Category Archives: News

Events, Featured, News, Results

College Nationals 2019 Recap

Posted on by Steve Pawlyk
College Nationals 2019 Recap
08
Apr
Steve Blog Circle

Byline Steve Pawlyk

Steve Blog Circle

Byline Steve Pawlyk

By Steve Pawlyk

Published April 8, 2019

College nationals, that’s a wrap so it’s time for a recap!

The sun was shining and the stage was set for hundreds of the best collegiate cheer and dance teams to do battle at the beach. Spectators flooded the Ocean Center and filled the Bandshell hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite teams. And like years past, these teams did not disappoint. When the world famous clock tower struck 9am on Thursday morning we knew we were in for one of the most iconic collegiate national competitions to date!

Daytona Clock Yhz

This year we saw teams continue their incredible wining streak – achieving 6 and even 7 titles in a row, we witnessed teams overcome unprecedented controversy only to stay on top and bring home the coveted NCA banner and we were privy to multiple zero deduction routines that took our breath away. The only downside to this spectacular event is that all these amazing teams weren’t able to take home the mesmerizing NCA trophy.

Trophy And Banner Give Credit To Bruce Bills @bbttu

After competing in Daytona for 5 years and even be crowned a Grand National Champ, I can say there is no better competition on earth. Can’t wait until next year to see who will keep their streak alive, who will overcome and who will shock the world once again! Until then, keep grinding. The work is worth it!





Here are your 2019 NCA Collegiate Champions

Daytona Results

- Rotate to Landscape to view - 2019 Daytona results

BEST SELLING PREMADE MIXES

Add to Wishlist

Edit

$25.00
Add to Wishlist

Sound FX Add-On

$99.00
Sale!
Add to Wishlist
Premade Cheer Mix - Living like Royalty [1:30]
IPP MusicPremade Cheer Mix - Living like Royalty [1:30]

Premade Cheer Mix – Living like Royalty [1:30]

Original price was: $99.00.Current price is: $59.40.
Add to Wishlist

Voiceover Add-On (Basic)

$25.00
Sale!
Add to Wishlist
Premade Cheer Mix - Living like Royalty [2:00]
IPP MusicPremade Cheer Mix - Living like Royalty [2:00]

Premade Cheer Mix – Living like Royalty [2:00]

Original price was: $125.00.Current price is: $75.00.
Add to Wishlist

Voiceover Add-On (Team Name Only)

$10.00
Sale!
Add to Wishlist
Premade Cheer Mix 5 [2:30]
IPP MusicPremade Cheer Mix 5 [2:30]

Premade Cheer Mix 5 [2:30]

Original price was: $250.00.Current price is: $150.00.
Add to Wishlist

Song Swap Add-On

$25.00

Steve Pawlyk Signature Full




Featured, News, Tips

Daytona Prep – A Guide to NCA College Nationals 2019

Posted on by Whitney Love
Auto Draft
26
Mar
Whitney Love Profile

Whitney Love Byline Updated 2019

By Whitney Love

Updated March 26, 2019

It’s that time of the year again!!

NCA college Nationals is right around the corner and I bet you just might be freaking out a little… ok maybe a lot! All the last minute practices being schedule, required workouts, getting ahead on your school work, taking those tests ahead of time due missing them for performances during the week and travel to Daytona, attending regular classes, traveling to basketball tournaments, covering shifts at work, trying to work as often as you can… let’s face it, you’re just a busy bee!
PLUS, you’re napping during the day and not sleeping well at night (probably because of extra curricular activities..) and to finish this rant, I doubt you’re able to fuel your body with the appropriate nutrients it needs in order to make all of this possible. I get it though!

I spent 5 years cheering at Oklahoma State University (shoutout to my Cowboy fam!) and it took me 4 years just to figure out what my body needed during this time of the year. By my final years as an athlete it clicked! I was tan, fit, and finished full out routines with ease.
Below you’ll find a few tips that worked for me. Keep in mind, everyone is different. What I do may not be what work for you! Think of it as if you’re working on a new skill, you’ll have to go through trial and error in order to learn what the best method is for you. As long as you’re learning from each experience, it’s worth it!

BE OPEN AND HONEST WITH YOUR PROFESSORS!!

Work up the courage and patience to wait after class so you can meet your professor and make sure they know you’re a cheerleader and that means you get the privilege to represent the university at games, tournaments, events, and college nationals. Go over dates that you could potentially have to miss and let them know whether any of the these days overlap with important dates for the class .
I took this very serious because good grades and organization skills didn’t come natural for me. This took away a lot of the potential stress.. trust me when I say completing homework or taking an online test while traveling or staying in Daytona is the last thing you will have time for. Communication is KEY my friends!

YOU’RE WRONG IF YOU WAIT UNTIL MARCH AND APRIL TO “GET FIT”

There is no healthy way to lose weight and get fit fast enough if you’re starting in March.. trust me, I tried it the unhealthy way and it is the surest way to injuring yourself as well as your self esteem. From the beginning of fall to the end of April I made sure to eat as clean as possible.

UP YOUR INTERVAL AND DEBBIE LOVE EXERCISE GAME IN DEC, JAN, AND FEB!

During fall semester I would workout at least 4 days a week. This was my favorite time because I could be creative with where I would work out. Whether that be the rec center, athlete facility, outside in the stadium, or around campus. I would challenge myself physically but I would also allow myself to have days off.

Around the end of December I would up my intervals! So mainly I’d increase my “mph” and do 20-30 minute session 3 days a week (typically not same day as cheer practice). In addition, I would reduce the weight lifting and focus more on exercises that used my body weight… I call them “Debbie Love” exercises. This workout method was great for me because the intervals made me feel close to what I’d feel after a couple full outs at practice and the “Debbie Love” exercises focus on injury prevention, increased mobility, and areas of my body that are used for cheerleading related skills.

TIME TO GET YOUR MIND RIGHT FOR NATIONALS!

When March comes around it’s easy to get overwhelmed and in my case that meant experiencing a few emotional breakdowns during the month! Even with the preparation prior to this month, you’ll still be busy and the older I got, the busier I became. Luckily, I had coaches, mentors, and family to encourage me during this time! This is when I would really start feeling that “Daytona Season” vibe.

I continued my normal workouts, eating habits, and really started focusing on my team. It’s important you don’t miss out on opportunities of personal and/or team growth. You only have a few more weeks left with this group of individuals. It’s important you make the most of it!

Some years I did better at this than other years.. and boy do I wish I could go back and tell myself to relax. You might find yourself having trouble sleeping around this time but in my case, that would happen if I had too much on my plate. One year I noticed myself developing a “Skill Block” as a result of stress and not enough sleep. Be aware and realistic with yourself when it comes to how much you take on each day.

While traveling and in Daytona during Nationals, I would kind of eat whenever I could. I ALWAYS had snack with me like

  • peanut butter
  • pretzels
  • apples
  • granola
  • protein bars
  • dried fruit
  • and a full bottle of water

Fortunately, my mom would attend nationals with me! She was able to wait in line for food each morning so that I could eat right before or after our first practice of the day. The coffee shop in Daytona is always busy but I’d make it a priority to go there for lunch and dinner would be spent at a restaurant.


It’s not impossible to be healthy during National season. It just takes effort and focus just like everything else in our lives. You’re nearing the finish line my friends! I promise the next two weeks with your team will be full of excitement. Don’t let the competition stress you out, but don’t let yourself think winning will be easy. The most important thing is to love what you do because when we do, we inspire others to do the same.

Whitney Love Signature Full

original image source:Behind the Megaphone (2011)

Events, Featured, News

2019-2020 Cheer Competitions USASF Sanctioned and Non-Sanctioned

Posted on by Steve Pawlyk
2019 2020 cheer competitions wide
14
Mar





MOBILE USERS

Rotate into landscape mode to view


2019-2020 Cheer Competitions

Events, Featured, News

Dallas NCA All Star Nationals Saturday Performance Order

Posted on by Steve Pawlyk
Dallas Nca All Star Nationals Saturday Performance Order
18
Feb
Steve Blog Circle

Byline Steve Pawlyk

Steve Blog Circle

Byline Steve Pawlyk

By Steve Pawlyk

Published February 18, 2019

Dallas NCA All Star Nationals Saturday Performance Order

Saturday, March 2, 2019. 

 

Below are the performance times, practice check-in times in searchable format by Hall for Saturday, March 2. Search your team's name or city to find your time :)

NCA All Star Nationals Championship Performance Order for Saturday, March 2, 2019. 

Download the official Performance Order pdf below for team performance schedule and when practice check in times are.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE FULL SCHEDULE PDF

CLICK TO VIEW FULL SCHEDULE

NCA PERFORMANCE ORDER
NCA PERFORMANCE ORDER

VIEW IN LANDSCAPE ON MOBILE

A-Hall (Saturday)

B-Hall (Saturday)

C-Hall (Saturday)

D-Hall (Saturday)

Saturday Arena

Steve Pawlyk Signature Full

Events, Featured, News

NCA All Star Nationals – Friday Performance Order

Posted on by Steve Pawlyk
Nca All Star Nationals Friday Performance Order Ippmusic
16
Feb
Steve Blog Circle

Byline Steve Pawlyk

Steve Blog Circle

Byline Steve Pawlyk

By Steve Pawlyk

Published February 16, 2019

NCA All Star Nationals Championship Performance Order for Friday, March 1, 2019. 

 

Below are the performance times, practice check-in times in searchable format by Hall for Friday, March 1. Search your team's name or city to find your time :)

NCA All Star Nationals Championship Performance Order for Friday, March 1, 2019. 

Download the official Performance Order pdf (28 pages) below.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE FULL SCHEDULE PDF

CLICK TO VIEW FULL SCHEDULE

NCA PERFORMANCE ORDER
NCA PERFORMANCE ORDER

VIEW IN LANDSCAPE ON MOBILE

E-Hall (Friday)

D-Hall (Friday)

C-Hall (Friday)

B-Hall (Friday)

Steve Pawlyk Signature Full

News, Results

Worlds Bid Winners 2019

Posted on by Steve Pawlyk
Worlds Bid Winners 2019
28
Dec

updated April 12, 2019

Worlds Bid Winners 2019

News, Results

D2 Summit Bid Winners 2019

Posted on by Steve Pawlyk
D2 Summit Bid Winners 2019
28
Dec

updated April 18, 2019

D2 Summit Bid Winners 2019

News, Results

D1 Summit Bid Winners 2019

Posted on by Steve Pawlyk
D1 Summit Bid Winners 2019 Ippmusic
28
Dec

updated April 18, 2019

D1 Summit Bid Winners 2019

Featured, News, Tips

How to properly train for a “Full Out”

Posted on by Matt Kelley
How To Properly Train For A “full Out”
06
Dec
Ipp Contributor Matt Kelley

Matt Kelley Byline

By Matt Kelley

Published on December 6, 2018

One of the biggest & most controversial questions in the Cheerleading World….”How to properly train for a Full Out?”  There are so many variables that come with this question:

All while needing to maintain TECHNIQUE!   As a Cheerleader my self for more than 15 years, and a Coach of 15 years, these are some of my suggestions to help!

Safety Mobile

One of the most important things to maintain, Safety, is to properly have the skill before performing it in a routine/practice.  Being able to do the skill multiple times, while maintaining technique!

As a coach, I make my athletes over rotate their skills when training them in a Private Lesson or Tumbling Class.  Weird right?

Here is my theory:

If I am training to stick & stand a Standing tuck in my tumbling class, but in the routine, the Standing tuck is 45 seconds into the routine…I might fall forward.  So I suggest, training the Skill to OverRotate.  This also helps with getting your chest up when landing the skill.

Preparing the body physically

is MAJOR KEY!

 As stated above, skills can be performed separately, with ease.  But as we know, a cheer routine is 2 minutes and 30 seconds of Non Stop Physical skills.  I am a firm believer in making sure the athletes body is Physically Strong enough to do the skills.  Working out (depending on the level) 2-3 days outside/after practice are incredibly important.

The higher the level, the more conditioning you should do for your body.  In a perfect world, it would be great to land that 3 to double full to the front every time.  But when running multiple sections and/or full outs, it doesn’t always work out that way. Your body must be strong enough to with stand some of those (hopefully never) incomplete spins.

Strength
Strength

What body parts should I focus on to work out?  I suggest Core, Explosive Leg movements, Arm Strength and also Calves.  I post different work outs & conditioning drills on my snapchat Mkells5891 every week.

Higher level gymnasts will condition 30-45 minutes before their practices 4-5 times a week.  Not only does this help them gain New Skills, but also be strong enough to perform the ones they are currently competing.

Speaking of gymnast…I reached out to my long time friend, Olympic Gymnast Jonathan Horton, to ask him how he trained.  If you don’t know who he is, here are a few of his stats:

Jonathan

Jonathan horton

  • 2-Time Olympian (2008 & 2012)
  • Bronze & Silver Olympic Medalist
  • World Bronze All-Arounder
  • 2-Time US National Champion
  • 6-Time NCAA National Champion
  • 4-Time American Ninja Warrior Competitor
  • NBC Broadcast Analyst
  • Author
Jonathan Mobile 3

Jonathan horton

  • 2-Time Olympian (2008 & 2012)
  • Bronze & Silver Olympic Medalist
  • World Bronze All-Arounder
  • 2-Time US National Champion
  • 6-Time NCAA National Champion
  • 4-Time American Ninja Warrior Competitor
  • NBC Broadcast Analyst
  • Author

Here were a few questions I asked him, when it came to preparing to do his full out routines properly:

Here were a few questions I asked him, when it came to preparing to do his full out routines properly:

When you trained your floor routine (tumbling), did you always do it straight on the floor…or onto Mats or into a pit?

75% of my tumbling was done with safety measures. Either I was tumbling into the pit, resi pit, or I used mats on the floor. Tumbling takes an extreme toll on the body over time, and although our pride wants us to go all out on the real surface, it’s important to protect ourselves first. If you do enough repetitions onto safe surfaces, most athletes won’t feel like it’s necessary to do as many numbers later.

How often did you Practice?  How often did you condition your body?

In my prime I trained twice a day. I did morning conditioning for 2 hours on M,W,F, but 6 days a week I did a 4 hour routine training workout in the afternoon. Even on days that I didn’t have morning strength and conditioning, I did some light conditioning in the afternoons everyday. It’s important to keep every muscle group moving. Even on light days it’s important to stretch muscle groups or even do a couple of light reps just for muscle memory.

Was your conditioning things directed towards strengthening things to improve your floor routine & keep your body safe?

I did a lot of “get stronger” conditioning, which involved some brutal workouts that tore me down pretty bad, but the majority of my strength and conditioning was for general body strength and cardio ability. It’s important to cycle in an out of different types of conditioning. Athletes that are always trying to see “gains” will eventually injure themselves because our bodies have to recover.

Yhz Jonathan
How often would you do a REAL Full our floor routine? Monthly, Weekly etc?  And why that number?

We tumbled 3 days/week, but we only did routines when we were in season. During season we would do anywhere from 1-3 routines in a 45min session. Off season training just required a lot of strength training and tumbling into the pit to learn new skills.

How often would you do a REAL Full our floor routine? Monthly, Weekly etc?  And why that number?

We tumbled 3 days/week, but we only did routines when we were in season. During season we would do anywhere from 1-3 routines in a 45min session. Off season training just required a lot of strength training and tumbling into the pit to learn new skills.

Going back to question 4, did that give you the longevity in gymnastics and the ability to compete in the Olympics 3 times?

My longevity came from a well thought out game plan that relied on putting how my body felt over results. Results ’now’  driven people will burn out versus someone who sees the long term game can last a long time. No matter what, our bodies will break down overtime, but being smart and listening to what our bodies are telling us can keep us in the game a while.

Awesome to get some tips from a former Olympic Gymnast!  .

Moving forward, let’s talk about Mental Toughness.  Some Coaches & Athletes would agree this one is the most difficult to master.  I believe it’s Extremely important to have a Balance of Physical Strength & Mental Strength.  

What are the best ways to Master the Mental toughness that a certain Skill or Full Out brings?

  • Proper Progression of the Skill
  • Good Reps—Do the skill multiple times with perfect technique

Once you have mastered those things, it’s time to start training them with small routine sections.  Here are a couple examples:

  1. Cut the routine into 5 different sections.  Do each one 2-3 times with perfection. Throughout practice, note what section had mistakes, and at the end, focus on details with the skills in that Section.  As these 5 sections get easier, break it down to 4, then 3, then 2 & then 1.
  2. Divide the Routine into a Stunt Routine & a Tumble Routine.  You can do 3 of the Stunt Routines, then 3 of the Tumble Routines.  You can also do the Stunt Routine, then Tumble routine back to back multiple times.
  3. Let’s say you are a level 5 Worlds Team.  You could do Tucks for all tumbling and do the stunts & jumps full out.  This is a great way to push your endurance and focus on building elements.
  4. Some coaches like to make it a game, which makes it more fun for the athletes.  You could have a wheel to spin, and have different elements of the routine on the wheel:  All Stunts, All Tumbling, 1st half, no jumps etc.
Mental Toughness

Those are just a few examples.  Closing out, I wanna conclude with some of our main points when Preparing Properly for a Full Out  

Perfect

  • Perfection of each skill individually

  • Proper Progression of the routine, which will help with building confidence

  • Strength & Endurance of the body.  Making sure to condition outside of practice.  

Shout out to Jonathan Horton for the interview.  

 

Be on the look out for his new book coming out December 4th,

“If I had known”

 

Thanks again for reading my article.  

Hope this helped everyone! Message me what you would like to have me write about next!

Matt Kelley Signature Full

PHOTO CREDITS:  ADRIAN KRAUS

Featured, News, Tips

Objectifying a Subjective Sport – How I get such Precision and Timing

Posted on by Cody Woodfell
Objectifying A Subjective Sport Blog Title
06
Nov

Cody Circle
Cody Woodfell 2

By Cody Woodfell

Published November 6, 2018

objectifying a subjective sport

How I get such precision and timing


 After doing many coaches workshops from the US to the UK, one of the main questions I’m asked is how I get such precision and timing that stand out from all my Cheer Factory teams. The answer is actually extremely simple. So simple In fact most coaches fail to do it. Make a chart! And don’t stray from it.


Cody Blog 1


There’s an innate problem with all non point based sports like cheerleading and dance (to name a couple). The problem is everything from training to competition is subjective. “Yeah I know you had a good practice today because everything hit.” Thats great, but not only did everything hit not accomplish quantifiable results, but how do you track the process for next practice?



"everything from training to competition is subjective"


Anything in life that one wants to become better in requires a chart. If you own a business, you keep charts in the form of spreadsheets of how much money you take in, how much your spending.

If you want to lose weight, you keep a chart of how much food goes in and how many calories your burning. How precise and detailed you are will determine how much success you have.


Cody Blog 2


The Assembly Line

Knowing this, I left the common practice regimes most coaches follow and created a detailed, objectify able progress chart we call the “Assembly line” for every skill from tumbling to stretching to stunting. Every practice, an objective goal is made and must be completed before leaving.

Stunts no longer just “hit.” No, today every stunt group flyer must point their toes when hitting bows and not wiggle even an inch for a count down of 5.

Next practice we have to do the same but now the bases cannot move even a finger. This process continues everyday for a season like a long game of add on.


RELATED:



RELATED:


Practice Scheduling, Attendance & Motivation

By Cat Weeden      


Cody Blog 3


Cody Blog 3 Mobile


Thinking about the big picture blurs your perfection. Make a single achievable small goal daily, stick to it as if your life depends on it and do that every day. Keep a chart of these micro goals and eventually, perfection will be achieved.


Cody Woodfell Signature White

CHEER FACTORY, owner-operator

Featured, News, Tips

6 Exercises To Strengthen and Improve Your Back Tuck

Posted on by Jason Mason
Back Tuck Excersises
04
Sep

Jason Blog Circle

Jason Mason Signature

By Jason Mason

Updated September 4, 2018

6 Excercises to strengthen and improve your back tuck

We all remember that first time landing our standing back tuck.




The feeling was amazing.  The set, the flip, everything finally clicked.  The moment you landed you heard all of your teammates and coaches screaming for you!  It was unreal.  Now it’s time to perfect that back tuck so that you can gain consistency, confidence and move on up the progression ladder to standing fulls.  Not sure of what exercises to do to strengthen your mind, body and tuck?  We’ve laid it out for you below.  Follow these awesome back tuck exercises to strengthen you back tuck so that can be ready to advance your skills to the next level!


Back Tuck Exercises

Back Tuck Excersises


  1. Box Jumps - This exercise helps change the distance in which an athlete sits.  Maximum height for a tuck is not achieved when they sit the same way they sit for a back handspring.  Typically the tuck is taught after the back handspring so teaching the athlete proper jump technique for maximum height is a must!
  2. Backward rolls - If you can’t do a backward roll how do you expect to be able to do it in the air and then land back on you feet?
  3. Snatch, Clean, Deadlift - These exercises promote triple extension.  That is full extension of the ankles, knees, and hips.  These movements done at a fast speed and with or without weight help promote the body mechanics needed.  Have you ever been jealous of someone who has never tumbled but is athletic and played other sports who just out of the blue throws a standing tuck?  It’s usually because they have all the building blocks from other sports.  Drill Drill Drill and your Skill will follow!





4. Knees over shoulders/Toes to bar (core)  a strong core and hip flexors are a must!  A standing tuck requires speed when rotating.  A strong core and hip flexors help increase your how fast you rotate.  If you do not have a bar or need less resistance to start.  Grab a panel mat, squeeze it above your head (smallest way), then roll up/leg lift getting your shins to touch the mat.

5. Hip Thrust/Glute Bridge -  Glutes are one of the assistant muscles that complement your quads and hamstrings in increasing your jump height

6. Jump Rope - Increasing calve strength and in a plyometric form.  Quick contractions, endurance, and improving upon another assistant muscle for jumping!


Jason Mason Signature Full

Featured, News, Tips

College Cheerleading Scholarships Are A Thing!

Posted on by Steve Pawlyk
College Cheerleading Scholarships Are A Thing!
06
Aug

College Cheerleading Scholarships

Steve Blog Circle

Byline Steve Pawlyk

Steve Blog Circle

Byline Steve Pawlyk

By Steve Pawlyk

Published August 6, 2018

Picture this: It’s your senior year of high school...

You’ve been cheering for most of your life. You’re not ready to hang up your pom poms. You’re thinking, what’s next? Can I cheer college? Well of course you can, but...college, especially your dream school, can be so expensive.  Then it hits you like a fabulous toe touch! College Cheerleading Scholarships!  But wait...


Cheerleading-scholarships






Do schools actually offer scholarships for cheer?

of course they do!



All full of excitement like you just received your cheer mix for the current season you run to your computer and google “college cheer scholarships”. You quickly realize that you can’t find a complete list of schools that offer some sort of scholarships. Now you feel defeated like you just dropped your group stunt and your responsible for another full out! But, hey. Don’t worry! We’ve got you covered :)

Here is the 2018 list of university and college cheerleading scholarships!




Uca-comp-cropped


Keep in mind that scholarships can come in many forms.

Some school may offer money (full rides available), stipens for books & materials, room and board, name brand apparel, free travel and more. If you want to know more about a school's program or what they offer just contact the coach from that school and ask! :)

Not sure who that is?

Contact us and we’ll help to put you in touch!



Steve Pawlyk Signature Full



130bpm 150bpm
SHARE YOUR CART