Any Advice On High School Cheerleading For Coaches?

[cheer_girl665]

I have an interview tomorrow about a cheerleading coaching job. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get it as they really need the help. I'm just not sure what to expect. This is my first time working with school kids and I'm young coach. While I may be young, I'm strict and stick to my words. So any advice and words of wisdom from cheer moms and high school coaches?

PS: of it means anything, I'm not sure if the school a competitive or not. I will be finding out tomorrow.


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[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Set CLEAR expectations for all of the following and make sure you know the answers to the questions below:

*Attendance at practice, games, etc. What absences are excused? Which are not? How are girls to notify you of an absence? What is the penalty for excessive absences?

*Being on time. What is considered late? What is the consequence for being late? Is lateness ever excused? If so, under what circumstances.

*When are payments for fees, uniforms, etc. due? Are there any school-related penalties for failure to pay.

*TRYOUTS. What criteria will girls be judged on? How will they be scored? Will they be judged by coaches or by outside judges? Will there be alternates? How will you notify girls of the results?

*Camp. Is it mandatory? Will it be an away or home camp? Which company will you use?

*How will cheerleaders be expected to behave at games or other events? What is your policy for rude or disrespectful behavior while the girls are representing the school?

*PARENTS. How do you plan to communicate with them? Phone/email? When and how is it acceptable for them to contact you re: a concern?

*Competitions. Do all girls compete? If not, how do you determine who does?


Other important topics:

*Injuries. What is the school's policy on injuries? How do girls get cleared to cheer again after an injury? (typically a school policy.)

*What is your plan for a crisis situation such as a serious illness or injury at practice or while the girls are under your supervision? Will you have access to the school's trainers, etc?

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Double posting, but more advice for you:

1. Be firm from MINUTE ONE OF DAY ONE. Establish yourself as someone who is interested in getting to know them, but who is also an authority figure to be respected. My theory is: You can always relax if you feel that your level of firmness is not needed with this group, but it's almost impossible to REGAIN control of a group of kids once they've decided not to take you seriously.

2. Establish boundaries for your personal time. Many coaches make the mistake of giving kids/moms their cell numbers and answering no matter what time of day. By all means, give them a number to reach you if you'd like, but set boundaries with it. For example, I generally do not answer cheer-related phone calls or emails on Fridays unless they're urgent.

3. Determine how you're going to get information out to kids and stick to it. Remind 101 is a great tool because you can text kids reminders without giving them the ability to text you back or see your number, if you are not comfortable with them having it.

4. Realize that a new coach is a big change, especially if you're replacing someone who may have done things differently. Ex: A lot of people were up in arms when I took my school coaching job because I instituted closed practices when they'd always been open to parents.

5. Get the parents on board. They're not the enemy and most of them mean well. Introduce yourself to them at school events and make sure they're aware of your policies, especially if they're significantly different from a previous coach.

 

[12stepCheermom]

I have an interview tomorrow about a cheerleading coaching job. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get it as they really need the help. I'm just not sure what to expect. This is my first time working with school kids and I'm young coach. While I may be young, I'm strict and stick to my words. So any advice and words of wisdom from cheer moms and high school coaches?

PS: of it means anything, I'm not sure if the school a competitive or not. I will be finding out tomorrow.


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As a hiring manager in a high school I offer this advice....

Tell the truth about your name and background, experience etc. That's a great place to start. Because even if they need help, they still are required to check references.


Contemplating witty signatures since 2011

 

[Cheer Dad]

Is there another coach there you can work with as well to help you learn the ropes a bit?

 

[Twinklestars]

From a parent perspective, I could give you a list of what not to do... I am not typing all that on my phone though!


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[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

^^^^^I'll be the first to admit that I have some difficult moms who make me want to pull out every strand of hair I have. But 80% of them really are nice and want to support their kid's activities.

Some parent-related advice:

1. Have a SCHEDULE and TRY to STICK TO IT. For most of HS, until kids are able to drive, parents are still playing taxi. So it's important to give them an up-to-date calendar and practice schedule and hold to it! Ex: They need to know that practices are ALWAYS T/W/TH from 4-6pm because they have other things to do that do not revolve around Katie's school cheer schedule.

2. Along those same lines, DO NOT SPRING ANYTHING ON THEM LAST MINUTE. Example: You can't just decide on Thursday that there will be a last-minute mandatory Saturday practice for the Monday pep rally. People make plans for weekends that do not revolve around cheer and just adding a practice ruins that.

3. Try to keep costs down! Yes, I know every girl on your team is just clamoring for an Nfinity sparkle backpack and custom sports bras for district, regional, and state competition practices. The thing is, THEY ARE NOT PAYING. Most likely mom and dad are footing the bill. So if your school is such that all costs are paid by the girls, be conscious of your parents and their wallets and make sure you're not allowing girls to select camp wear, bows, etc. that they like with no regard for pricing. You need to be the one guiding those decisions.

4. Make sure they're aware of your rules and stick to them. Include them in a mandatory parent meeting before tryouts so that they know the rules that their kids need to abide by.

5. On that same token, apply the rules fairly to all kids. Nothing upsets a parent more than knowing a rule, yet knowing that another kid is getting away with NOT following it. For example: If you benched Kelly for being late to the game, her mom is going to be really upset if she hears that Becky was late and cheered the whole game.

6. Have a way for parents to be involved in a way that meets your needs. If they want to be involved, use them, but in a way that focuses on what you need and doesn't invite confusion, drama, and general Suzy's Mom-ness into the picture. Ex: Let them be in charge of the food for the team's retreat. That's meaningful involvement that doesn't invite drama. However, letting a mom be in charge of running practices in your absence has DRAMA written all over it. (I mentored a Pop Warner coach who made that mistake.)

7. Communicate with parents and respond to their concerns promptly. Not saying you need to respond to a mom within 5 minutes of her email, but if she has a question about directions to a comp that's 3 days away, get back to her BEFORE THAT.

8. Establish a chain of command for any concerns. Let them know that any team related concerns should be voiced to YOU first and create a climate of mutual respect so they feel comfortable bringing you their concerns. It's easy to look down on them and think they're all Suzy's Moms. But that makes things hard on you because they KNOW you don't care what they think. So when there is an issue, they're more likely to go OVER YOUR HEAD and cause a problem.

9. Don't play favorites. You may really personally like Kendall's mom. But that should = overlooking Kendall's repeated absences from practice because you don't want her mom to be mad.

10. Recognize that the average mom really doesn't know a lot about cheer and just wants to support her daughter. Know that you might have to answer some really silly questions like "Why isn't Suzy a flyer?" but that it mostly stems from not actually knowing what qualifies someone as a good flyer. Ex: She might think "smallest girl = flyer" not realizing that her daughter has the control and flexibility of a broom.

 

[cmghas3]

^^^^^I'll be the first to admit that I have some difficult moms who make me want to pull out every strand of hair I have. But 80% of them really are nice and want to support their kid's activities.

Some parent-related advice:

1. Have a SCHEDULE and TRY to STICK TO IT. For most of HS, until kids are able to drive, parents are still playing taxi. So it's important to give them an up-to-date calendar and practice schedule and hold to it! Ex: They need to know that practices are ALWAYS T/W/TH from 4-6pm because they have other things to do that do not revolve around Katie's school cheer schedule.

2. Along those same lines, DO NOT SPRING ANYTHING ON THEM LAST MINUTE. Example: You can't just decide on Thursday that there will be a last-minute mandatory Saturday practice for the Monday pep rally. People make plans for weekends that do not revolve around cheer and just adding a practice ruins that.

3. Try to keep costs down! Yes, I know every girl on your team is just clamoring for an Nfinity sparkle backpack and custom sports bras for district, regional, and state competition practices. The thing is, THEY ARE NOT PAYING. Most likely mom and dad are footing the bill. So if your school is such that all costs are paid by the girls, be conscious of your parents and their wallets and make sure you're not allowing girls to select camp wear, bows, etc. that they like with no regard for pricing. You need to be the one guiding those decisions.

4. Make sure they're aware of your rules and stick to them. Include them in a mandatory parent meeting before tryouts so that they know the rules that their kids need to abide by.

5. On that same token, apply the rules fairly to all kids. Nothing upsets a parent more than knowing a rule, yet knowing that another kid is getting away with NOT following it. For example: If you benched Kelly for being late to the game, her mom is going to be really upset if she hears that Becky was late and cheered the whole game.

6. Have a way for parents to be involved in a way that meets your needs. If they want to be involved, use them, but in a way that focuses on what you need and doesn't invite confusion, drama, and general Suzy's Mom-ness into the picture. Ex: Let them be in charge of the food for the team's retreat. That's meaningful involvement that doesn't invite drama. However, letting a mom be in charge of running practices in your absence has DRAMA written all over it. (I mentored a Pop Warner coach who made that mistake.)

7. Communicate with parents and respond to their concerns promptly. Not saying you need to respond to a mom within 5 minutes of her email, but if she has a question about directions to a comp that's 3 days away, get back to her BEFORE THAT.

8. Establish a chain of command for any concerns. Let them know that any team related concerns should be voiced to YOU first and create a climate of mutual respect so they feel comfortable bringing you their concerns. It's easy to look down on them and think they're all Suzy's Moms. But that makes things hard on you because they KNOW you don't care what they think. So when there is an issue, they're more likely to go OVER YOUR HEAD and cause a problem.

9. Don't play favorites. You may really personally like Kendall's mom. But that should = overlooking Kendall's repeated absences from practice because you don't want her mom to be mad.

10. Recognize that the average mom really doesn't know a lot about cheer and just wants to support her daughter. Know that you might have to answer some really silly questions like "Why isn't Suzy a flyer?" but that it mostly stems from not actually knowing what qualifies someone as a good flyer. Ex: She might think "smallest girl = flyer" not realizing that her daughter has the control and flexibility of a broom.

@onecoolcheernowmom....awesome advice .
I just had my oldest CP's parent meeting right before they went to camp. I have one HS and one all star cp. My oldest cp also did all star cheer for 3 years before she tried out for HS.
Now what I found not to be true (at least in my school district) is that HS coaches do not like or consider all star CP's from being on the team. I live in Michigan and this is such a stupid rumor. You just can't do comp season if u do all star cheer.

I have learned so much from my CP's HS Coach and have a "whole new" respect gained for HS cheerleaders. My CP's school has only been a competitive school for 2 years. CP's coach has taken a non existent team and has built a team that went to divisions last year.
I'm just learning so please forgive me. She doesn't believe in captains! . Huge shimmy!!! Seniors are all expected to be leaders. She holds high standards for all of her athletes. So I say this goes with no favoritism.
Be upfront about any costs (all star parents do not blink), but some HS parents were against mandatory 2 day gymnastics classes in which the coaches came to our school. It was put in writing. And highly discounted.
Encourage that parents be involved! I'm more involved in HS cheer now than all star. There is a ton of "bonding" that they encourage and I like it that our coach has the Varsity squad "being big sisters" to the middle school. Also I'm probably more involved because my cp graduates this coming year! But most parents will help and now that our school has been successful, we've gotten more support from the Booster Club.
I'm a confused parent that thank God I have a HS scoresheet. It's very different than all star cheer, again in my state. I gained a huge new respect for all when I read the sheet and watched comps. Be there for those that have a ton of questions. Ex...I know what a "blah full" looks like to a certain extent in all star. It's different in HS cheer. They are very focused on tightness, motions, voice....

 

[SparkleSpankies]

10. Recognize that the average mom really doesn't know a lot about cheer and just wants to support her daughter. Know that you might have to answer some really silly questions like "Why isn't Suzy a flyer?" but that it mostly stems from not actually knowing what qualifies someone as a good flyer. Ex: She might think "smallest girl = flyer" not realizing that her daughter has the control and flexibility of a broom.

OMG Control and Flexibility of a Broom, that made my Friday!!!!

 

[Sadie Kennedy]

As a fairly new coach myself i learned the hard way about legal issues (ie theft tobacco use) make sure you include something about making the squad and school look bad. Along with all the listed above. i hope you get it and good luck!!!

 

[Official OWECheer]

As a fairly new coach myself i learned the hard way about legal issues (ie theft tobacco use) make sure you include something about making the squad and school look bad. Along with all the listed above. i hope you get it and good luck!!!

YES. The girls need to know that as a cheerleader, their mistakes are believed to cast more of a stain on the school's name that the mistakes of other athletes. Also, do not neglect to teach them proper gameday skills, you want to produce cheerleaders that are as well-rounded as possible. Also, the video camera is your BEST friend. Videotape your kids performing skills or doing cheers/parts of the routine. Play it back to them so that they can asses their own performance. Also, show them videos of elite college/high school teams, so that they can understand the technique necessary for each skill. Encourage them to film themselves and practice skills in the mirror at home.

 

[cmghas3]

I have an interview tomorrow about a cheerleading coaching job. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get it as they really need the help. I'm just not sure what to expect. This is my first time working with school kids and I'm young coach. While I may be young, I'm strict and stick to my words. So any advice and words of wisdom from cheer moms and high school coaches?

PS: of it means anything, I'm not sure if the school a competitive or not. I will be finding out tomorrow.


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I'm not a Coach but I totally disagree with using captains. My CP's HS coach uses the Seniors instead. Cuts down on favoritism and drama.

 

[SparkleSpankies]

I'm not a Coach but I totally disagree with using captains. My CP's HS coach uses the Seniors instead. Cuts down on favoritism and drama.

If you are a smart coach and choose captains wisely based on a number of factors NOT INCLUDING popularity or who I like because they suck up, captains are a wonderful thing.

As a coach I put a lot of time, energy and thought into captains. Drive, desire, motivation, who the girls respect and respond to (not follow or wanna be like). Girls that get along with everyone, girls that are there for the right reasons.

Therefore drama can be averted if you choose wisely!