All-Star What It Takes To Be A Champion?

stuntaholic · Jul 15, 2013

My team this year has set some lofty goals and I think it would be useful for them to hear some feedback from individuals that have been successful in cheer in some fashion. So I am basically looking for an answer to the following question from a coach or athlete that has won some sort of championship in cheer. Whether it be a Worlds Championship, National, or even a State Championship.

The question is the thread title:

What does it take to be a champion?

So if you have won some sort of cheer championship could you please respond to the question and just state what championship you have won.

Thanks in advance.

Bailey · Jul 15, 2013

I won Summit last year. It took A LOT of hard work and dedication. Our team had some stuggles through out the year but they just made the team stronger and made us come closer together. And after the difficult practices and full outs over and over again in the end it was deffinetly worth it

Bailey, Orlando Allstars

INeverStopCheering · Jul 15, 2013

Get ready for some long winded advice. Im a coach and a cheerleader who has coached/won many various titles over the years.

1. Put your hard work where your mouth is. It's great to set goals. It's great to say you're gonna get this or that new skill. It's great to say you're gonna be the best, work harder, train harder, stretch more etc. etc. But until you actually start doing those things you're not going to get any better. Don't talk about it, be about it.

2. This cant just be a hobby. Or a one day a week activity. Every member of the team needs to make a commitment to go to classes and work at home. One day of practice a week is not enough. Flyers should be stretching every day. People without tumbling should be in classes or lessons. Stunt groups having trouble should be coming in on their own time and working. Nothing great was ever achieved without hard work

3. Watch the best. Find videos of the best teams in your division and in any division and watch them. Study them. Identify what makes them a cut above the rest and then implement those things in yourself. Also identify the things they could do a little better and do those things too. Some people don't believe in watching your competition, but I think you should know realistically what you're up against. Your coach can tell you to be tight and have facials all you want, but sometimes you have to see the difference it makes.

4. Bond. No team ever succeeds when people on the team don't like each other. Because all that stuff above is more than about making a commitment to yourself, its about making a commitment to each other. About wanting to win for each other. About having fun together, performing together, winning together, losing together, crying together, laughing together, and most importantly working together. Teams who love each other work together. Teams who work together, win together

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Cheergrandma · Jul 15, 2013

INeverStopCheering said:
Get ready for some long winded advice. Im a coach and a cheerleader who has coached/won many various titles over the years.

1. Put your hard work where your mouth is. It's great to set goals. It's great to say you're gonna get this or that new skill. It's great to say you're gonna be the best, work harder, train harder, stretch more etc. etc. But until you actually start doing those things you're not going to get any better. Don't talk about it, be about it.

2. This cant just be a hobby. Or a one day a week activity. Every member of the team needs to make a commitment to go to classes and work at home. One day of practice a week is not enough. Flyers should be stretching every day. People without tumbling should be in classes or lessons. Stunt groups having trouble should be coming in on their own time and working. Nothing great was ever achieved without hard work

3. Watch the best. Find videos of the best teams in your division and in any division and watch them. Study them. Identify what makes them a cut above the rest and then implement those things in yourself. Also identify the things they could do a little better and do those things too. Some people don't believe in watching your competition, but I think you should know realistically what you're up against. Your coach can tell you to be tight and have facials all you want, but sometimes you have to see the difference it makes.

4. Bond. No team ever succeeds when people on the team don't like each other. Because all that stuff above is more than about making a commitment to yourself, its about making a commitment to each other. About wanting to win for each other. About having fun together, performing together, winning together, losing together, crying together, laughing together, and most importantly working together. Teams who love each other work together. Teams who work together, win together

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This is an awesome response! With your permission, I'd like to share this with our teams.

Deleted member 25054 · Jul 15, 2013

I've won States with my high school and U.S. Finals with my allstar team and one piece of advice I have is to accept when someone is more qualified than you for a position. I can't tell you how many times girls have said "oh, I can land my tuck no problem" to be put in the front and have busted, or have thrown tumbling passes during choreography they know they can't throw a minute into a routine. As nice as it is to be last pass, center stunt, and in the spotlight as athletes we need to know what makes OUR TEAM better. Not just us individually. This also makes athletes work harder because they know they need to fight for their skills to become they best they can be. Trust me, I was one of them. I started cheering my sophomore year with no tumbling and was sick of being in the back so I worked my butt off until I finished my senior year with a standing tuck and a running layout. It really lights a fire under your booty! We had team tumbling by Finals

stuntaholic · Jul 15, 2013

Thanks for all of the answers so far.

INeverStopCheering · Jul 15, 2013

Cheergrandma said:
This is an awesome response! With your permission, I'd like to share this with our teams.

Thank you! Of course, go bananas, I'm just happy to help

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stuntaholic · Jul 18, 2013

My athletes are really enjoying these answers does anyone else have a response or two?

12stepCheermom · Jul 18, 2013

INeverStopCheering said:
Get ready for some long winded advice. Im a coach and a cheerleader who has coached/won many various titles over the years.

1. Put your hard work where your mouth is. It's great to set goals. It's great to say you're gonna get this or that new skill. It's great to say you're gonna be the best, work harder, train harder, stretch more etc. etc. But until you actually start doing those things you're not going to get any better. Don't talk about it, be about it.

2. This cant just be a hobby. Or a one day a week activity. Every member of the team needs to make a commitment to go to classes and work at home. One day of practice a week is not enough. Flyers should be stretching every day. People without tumbling should be in classes or lessons. Stunt groups having trouble should be coming in on their own time and working. Nothing great was ever achieved without hard work

3. Watch the best. Find videos of the best teams in your division and in any division and watch them. Study them. Identify what makes them a cut above the rest and then implement those things in yourself. Also identify the things they could do a little better and do those things too. Some people don't believe in watching your competition, but I think you should know realistically what you're up against. Your coach can tell you to be tight and have facials all you want, but sometimes you have to see the difference it makes.

4. Bond. No team ever succeeds when people on the team don't like each other. Because all that stuff above is more than about making a commitment to yourself, its about making a commitment to each other. About wanting to win for each other. About having fun together, performing together, winning together, losing together, crying together, laughing together, and most importantly working together. Teams who love each other work together. Teams who work together, win together

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This basically summarizes what I was going to say. I'll just add this...

This is a TEAM sport which means its a TEAM effort. If you have people on your team that don't really care, lay out of tumbling because they want to go to the movies, miss a practice because of their dogs birthday...your team goals won't happen. You know these people are on every team.

You're only as strong as your biggest slacker.

It will be uncomfortable but if you want to achieve lofty goals you have to set the understanding now that ALL slackers will be addresses every time no matter who they are. The team needs to be accountable to each other. It doesn't have to be mean, but the team should determine how that will be addressed, who will address it (preferably a coach) and what the expectations are.

The slackers will either step up...or step out. But if one or both of those things don't happen, neither will your goals.

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All-Star What It Takes To Be A Champion?

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