Inside Cheerleading February 2016 Preview

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February 2016

QUALITY World Cup All Stars Building a legacy

On behalf of the entire team at Inside Cheerleading magazine, we hope your new year is off to a great start! We have some very exciting things planned for you this year and we kick it off with this jam-packed issue, featuring one of the most respected programs in the country on the cover – World Cup All Stars! I know you’ll enjoy this glimpse into the program and we thank them for welcoming Inside Cheerleading to their facility and extending such great hospitality while we were there! If memory serves me correctly, I first met World Cup owner Elaine Pascale at a Cheer Ltd cheerleading conference not too long after Inside Cheerleading had launched. We connected very well early on as we both really enjoyed discussion of the industry, what it needed to succeed and how to help athletes be the best they can be – something we aspire to do in each issue of Inside Cheerleading! I’ve always admired her determination, the athletes that represent the program and their successes both on and off the competition floor. World Cup, we’re proud to kick off 2016 with you all gracing our cover!

{BESOCIAL!} Inside Cheerleading @InsideCheer @InsideCheer

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THE ANNUAL iC ROAD TRIP

Connect with US!

In December, we embarked on the start of our 20152016 annual circuit of competitions across the country, known as the iC Road Trip. Each year, we set up booths at events hosted by our advertising partners which gives us a great opportunity to be involved with the event, meet our readers and also welcome new subscribers to the Inside Cheerleading family. For the latest on upcoming stops, be sure to follow our updates on social media!

InsideCheer InsideCheer.com Info@Insidepubs.com

LET’S SOCIALIZE! Speaking of social media, we can’t thank you enough for the way you’ve connected and interacted with us on social media. We are approaching yet another social media milestone with nearly half a million followers! If you haven’t already, join in on the conversation and the fun! Oh, and be sure and check out our ongoing announcements of who made the #iCTumbleTeam on Instagram (@InsideCheer).

LOG ON DAILY! Have you checked out the all-new InsideCheerleading.com? Now updated every day, we bring you blogs from Team iC Members, advice and tips, photo galleries, video updates and more!

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

iC ANYTIME, ANYWHERE AT THE TOUCH OF A BUTTON! Your best travel companion for the competition season? Inside Cheerleading IN JUST MINUTES, YOU COULD BE READING THE LATEST ISSUE OF magazine at the touch of a button on your iPhone or iPad! INSIDE CHEERLEADING MAGAZINE ON YOUR iPHONE OR iPAD!

DOWNLOAD SEARCH

INSIDE THE APP AND START YOUR CHEERLEADING

DIGITAL IN THE

Tag @insidecheer on instagram and use #InsideNation for a chance to see your photo in the next issue!

SUBSCRIPTION APPLE APP STORE!

TODAY!

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26 Jersey Girls

BY CHRISTY SANDMAIER

2016 iC

iC Junior ALL STAR All-American Team

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In this issue, we turn the spotlight on one of the most prestigious programs in All Star cheer - World Cup All Stars Twinkles. The Twinkles not only strive for perfection, they are perfection.

We hear first hand what a day-in-thelife is like for these Jersey girls, and what they hope to accomplish in 2016.

JUNIOR

These athletes may be young, but they are making big moves on and off the mat! Meet the 2016 iC Junior All-American Team!

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Making the Team - Have Your Best Tryout Ever!

PR E SE N T E D B Y

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BY SOMMER HENRY

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It’s never too early to start prepping for tryouts.

Follow this advice, and you’ll be tryout ready in no time!

PRESENTED BY

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5 Ways to be Mentally Ready to Rock Your Tryouts

BY ALISON ARNOLD PH.D. AND SARA ROBINSON M.A.

You know how to physically prepare for tryouts, but do you know how to prepare your mind? We bring you five must-know tips to ensure you’re mentally ready to make the team.

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Bows on Bows on Bows

It’s the final finishing touch on your uniform, the perfect accessory to your practice outfit, and when it’s perfectly in place, it gives you that extra pizzazz. It’s your BOW! Take a look at the hottest trends in bows from some of the industry’s top manufacturers.

ON THE COVER MEMBERS OF WORLD CUP ALL STARS TWINKLES AND SHOOTING STARS PHOTOGRAPHED BY EDDIE DONLIN /STUDIO D

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE PUBLISHER’S PAGE THE BUZZ LATEST AND GREATEST FASHION FORWARD COSMETICS CORNER KAEPA’S MVC’S THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT SPOTLIGHT ON THE ONE TEAM iC JR. SPOTLIGHT TODAY’S CHEERLEADER SPREADING GOOD CHEER FIT FACTOR

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The BUZZ

Giving Back

OVER THE 2015 HOLIDAY SEASON, THE CHEER ATHLETICS PROGRAM COLLECTED AND DONATED OVER 7,400 CANNED FOOD ITEMS! WAY TO GO, CA. WE LOVE SEEING MEMBERS OF THE ALL STAR COMMUNITY MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

We’re Loving…

Have you had a chance to check out Shane and Angie Pennington’s latest book, Five, Six, Seven, Eight...Prepare Today, Make Your Life Count? Not only does this fun read offer valuable lessons, it also allows you to interact with your thoughts and asks questions about who you are as a person and a cheerleader.

Whether you want to be a better leader or a stronger teammate, this is the book for you.

O-M-G Fitbit has just unveiled its latest fitness tracker the Fitbit Blaze! In addition to tracking workouts, sleep patterns and heart rate, this new fitness accessory also features call, text and calendar alerts! We’re loving the sleek style!

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The Next Glee?

We’re loving this video from Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville, N.J. The entire school gets involved in this lipsync video to Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You. From the principal to the football team, to the faculty and the basketball team, this epic video ends with a grand finale of the school’s cheerleading team!

Where Are We Headed Next?

Check it out at this QR code!

Our iC Road Trip is well under way, and we’re having so much fun visiting with you, the Inside Nation, along our journey! Be sure to follow us on social media (@InsideCheer) to stay up-to-date on where the Road Trip will take us next!

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Be on the lookout for us this competition season. You never know where we may end up!

Stay up to date on the latest iC Road Trip stops by following us on social media!

@insidecheer

Inside Cheerleading

@insidecheer

Girls

INSIDE CHEERLEADING TAKES THE FLOOR WITH THE TWINKLES FROM WORLD CUP ALL STARS IN NEW JERSEY.

STORY BY CHRISTY SANDMAIER PHOTOS BY EDDIE DONLIN STUDIO-D-PHOTO.COM

GREAT EXPECTATIONS Once upon a time, cheerleading was all about cutesy. High school football games. Pep rallies. Pom Pons. It still is but it’s also an ultracompetitive sport on an almost meteoric rise.

Cheerleading gyms are serious business with their own rules, competitions and are home to athletes of all ages with diverse backgrounds.

When stepping inside one of these gyms, you’re quickly caught up in the wave of energy, drive and passion. If you’ve ever stepped inside World Cup All Star Cheerleading in Freehold, N.J., their goal to be the very best is demonstrated in everything they represent.

One of the most prestigious programs in the country, World Cup rose out of the Pop Warner success of mother-daughter team, Elaine Pascale and Joelle Antico. After much coaching success, including their first Pop Warner championships, students and their parents encouraged them to start a competition team. The first on the map was Shooting Stars who, in 1995, won its very first national championship. As the years progressed, more teams were added to accommodate every age and competitive focus. Success and a nationally known brand followed. Today, there are three gyms and a continuous surge in athletes and championships.

Twinkles was created in 1996 to offer an opportunity to younger athletes craving a World Cup experience. Each year, the team builds towards winning national championships. Every year, they want to win at NCA and wear the coveted jacket. While the

more experienced athletes and Level 5 Worlds teams often draw the headlines, this Youth Level 5 team has its own following. And its own set of top titles.

Out on the floor, their young faces are in sync with a pout, poise and calm confidence well beyond their years. Cheerleaders, yes, but they are also supreme athletes striving for perfection in their sport. They just happen to compete with curls and layers of glitter. The more the better. And they do it well.

Twinkles are the reigning NCA Large Youth Restricted 5 Champions and UCA International All Star Championship Level 5 Youth Restricted Champions. But it’s not just about competition, when you walk into World Cup, game day is every day.

Twinkles Co aching staff (left to right ) Ryan AllenPage, Chrissy Schneiweiss, Kevin Baron and Rommel Osuna

WORLD CUP IS MORE THAN JUST TEACHING YOUR CHILD HOW TO CHEER. WE RECOGNIZE THE RESPONSIBILITY IN TEACHING OUR ATHLETES LIFE LESSONS BOTH ON AND OFF THE MAT.” - ELAINE PASCALE IT’S A FAMILY THING The genesis of the Twinkles’ success is attributed to a team, a family and a message that is exceptionally and superbly clear.

Their motto? “Welcome to World Cup, Our Cheerleaders Are Our Trophies.” The World Cup All Star program has collected hardware in every division including numerous titles at NCA, UCA, CHEERSPORT, AmeriCheer and many more. If you’re aged 9-12, competing as a Twinkle is not only the best thing, it’s the only thing.

Expectations run high each time they walk out on the floor. But for the Twinkles, the pressure to win doesn’t come from their competition, the media or the fans, but from themselves. Every day in the gym. They are

always chasing perfection.

“This is all they live for,” says Chrissy Schneiweiss coach of the Twinkles and Shooting Stars alumna. “They are willing to make all of the sacrifices. They truly have the desire to be great. They don’t like losing.

They come in self-motivated because of the reputation of the program. At this age, cheerleading is their life. These girls motivate themselves. There are no outside distractions.”

September through May they train four hours a week in the evenings. Once competition season approaches, their hours increase. The girls are required to tumble two hours per week and cheer two to four hours per week. Those hours also include dance, choreography and flexibility. Many choose to

spend even more time outside the required workouts, adding extra tumbling classes and private lessons.

Daily expectations are not for perfection but for doing better than the day before. It’s also all about being selected for the ultimate, the Shooting Stars, the current reigning Large All Girl World Champs. “They want to be Shooting Stars. They come in and often learn so fast that the coaches work just as hard harnessing and focusing talent, and avoiding burnout as they do at achieving the perfect routine,” says Schneiweiss.

The family atmosphere at World Cup is palpable and they’re proud of it. It’s part of the reason the girls strive to spend as much time as possible in the gym. Schneiweiss was

MAKING THE TEAM

HAVE YOUR BEST TRYOUT EVER!

BY SOMMER HENRY

Tryouts, just reading the word might give you a few butterf lies in your stomach, but I am here to offer advice on how to have your absolute best tryout ever! And let’s be honest, it is never too soon to start preparing for tryouts either!

Practice Makes Perfect The first and most important rule for having a great tryout is hard work.

You will never be able to shine at tryouts without it! Working hard applies to every aspect of tryouts.

Tumbling, jumps, stunting and dancing, you have to have it all, and that means working hard at all of it. There should be no off season when it comes to working on all of that, so if you haven’t been practicing too hard lately, today is the day to start!

Get into your gym and work on tumbling harder than you ever have! You need great form if you want to impress everyone at tryouts, so when you work with your tumbling coach, tell them to be extra hard on you and fix every little detail! That means every detail of your tumbling should look amazing, even the toe point should be perfect.

Speaking of toe point, that goes for your jumps as well. All of the same rules apply, focus on the little details you don’t think are that important, because to judges and coaches, they are extremely important. Do your jumps over and over again in front of a mirror, or record yourself, just so you can see exactly what they look like. If you need to get your

jumps bigger and higher, practice jumping up onto tall mats in your gym, or put a thera-band around your ankles and do your jumps with that, I have found those two things can work miracles.

As for stunting, have your coach or older cheerleaders help you perfect your stunts.

Whether you are a base or a flyer, you can never practice stunting enough. As I mentioned earlier, get it recorded so that you can watch, and focus on all of the details for whatever your part in the stunt is.

For cheers and dancing, we all know that motions can never be sharp enough. That is where the mirror or video camera is even more important. Do it over and over again until it looks exactly like it is supposed to and every motion is as sharp as it can be! While you’re practicing your super sharp motions, don’t forget to smile, because everything looks better when you have a smile on your face.

Just remember, when it comes to tumbling, jumping, stunting or cheering, practice makes perfect. If you want your perfect tryout, get into your gym TODAY! Conditioning and Flexibility Conditioning and flexibility are two things that go hand-in-hand with being an excellent cheerleader. If you want to have your best tryout ever, these are two things you can practice year-round. Go outside and run a few miles, borrow one of your mom’s workout videos, jump rope for a few minutes every

day, anything that gets your heart rate up will be good for your endurance! As for flexibility, that one is easy - you can sit in front of the television doing your splits. Also, if you really want to improve your flexibility, get into your gym and do over splits on the panel mats, and leg kicks with thera-bands on. A little each day can go a long way with improving your flexibility.

Love Cheerleading This is so important for being an All Star cheerleader.

Once you make the team, you’ll be putting in even more hard work than you did when you were preparing to have your best tryout ever, so you’ll need to love cheer quite a bit! One way to ensure this is to have fun with it. Yes, it does take so much hard work, but you can always have fun and enjoy working hard. You’ll make best friends doing this, so enjoy their company every day and always keep a smile on your face. Also, to ensure that you never fall out of love with cheer, always believe in yourself, because it makes cheerleading even more fun when you do. Cheerleading is a wonderful sport, and we are blessed to get to be a part of it! Always keep that in mind, always have fun, and you’ll be surprised at how much you can love being an All Star!

- Marilyn Monroe

twinkle.”

“We are all of us stars, and we deserve to

PHOTO BY EDDIE DONLIN/STUDIO D

PARTING SHOT