All-Star Cheer Athletics (questions/rumors)

[BlueCat]

When i was coming to the gym, i got told that we were supposed to always be quiet, and if we messed up coaches would get mad and yell at us.
Maybe, do you know why people would think this and tell everybody this?

I think many people make assumptions about how we run things. Many of those assumptions/rumors, like the fact that we just sit around yelling at kids all day long, are just absurd. We have been told by MANY athletes who came from other programs that their former coaches told them directly that CA was incredibly harsh and cruel to our athletes. They are typically shocked to find that we have a dramatically more positive environment than where they came from.

Of course I am going to paint CA in a positive light, so perhaps I am not the most objective source of information. If you don't believe that we have a positive environment, simply ask any one of our athletes or parents directly. While I'm sure that not every single athlete in the history of CA has always been happy here (true of any program), I would guess that 99% of them would love to share their positive experiences here.

 

[cacheerin4u]

I mean I would... CA Always brightened my days! No matter what happened outside the gym with me, I could always to to CA to escape! The coaching at CA Is far from harsh, I would assume it's one of the least strict programs out there! CA doesn't have to be crazy strict because the positive coaching style they have make you and your teammates want to work and get better! Every year I was at CA I had Brad and Angela as coaches and I consider them like parents!

 

[CAtimes2]

I can also speak for CA as it relates to positive attitudes and pleasant atmosphere. My daughter started at CA as a level one athlete and with the help of coaches in the CA program is a skilled level five athlete today. Every skill she has was learned inside the gym. Throughout the years, the coaches have been nothing but encouraging and never pushed too hard. Despite what people think, the coaches develop relationships with the athletes and parents. With the number of athletes in the gym, one might think things would be very impersonal but it's not. The coaches know parents and kids by name and are very accessible. While they do work hard at practice, they have fun too.

 

[John Butler]

Well, I heard from my best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend who heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors last night. Is it really that serious?

Sorry... couldn't resist

 

[fullinitup]

i4?

 

[BlueCat]

i4?

Not a division on the age grid, so no sanctioned event could offer it. No, we will not create a team that we know would not be able to compete against similar teams.

 

[CDRCoach17]

What motivational techniques do you use to keep your athletes from burning out?
Any tips for athletes who get "mental" blocks?
What drills do you use to build your squad's stamina?

 

[BlueCat]

What motivational techniques do you use to keep your athletes from burning out?
Any tips for athletes who get "mental" blocks?
What drills do you use to build your squad's stamina?

We try to have separate, distinct parts of the year when we are working on different things at a different pace. That seems to help a bit with the burnout. We are working primarily skills now, wihout a real solid concept of what specifics are going to be in routines yet.

Mental blocks are tough. Every athlete is different, so there is no magic bullet that cures them all. Generally, I give them examples of elite athletes we have had that have gone through the same things to make them feel like less like a "freak". I also make it obvious the we have faith that it will go away eventually and that it isn't a big deal. (saying "when" rather than "if" they will get out of it.)

Embarrassing them or putting them under an increased amount of pressure rarely helps. It also can be helpful to stress to the parents the idea that THEM putting pressure on the athlete is often (not always) a contributing factor to the mental block.

Most common drill we use is "9 lines" where they do standing backs on each mat in succession. We have several different ones depending on the level and age of the team.

 

[youbetterwork]

Why not international shipping in the pro shop? Me want a t-shirt!

 

[BlueCat]

Why not international shipping in the pro shop? Me want a t-shirt!

Too expensive at this point. We are also having issues keep up with the domestic demand. (We are working on that.)

 

[imrichhowboutu]

Not a Rumor, just some questions.

Can you refresh my memory on your total # of NCA trophies? Do you have more than Stingray Allstars?
And what do you do with yours? (i assume youve got to be pushing 100 if youre not over)

And if you do something fun with them, can we all see?

 

[imrichhowboutu]

Part 2... Was discussing with @fabulousity

Cheer Athletics as a brand seems to be marketed very well. Do you have consultants/agencies that assist with the development of collateral/white papers/PR or is it all done in house?

 

[reaxion07]

Given the amount of time you've been in the industry, how do you feel about cheer leading becoming more tumbling orientated? When I first started cheering in college in 04, the best teams (all star and college) were all balanced - they had strong partner stunters and tumblers, and the routines reflected this. Now, I watch teams and feel like it's just a gymnastics competition.

 

[cheeeeer93]

What is the meaning behind the "XX" on panther's world's clothing?

 

[BlueCat]

Not a Rumor, just some questions.

Can you refresh my memory on your total # of NCA trophies? Do you have more than Stingray Allstars?
And what do you do with yours? (i assume youve got to be pushing 100 if youre not over)

And if you do something fun with them, can we all see?

We have somewhere in the mid sixties total. Pretty sure that is the most, but Stingrays can't be much more than 10-15 behind that. Remember that there used to only be a few divisions during the first few years, so you couldn't really rack up the numbike like you can the last few years. They give out more titles every year now than they did total in the first 10 years put together.

We don't really do anything big with the trophies, but we are kind of proud of our "NCA wall" of banners. I'll try to find a pic.