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Cheer Competitions & Coronavirus – What’s Cancelled as of now (LIVE UPDATES)

Posted on by Steve Pawlyk
cheerleading competitions and coronavirus cancellations
12
Mar

Steve Blog Circle

Byline Steve Pawlyk

Steve Blog Circle

Byline Steve Pawlyk

By Steve Pawlyk

Published March 12, 2020

CHEER COMPETITION CANCELLATIONS
UPDATED IN REAL-TIME

updated 11:13 p.m. (EST) – Sunday March 15 2020

 

updated 7:14 p.m. (EST) – Tuesday March 17 2020

Varsity has made another announcement this evening:

“The coronavirus is affecting our sport in ways we could never imagine. Gyms across the country are anxious about their futures. Athletes in every state are worried about being deprived of their year-end memories. And parents are understandably concerned about the safety and well-being of their children. Throughout this crisis, we are trying to carefully think through every scenario before we make a decision that could affect everyone involved in our sport.

In parallel with most other sports, we made the decision to postpone year end events, including those at Disney. But unlike some other sports, we feel that our season has more flexibility. We train and compete year-round. Therefore, we hope to save the competitive season for our athletes. We understand that kids just want to finish what they have started. So do we.

We are exploring ways to reschedule as many events as possible, including our Championships at Disney, which could extend the season to possibly end by late June to mid-July. Will this process be perfect? No. Will it be optimal? No. But we are making every effort to not deprive thousands of athletes the chance to finish this season, while still complying with future CDC and governmental guidance.

To achieve this we are asking you, our customers, to remain flexible. We need your support and partnership as we work to navigate this extremely difficult situation. We know that cheerleaders are tough and resilient. We are not a crowd that “throws in the towel” easily, and we will continue to explore all opportunities to safely save the season. We are all in this together.

WORLDS AND DAYTONA CANCELLED/POSTPONED:

READ MORE
daytona cheer 2020 cancelled
Cheerleading Worlds Postponed and NCA College Nationals in Daytona Cancelled for 2020

Last night at 9:00pm Varsity Spirit made the unprecedented and clearly difficult decision to postpone [Read More...]

16
Mar

– 11:13 p.m. (EST) – Sunday March 15 2020

VARSITY SPIRIT SUSPENDS ALL EVENTS FOR THE NEXT 8 WEEKS

“As you may have seen, the CDC just announced their recommendation to cancel or postpone events with 50 or more people for the next eight weeks. With that recommendation, we have made the decision to not proceed as planned with scheduled events for at least the next eight weeks of the 2020 competition season. We are actively exploring all options, including rescheduling events, extending the competition season, and hosting virtual competitions, to continue to provide a competition experience for the thousands of athletes who have worked so hard this year to compete.”

source: Varsity.com

we've received many questions regarding coronavirus and CHEER...

There is an obvious concern at the moment regarding cheerleading competitions cancellations due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

  • “Is my competition cancelled?”
  • “Will my license still be valid whenever a makeup event is held?”
  • “Will there be any discounts?”
  • “Is Cheerleading Worlds 2020 cancelled?”
  • “Is NCA Cheer Nationals in Daytona cancelled?” 

Let’s start with the license issue.  IPP will be issuing license extensions to any current customers whose competitions have been cancelled.

To request an extension, click here.  Be sure to include your team name and order number in the message and we will send an updated license.

Additionally, all purchases made from today onward will come with 15 month licenses (vs the standard 12).  

There have also been inquiries regarding discounts as the COVID-19 outbreak is expected to have a negative impact on the economy.  To help offset this, we have implemented a discount code that anyone can use to take an additional 10% off any order of any kind.

Simply enter this code at checkout in the coupon code box:

ALITTLEHELP

WHAT CHEERLEADING COMPETITIONS ARE CANCELLED?

As it stands right now (3:40 EST, Thursday, March 12), no competitions have been cancelled.(see below)  Varsity released a statement this morning saying that they were “diligently monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and closely watching official information from health authorities such as the Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”) and World Health Organization (“WHO”) as it relates to our larger community and our events, camps and competitions.”

The article goes on to suggest the CDC’s best practices to mitigate the spread of the disease at events and promises that they “have a dedicated response team working around the clock to make sure that we keep our participants and attendees updated as the situation evolves.”

Bottom line is nothing has been cancelled as of yet.  Below is a searchable list of all upcoming Varsity events through the summer.  We will be actively tracking any changes to the status of these events and providing live updates here in this article.

Be sure to check our other coronavirus-related POST:

cheerleading and the coronavirus schools with travel restrictions
Cheerleading and the Coronavirus: Schools with Travel Restriction (LIVE UPDATES)

In an effort to help you stay up to date on what's going on with [Read More...]

13
Mar

LIVE UPDATES:

updated 7:10 pm EST – Sunday, March 15, 2020

ICU Postpones competition for international teams // US Teams will compete as planned 

announced via Facebook (@InternationalCheerUnion):

Memphis, 15 March 2020
European Office: Lausanne
National Cheer Federation Members
International Cheer Union (ICU)
Re: ICU World Championships Week Update – 15 March 2020

Dear ICU National Cheer Federations:
As you all know, the global sports community is facing an unprecedented test: determining when and how to move forward with competitions and events in light of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. The health and safety of our athletes, coaches, employees, families, and friends is paramount.
The ICU Governing Council has met and has unanimously agreed to postpone the 2020 ICU World Championships and AGM, scheduled for 27 April – 1 May. A large number of countries have already informed us that their athletes and delegations will not be attending and there are travel restrictions in place in the US and around the world, making a global competition impractical at this time.
We will continue to actively work with officials in the United States, as well as Walt Disney World management, to monitor and assess the situation so we can determine when we may be able to reschedule. We will communicate updates to you when we have them.We are grateful for your cooperation as we take steps to confront the spread of this virus. Thank you again for your commitment to our athletes and your support of the International Cheer Union and its mission.
Sincerely,
Jeff Webb
President
International Cheer Union

updated 8:55 am EST – Friday, March 13, 2020

MG Spirit Spectacular (St. Louis) – CANCELLED

UCA International All Star Championship – OCCURRING

Varsity announces on Twitter UCA International All Star Championship in Disney still occurring as scheduled:

Varsity Cheer Twitter

“Hello Coaches, and Gym Owners, Family and Friends,

Due to the fact that the Walt Disney World Resort is not closing the Theme Parks until March 16th, we will continue to host the UCA International All Star Championship with the precautionary measures we have put into place. We hope you understand how quickly the situation has been evolving over the last few hours. Because so many of our teams have worked so hard to be here and have already arrived in Florida, we are going to proceed with our isolated competition format as planned with the event ending Saturday evening.

The following precautionary measures were announced earlier today to significantly reduce the number of people in the venues and large crowds in general:

• All UCA International All Star Championship teams will compete one time on Saturday only.

• Only the families and fans from the team that is on deck, on the floor, or just finishing will be allowed in all competition venues.

 • To enable social distancing, all award ceremonies will be online only (no live presentations) and available free of charge on Varsity TV on Varsity.com.

For those who have not yet checked into your Disney hotel or picked up your commuter tickets, if you choose to cancel, although we are bound to Walt Disney World’s cancellation policies, we – Varsity Spirit will be issuing you a full refund. If you choose to cancel, please contact your registration specialist.

If you have already checked into your Disney hotel, picked up your tickets and have used them at the Theme Parks and decide to leave early based on the recent developments, we – Varsity Spirit will be fully refunding any unused portion of your package.

The Theme Parks will be open until the close of business Sunday for you to enjoy if you choose to do so with your teams. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate this unprecedented situation.”

source: Varsity Cheer Twitter


Varsity UCA announcement part 1Varsity UCA announcement pt 2

 

 

 

 

 

updated 1:50 am EST – Friday, March 13, 2020

MSAA New England Cheer @Worcester State MA – CANCELLED
Gateway Championship – St. Louis – CANCELLED

 

updated 12:57 am EST –  Friday, March 13, 2020

Cheerleading Competitions Coronavirus Cancellations Varsity TwitterVarsity announces via Twitter: The Quest Recreational Championship and the UCA International All Star Championship this weekend in jeopardy…

Tweet reads:

“As you may have just seen, the Walt Disney World Resort just announced that they will be closing the Theme Parks on Monday, March 16th. Note that the hotels will remain open at this time. The Quest Recreational Championship will continue as scheduled tomorrow. Please understand that we are diligently working with Walt Disney World in regards to the potential impact it may have on the UCA International All Star Championship. We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding as we gather more information from Disney throughout the night and will share it with you as soon as we can.”

updated 9:02 pm EST – Thursday, March 12, 2020

CHEERSPORT – Colorado Grand Championship – POSTPONED

Bowie State Cheerstarz 2020 – POSTPONED

Universal Spirit-The Grand Championship – POSTPONED

USA Non Affiliated Rec Championships – POSTPONED

USA All Star Championships – POSTPONED
 
Twin Cities Challenge – POSTPONED
 
Tournament of Champions & All Star Prep Nationals – POSTPONED
 
Tidewater Beach Championship 2020 – POSTPONED
 
Spirit Festival Nationals – POSTPONED
 
Spirit Celebration Spring Fling Nationals – POSTPONED
 
Northside Xpress Regional – POSTPONED
 
One Up – Syracuse – POSTPONED
 
Platinum Nationals PA 2020 – POSTPONED
 
Reach the Beach Dance National 2020 – POSTPONED
 
Reach the Beach Daytona National 2020 – POSTPONED
 

updated 7:34 pm EST – Thursday, March 12, 2020

CHEERSPORT-Kansas City – Midwest D2 Championship – POSTPONED

CHEERSPORT-Kansas City Grand Championship – POSTPONED

CSG Dance Nationals – POSTPONED

COA – Nor Cal Nationals – POSTPONED

Athletic Championships – Tulsa DI & DII – POSTPONED

ACP Bid Championship – POSTPONED

ACP Disco Open Championship – Trenton – POSTPONED

ACP Power Dance Nationals & TX State Championship – POSTPONED

Aloha DI & DII Championships – POSTPONED

updated 6:54 pm EST – Thursday, March 12, 2020

JAMfest – Louisville Championship – POSTPONED

JAMfest – JAM Bash North Georgia – POSTPONED

Epic Tour: Ocean City 2020 – POSTPONED

Colonial Championship 2020 – POSTPONED

Double Down Championships – Smoky Mountain Championship DI & DII – POSTPONED

Empire State Championship 2020 – POSTPONED

Encore Championships – Pittsburgh Area DI & DII – POSTPONED

updated 6:20 pm EST – Thursday, March 12, 2020

ICU Cheer is holding emergency meetings to evaluate the fate of ICU Worlds 2020.  Decision will be made in 24 hrs….

ICU Cheer Compoetiotion coronavirus cancelled

updated 5:10 pm EST – Thursday, March 12, 2020

Spirit Festival Nationals – POSTPONED

CHEERSPORT – NorCal Grand Championship – CANCELLED

CHEERSPORT – West Coast D2 Championship – CANCELLED

JAMfest – Lucky JAM – POSTPONED

 

Turn your phone to landscape mode to view the list of competitions

 

We hope all of you are safe and well.  Remember to wash your hands and check back here for any cancellations or further news.

MORE CHEERLEADING CORONAVIRUS NEWS SOURCES:

Steve Pawlyk Signature Full

updated 11:13 p.m. (EST) – Sunday March 15 2020

Which 2020 Cheerleading Competitions have been cancelled/postponed due to Coronavirus?

These are the current cancellations as of March 13, 2020:
Spirit Festival Nationals – POSTPONED
CHEERSPORT – NorCal Grand Championship – CANCELLED
CHEERSPORT – West Coast D2 Championship – CANCELLED
JAMfest – Lucky JAM – POSTPONED
CHEERSPORT-Kansas City – Midwest D2 Championship – POSTPONED
CHEERSPORT-Kansas City Grand Championship – POSTPONED
CSG Dance Nationals – POSTPONED
COA – Nor Cal Nationals – POSTPONED
Athletic Championships – Tulsa DI & DII – POSTPONED
ACP Bid Championship – POSTPONED
ACP Disco Open Championship – Trenton – POSTPONED
ACP Power Dance Nationals & TX State Championship – POSTPONED
Aloha DI & DII Championships – POSTPONED
JAMfest – Louisville Championship – POSTPONED
JAMfest – JAM Bash North Georgia – POSTPONED
Epic Tour: Ocean City 2020 – POSTPONED
Colonial Championship 2020 – POSTPONED
Double Down Championships – Smoky Mountain Championship DI & DII – POSTPONED
Empire State Championship 2020 – POSTPONED
Encore Championships – Pittsburgh Area DI & DII – POSTPONED
CHEERSPORT – Colorado Grand Championship – POSTPONED
Bowie State Cheerstarz 2020 – POSTPONED
Universal Spirit-The Grand Championship – POSTPONED
USA Non Affiliated Rec Championships – POSTPONED
USA All Star Championships – POSTPONED 
Twin Cities Challenge – POSTPONED
Tournament of Champions & All Star Prep Nationals – POSTPONED
Tidewater Beach Championship 2020 – POSTPONED
Spirit Festival Nationals – POSTPONED
Spirit Celebration Spring Fling Nationals – POSTPONED
Northside Xpress Regional – POSTPONED
One Up – Syracuse – POSTPONED
Platinum Nationals PA 2020 – POSTPONED
Reach the Beach Dance National 2020 – POSTPONED 
Reach the Beach Daytona National 2020 – POSTPONED
MSAA New England Cheer @Worcester State MA – CANCELLED
Gateway Championship – St. Louis – CANCELLED
Mardi Gras Spirit Spectacular (St. Louis) – CANCELLED

Featured, News, Tips

How to Maximize Your Score Sheet

Posted on by Melissa Eannuzzo
How to Maximize your Score Sheet in Pop Warner Cheer
24
Feb

melissa_profile

By Melissa Eannuzzo

Updated February 24, 2020

How to Maximize Your Score Sheet

Ahhhh youth cheerleading…

It’s an exhilarating, inspiring yet scary sport.  In the world of Pop Warner cheerleading, ALL of the coaches are volunteers so many are starting with limited knowledge and working their way up. Typically,  they coach because their kids are cheering and they want to spend more time with them. For others, like me, we do it because we simply love the sport. My name is Melissa Eannuzzo and I’ve been coaching in the Pop Warner organization (as well as college, All Stars, middle school – you name it) for over 15 years.  In this blog series I’ll be talking to various Pop Warner coaches about topics that are near and dear to our hearts.

Score Sheet Max-Out

I’ll be kicking off this series by talking to Kaitlin Eby of the South Pasco Predators.  Kaitlin is the perfect coach to start with seeing she’s won 9 regional first place titles, 4 National first place titles, 3 national second place titles, 1 national 3rd place title and so on.  Her scores have been the definition of “maxed out”, having scored 95-97 at each competition. 

Let’s dive deep into what exactly it takes to “max out” your score sheet.

First thing you need to know is that there is a top half of your score sheet and there is a bottom half.  Both are just as important, but also very different. The top half, according to Kaitlin, “is where many teams don’t maximize their scores”. The top half includes choreography, dance and performance. Here are a few rules I always follow when creating a routine:

4 count transitions:

I can’t emphasize enough how important this is. Cheerleaders should not have to move any further than they are able to in 4 counts. This ensures that no one is running across the floor and that they can confidently move to each formation.

No more than 2 counts of nothing:

This means that when cheerleaders are walking, stunting, dancing or whatever it may be, there should be movement at least every 2 counts. For example, when moving from their stunt group to jumps, many will walk in clean for an eight count to get there. Instead, add motions every two counts to give the judges more entertainment!

Pop Warner Scoring

Rules of 3’s:

For each section of the routine (stunts, jumps, tumbling, pyramid & etc.), the judges want to see different pictures being created and unique transitions to get to each picture. By following the rule of 3’s in each section, choreography scores will improve. 3 pictures, and 3 transitions for each section!

Now comes the bottom half of the score sheet. This is broken into difficulty and execution. According to Kaitlin, here’s how to maximize both areas:

Difficulty in the routine:

Instead of having one stunt sequence that includes a 1/4 turn up to prep and a 1/4 turn cradle, look at every stunt and see where those 1/4 turns can be added. If you 1/4 turn up to each stunt and 1/4 turn cradle out of every stunt, you are much more likely to score a perfect 15 than if you only do it once. Another tip to maximize difficulty is by utilizing every member of the team. 9 groups of 3 athletes will always score higher than 5 groups of 5 athletes doing the same skills.

Cheer Score Sheet How to

Execution:

This might be the most important section. Although execution only gives you an extra 1 point in each category, that 1 point is the difference between 1st and 5th place. Execution is what wins National Championships. When coaching, execution comes down to two things: being clean and being consistent. Kaitlin’s tip for all coaches when it comes to cleaning & consistency in a routine is to get your routine taught as soon as possible. The earlier that the cheerleaders know the routine, the more confident they will be. The cleaning and perfecting can’t start until the routine is taught.

Kaitlin Eby provided GREAT tips to help to understand the score sheet and also amazing tools to use as you prepare for the upcoming Pop Warner season. Since Pop Warner is year round now, you can start preparing your teams and your athletes IMMEDIATLEY by utilizing some of these techniques.  This will ensure you certainly have an advantage over your competition.

Score Sheet Maximizing
Coach Melissa - How to Maximize your Score Sheet

Throughout the Pop Warner season, I would love to talk to as many of you as possible about topics YOU want to learn more about.  If you have any suggestions, questions, insight etc. please email me: Melissa4398@gmail.com.

I wish you and your organization the best of luck this upcoming season!

Cheerily Yours, 

Melissa Eannuzzo (Pop Warner & Allstar Coach)

Instagram: @melissaontheradio

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RadioMelissa

Twitter: @radiomelissa

Events, Featured, News, Results

The 2019 Cheerleading Worlds Recap

Posted on by Steve Pawlyk
2019 Worlds Recap Yhz
01
May

Steve Blog Circle

Byline Steve Pawlyk

Steve Blog Circle

Byline Steve Pawlyk

By Steve Pawlyk

Published May 1, 2019




Another Cheerleading Worlds is in the books and 2019 was one for the ages...

Over 500 hundreds teams from all around the world took the stage hoping to achieve their dreams of becoming World Champions. What we witnessed was nothing short of amazing. Our friends from up north (Canada) dominated this year taking home 9 globes. Leading the charge was Flyers Allstarz with 5 globes and Cheersport Sharks with 2 globes. The U.S. based teems also did not disappoint. Performances by World Cup Shooting Stars, Woodlands Elite Recon and many more left us on the edge of our seats.


We finally saw triple crown winners, Rockstar Cheer The Beatles, hit a grand slam and take home the gold after years of falling just shy of this incredible feet. California Allstars Blackops succeeded at their three-peat taking home the gold in the Senior Medium Coed Division. The original queen from the World Cup Shooting Stars regained their title with their super woman themed routine. Cheer Extreme Lady Lux took home the first ever gold in the new Non-Tumlbing division. And finally, we had the privilege of seeing Prodigy Allstars Midnight complete their undefeated season by taking home the gold in the Senior Small Coed division after a tie-breaker with Brandon Senior Black.





Congratulations to all who competed. We look forward to seeing you in 2020!





Here are your division winners:

XSmall Allgirl: Cheer Central Suns – Lady Suns



XSmall Coed: Gymtyme Illinois – Fever



Small Senior Allgirl: Cheer Extreme -Raleigh -SSX



Small Senior Coed: Prodigy Mignight



Senior Medium Allgirl: East Celebrity Elite – M5 – Bombshells



Senior Medium Coed: The California Allstars – Livermore – Black Ops



Senior Large Allgirl: World Cup – Shooting Stars



Large Senior Coed: The Stingray Allstars – Steel



Senior Open Allgirl: Infinity Allstars – Royals



Senior Open Small Coed: Rockstar Cheer – The Beatles



Senior Open Large Coed: Cheer Athletics – Wildcats



International Open Allgirl: Cheer Sport Sharks – Great White Sharks



International Open Small Coed: Indiana Ultimate – Insanity



International Open Large Coed: Top Gun – 005



International Global Allgirl: Flyers Allstarz – Knockout



International Global Coed: Flyerz Allstarz – Notorious


International Open Non-Tumbling Allgirl: Cheer Extreme – Lady Lux



International Open Coed Non-Tumbling: Cheer Extreme – Raleigh – Code Black



International Open Allgirl L6: Flyers Allstarz – Karma



International Open Small Coed L6: The California Allstars – Team Reckless



International Open Large Coed L6: The California Allstars – Rangers



Steve Pawlyk Signature Full

Featured, News, Sales/Discounts

Get Twisted with a New Beat

Posted on by Luke Johnson
Get Twisted With A New Beat
16
Apr

Luke Johnson Byline 2019

By Luke Johnson

Updated April 16, 2019

Twisted Choreography and Innovative Performance Productions (IPP)are excited to announce a new partnership for the 2019-2020 season. Starting today, both Twisted and IPP’s clients will have access to exclusive pricing and offers to complete their routine experience.

With the addition of IPP Music as the official music provider for Twisted Choreography, Twisted clients will now have access to the most trusted, reliable music service at exclusive rates. Any of IPP Music’s clients will also receive discounts for any of Twisted Choreography’s full range of services.

Twisted Choreography is the premier provider of full-service choreography services. From full routine choreography to routine outlines, dance choreography, and stunt clinics – Twisted offers something for everyone.




Twisted employs more than 30 choreographers across the United States, each specializing in various elements of a cheerleading routine.

Depending on each client’s needs, Twisted sends the best-suited choreographer for the job to ensure maximum efficiency.

Each routine and service comes backed by the Twisted Guarantee – if a routine does not perform as expected, Twisted will review the team’s video and scoresheet and send a choreographer back to get the routine up to par.




Innovative Performance Productions

is the most trusted name in custom and premade cheerleading/dance music, consistently creating a unique experience for all clients/users in addition to creating an exceptional product.




IPP has a long-standing record of a consistent, rapid turn-around with reasonable prices and strives to have a product for every user. Their reputation is renowned and unmatched earning them an extensive and highly-coveted clientele list of industry leaders from around the world.




A routine is nothing without amazing music, and Twisted and IPP are thrilled to provide this all-in-one service for our clients.


To learn more about Twisted Choreography and IPP please visit or email the following:



info@ippmusic.com

https://ippmusic.com


camps@twistyourspirit.com

https://twistyourspirit.com


camps@twistyourspirit.com

https://twistyourspirit.com



Luke Johnson Signature

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!

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.

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



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 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





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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)


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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

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!



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.




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 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 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.



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.



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



  • 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 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.



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.



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      




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.


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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 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!







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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...













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!












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!








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News

New Premade Mix Release!

Posted on by Steve Pawlyk
New Premade Mix Release! Are You Lookig
06
Jul


New Premade Mix Release! Are you lookig for the perfect premade mix to complement your awesome routine? Visit www.ippmusic.com and shop our new releases. Customize with voice overs and sound effects to make it one-of-a-kind![fb_vid id="1141028712707096"]

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