough attention is given to anxiety, asserts Mundell. “A coach may call the girl a ‘drama queen’ or a ‘head case’ and brush it off, but that’s due to lack of education,” she says. “Coaches need to be attuned to their athletes. They need to differentiate between legitimate anxiety and simple fatigue.”

Sports performance professional Jeff Benson teaches athletes how to handle negative feelings. Get Benson’s tips on identifying anxiety in athletes and suggestions for coping with it:

Signs of anxiety Blank stares – the athlete seems to be “off in space” Interruptions – the athlete continually interrupts while the coach is giving instructions Physical shaking – the athlete’s body moves rapidly and involuntarily Resistance – the athlete believes she will not be perfect from the start and refuses to try Breathing irregularities – the athlete “forgets” to breathe or breathes very rapidly

Coping strategies Take a break – the athlete

should be removed from the situation temporarily

Breathe – instruct the athlete to practice

deep, rhythmic breathing to help relax the muscles Be consistent – do the same things in the same order before each performance Laughter – tell a joke or say something silly to make the athlete laugh Empathize – point out that everyone has failed at some point in life, even the coach Encourage – remind the athlete of her past successes and reassure her that she will overcome this temporary setback Visualize – ask the athlete to imagine herself completing the skill Use progression – have the athlete attempt an easy skill to build confidence and then graduate to a more challenging one Raise awareness – speak with the athlete one-on-one to figure out what the underlying cause of her anxiety might be Educate – teach the athlete to have realistic expectations

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flashes. There was sympathy across the team.”

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MIND, BODY & SOUL

Bone Broth:

A PIPING

HOT TREND by Lisa Beebe

It’s the health trend du jour—everyone seems to be talking about bone broth. And if it’s not on the radar of your athletes and staff yet, maybe it should be. Advocates rave about the drink’s healing properties, and high-profile athletes like Kobe Bryant swear by it. But does bone broth live up to the hype? Registered dietician Esther Blum credits bone broth’s current popularity to the rise of the Paleo diet, which is built around foods that ancient hunters and gatherers would have eaten. She believes that bone broth’s biggest benefit is that it supports healthy bones. “It’s rich in trace minerals, which support the bone matrix and the building of bones,” says Blum. “Bone broth also has a lot of glutamine, which combats gut inflammation and supports immune function. Glutamine is also wonderful as a post-workout recovery nutrient.” The question skeptics ask is whether bone broth is just a souped-up version of stock. Similar to stock, bone broth is the liquid that remains after animal bones are boiled in water, typically along with vegetables. It differs from other types of soup in that it is typically served as a hot beverage for sipping. Though some question the claims around bone broth, Blum’s a believer. She drinks bone broth regularly, especially during the cold months of the year when she’s prone to colds. “I’ll drink a mason jar’s worth of broth throughout the day when I’m feeling sick, and the next day, I’m totally fine,” shares Blum. “It could be the hydration, you could argue, but I believe it’s the nutrition in there.”

And bone broth doesn’t just come in handy when the temperature drops—it can also be a way to nourish tired bones after a long practice. Whether you choose to drink bone broth before a workout to build up energy or post-workout to speed recovery is your call: “As long as you’re getting your nutrients in within 12 to 18 hours after you work out, you’re really okay,” says Blum, who is also the author of Eat, Drink and Be Gorgeous. While a serving of bone broth can cost up to $9 at Brodo (a bone broth take-out restaurant in New York City), it’s simple to make it yourself at home. (See sidebar for an easy recipe.) Here’s how Blum does it in her slow cooker: “I use large bones, like knuckle and neck bones. You can use bone marrow bones, but I recommend getting the marrow out first; otherwise, it’s very oily and fatty,” she advises. “Different cultures use chicken bones and fish bones—the larger the bones, the more collagen you’re going to get.” No matter what type of bones one chooses to use, Blum emphasizes the importance of cooking the broth over low heat. “There is a real science to it. Most of us, we’re boiling the heck out of the bones, which breaks up the collagen so you don’t get the same nutrients,” says Blum. Food trends come and go, but bone broth has been around for centuries, and it’ll probably be around for many more. As Blum says, “It’s just soup.” She recommends drinking a mug of bone broth a day to support bone health—which is sure to boil down to better performance overall.

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MAKE IT: Basic Bone Broth Registered dietician Esther Blum provided us with her tried-andtrue, easy recipe for making bone broth in the comforts of home: Ingredients 3 pounds knuckle and neck bones (ideally from pastured cows) ¼ cup vinegar 1 organic onion, quartered 2 organic carrots, peeled and chopped into large pieces 1 organic celery rib, chopped into large pieces Instructions Place the bones into a 7-quart slow cooker and pour the vinegar over the bones. Let sit for 30-60 minutes. Add the chopped veggies and 16 cups of water. Cook for 1618 hours on low heat overnight. (Never raise the heat.) Cool, strain and pour into glass mason jars [for daily consumption]. Keeps for five days in the fridge and in the freezer for up to six months.

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DAY I N THE LI F E

A DAY IN THE LIFE

A Day in the Life:

Scott Foster by Molly Blake

Get a glimpse into the day-to-day life of Rockstar Cheer’s Foster. 2:00am

Being a gym owner forces you into becoming a night owl, whether you want to be or not. There’s just so much work to be done. I go to bed at 2am and then sleep until about 8 or 9 am. It sounds a little crazy, but that’s just part of being a gym owner. 9:00am

When I wake up, my kids have already gone off to school. My wife Kathy takes them. She’s amazing. My 3-year old son stays home, and he is just a bundle of fun and energy. 11:00am

I might sneak in a look at the Clemson Football schedule. We’ve been going to the games for 16 years. Or I’ll think about planning my next vacation to the beach—we just got back from the Bahamas and love going to Myrtle Beach, too. I believe in relaxing and recharging the batteries

9:30pm

We all get home late, and while my wife and I do not pretend to be gourmet chefs, we will cook together—something healthy but simple. I know it seems like a late time to eat, but that’s the life of a gym family. It’s all we’ve really ever known. 11:00pm

Back to work for me. I do all the social media, including Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, so I need to schedule those posts and reply to emails from parents and the other Rockstar gym owners. There’s training and, of course, competition to prepare for. Cheerleading has such legitimacy now. The way the scoring is set up is much better than what it was in the 90s. I love knowing that when you get to Worlds, the best of the best are going to be there.

2:00pm

I’ll have a late lunch, and then go work out. I work out mainly because I have a major sweet tooth; it’s really my only vice, but it’s a bad one. 4:30pm

After my kids get home from school and grab something to eat, the entire family heads to the gym. We are all gym rats! We never get babysitters or childcare because they are always with my wife and me at the gym. They love it. My 10- and 12-year old daughters compete, too. I’m their coach but they would never dare call me ‘Daddy’ at the gym; it’s always ‘Coach.’ When they stop calling me ‘Daddy,’ it will break my heart. 5:00pm

I coach five all-star teams, and I also work with five area high school teams. High school cheerleading is a serious sport in this town. It’s very competitive. FALL 2015 PAGE 44 WWW.THECHEERPROFESSIONAL.COM

1:00am

Time to send out a “Word of the Week” as part of our Personal Development System. For example, this week’s word is “motivation.” I send out an email with the word and what it means to me, and I ask the athletes and coaches to reflect on it for a few days. Then, at practice, we talk about what it means and share examples of how we can implement it into our daily life, practice and competition. Some coaches will share a story about how they have been motivated by someone. I’ve been doing this for years, and it’s worked well for us in terms of keeping kids grounded—especially when their personal lives get complicated. We try to make sure the kids understand that their lives shouldn’t be all cheerleading all the time. Balance is important.

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