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Home Quarantine Workouts by Jess Forte of Cheer Intensity (with videos)

Posted on by Jess Forte
Home Quarantine Workouts for Cheerleading
20
Mar
jesse forte yhz blog profile

By Jess Forte

Published March 20, 2020

This is our world...

I often liken the anticipation, the adrenaline we experience to climbing that first major drop of the highest roller coaster in the amusement park. It’s “Scary” in a sense, but also exhilarating!  This sense of “fear” has ironically preceded almost anything and everything great in my life. Or is it not irony? 

One of my Level 5 athletes was walking to perform in A Hall at NCA Nationals a few weeks ago and asked me “why do I keep doing this, even though I feel like I am about to vomit? But I continue to want to cheer, to put myself back on that stage?”

On Deck
The butterflies
The jittery hands
The lights blinding
The roar of the crowd
The smell of sweat
The 9 panels
The music starts
A snap, a wink, a smile
Let’s go
The point stunt
The last pass
Your coaches’ eyes scream “you’ve got this!”
The final structure
The last pose
The embraces
The tears

I recently read a book entitled “Fearvana” by Akshay Nanavati. He firmly believes that fear is an essential element to unlocking our potential, our success, and our passion. That finding and enduring a worthy struggle can open doors that we didn’t know existed and allow us the ultimate amount of  bliss and fulfillment. So basically, All-Star Cheerleaders are onto something! Akshay defines fearvana as “the bliss that results from engaging our fears to pursue our own worthy struggle.” We experience our own version of “Fearvana” when we stand in the corner to throw a new pass, or when we set for our routine at Nationals. 



Home Quarantine Workouts by Jess Forte of Cheer Intensity why keep doing this

So now on May 20, 2020 we find ourselves in a very odd situation. Our season, as we had envisioned it, was stripped from us by the Coronavirus. And there are so many unknowns. As an adult, I am having to draw on all I have known in my life to come to a logical conclusion that “this too shall pass;” that difficult situations come upon us and we are equipped as humans to work through them and overcome obstacles. Our athletes may not have this frame of reference. For them, their world is potentially about to be turned upside down. What I want to tell them is that you are right where you are supposed to be. If that is in a state of FEAR, that’s ok. 

Because fear keeps us on our toes; it elicits a heightened sense of reality that allows us to be our best selves. And who is better equipped to handle this fear than an all-star cheerleader? You all face it head on every day! And not only that, but you thrive on it! You hit that stunt, you land that pass, and you rock that dance – butterflies and all! So you have the tools to handle this, too. 

SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?

Every athlete is being dealt the same hand right now. But it is your choice how you decide to handle it. If you are forced to be home for an undetermined amount of time, what is going to propel you from the state of fear, disappointment, or anger into a state of being that is productive for your goals in the sport! Here is a suggested to do list:

  1. Write down 3 of your goals every morning. The same 3!

  2. Write down actions you can take NOW to take a step towards those goals (conditioning, studying technique, reading motivational books, contacting college coaches if you are an upperclassman, applying for scholarships at your dream school, e-mailing you gym owner to ask for internship hours, or your coach to help set a plan to achieve your goals when the gym opens back up.)

  3. Schedule those actions for each day. For example:

  • 9:00 am – wake up and get ready
  • 9:30 am – eat a breakfast high in protein and fats! (Think eggs, sausage, bacon)
  • 10:00 am – journal goals and current emotions (this will be cool to look back on)
  • 10:30 am – school work
  • 12:30 pm – lunch high in nutrients (think salads, fruits, veggies)
  • 1:30 pm – Conditioning workout (example below)
  • 2:30 pm – more school work
  • 3:30 pm – watch tumbling technique videos, read a motivational book, or work towards goals
  • 4:30 pm – flexibility regimen
  • 5:30 pm – Dinner high in protein and carbs (think pasta, steak, potatoes, meat)
  • 6:30 pm – Relax and connect with teammates, coaches, etc.
    Get at least 8 hours of sleep!



Adam Forte's Conditioning Workout

1. WARM UP

30 seconds each exercise X 3

  • Jog in place
  • High Knees
  • Butt Kicks
  • Mummys
  • Heisman

2. JOINT ROTATIONS

Upper Body 

    1. Finger wiggle and squeeze
    2. Motorcycles
    3. Wrist circles (both ways)
    4. Arms behind head
    5. Arms across body
    6. Hold hands behind back and pull up
    7. Look up, down
    8. Tilt head to both sides
    9. Shoulder rolls
    10. Arm circles forward and back
    11. Small arm circles forward and back
    12. Arms up tilt both ways
    13. Hips washing machine
    14. Hips figure 8
    15. Leg swings forward/back 5x each
    16. Cross leg swings (knee to front)
    17. Pony (alternating knees)
    18. Ankle circles (both ways)
    19. Sit on shins and rock back and forth
    20. Sit on heels and arms behind head turn (to both sides) and tilt 3x
    21. Hands and knees one arm behind head elbow up/elbow down 5x

Wrists 

    1. On hands and knees circle around
    2. Fingers facing you
    3. Side to side
    4. Cross hands (both ways)
    5. Back to all fours and do 5 flicks
    6. Palms up

3. JUMP FOCUS

  • 10 Double Marked Jumps
  • 10 Double T Jumps

4. JUMP Conditioning

3 Rounds

  • Fast Kicks – 20
  • Side Hurdler Lifts – 20 Right and Left
  • Hip Rolls – 20 Right and Left
  • Toe Lifts – 20
  • Floor Jumps – 20

5. TUMBLING Conditioning

3 Rounds (you can lower amount on each if you would like)

  • Plank – 1 Min
  • Side Plank – Right and Left 30 Min
  • Superman Hold – 1 min
  • Lunge Hold – 30 Sec*
  • Lever Hold – 30 Sec*
  • Heel Kicks – 30*

*Do one leg then the other

6. Stunt Focus

3 Rounds of 30 seconds each

  • Mountain Shrugs – 20
  • Lib Lifts – 10 Right and Left 10 
  • Full Up Squats – 20
  • Ext Pops – 10

7. Cool down/stretch

 



Adam Forte's Flexibility Workout

1. WARM UP

30 seconds each exercise X 3

  • Jumping Jacks – 30 Seconds
  • High Knees – 30 Seconds
  • Butt kicks – 30 Seconds
  • Mummys – 30 Seconds
  • Sprawls – 10

2. BRIDGES

3 Rounds

  • 3 Count Bridges – 10
  • Bridge Hold – 30 Seconds
  • 1 Leg Bridge Kick Right – 20
  • 1 Leg Bridge Kick Right – 20

3. Split Warm Up

Alternate Right and Left Leg 3x

  • Leg Lift Kicks – 12/10/8
  • Forward Lunge Twist Stretch – 30 Seconds
  • Forward lunge kick – 30/20/10

4. Right and Left Splits

1 Min hold each

  • Sit up – 30 Seconds flex foot and lock back leg
  • Chest Down
  • Head up arms back in should stretch

4. CENTER

1 Min hold each

  • Squat Stretch
  • Frog Stretch
  • Center Split

7. Cool down




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All in or All Out: Letting Go and Moving Forward when a Kid Leaves your Gym

Posted on by catweeden
All In Or All Out: Letting Go And Moving Forward When A Kid Leaves Your Gym
17
Jan

Cat Weeden Circle

By Cat Weeden

Published January 17, 2019




This industry demands every single part of you to be successful.



You must be able to problem solve, balance budgets, work quickly and work well under pressure. You will sacrifice your time, your sleep, your relationships, and the ability to talk about anything else other than cheer in a one on one or group setting. I had no way to know almost 20 years ago that I would learn so much about love, loss and commitment through this sport. But I have. Over all these years, the biggest lesson I have learned, is that the greatest and most important part of you, that you voluntarily give away while coaching is your HEART.


I have given a piece of my heart away to thousands of kids who have turned into great adults, and great little people. They say that shared experience creates bonds, friendships and lifetime memories, and I cannot think of a better example of this than cheer. We grow with these kids through practices, tumbling classes, traveling, competing, handling adversity in their lives, celebrating individual and team successes and through navigating life, which can be really hard on some kids.




Its only natural that these kids hold a very special place in your life and you grow to love them like your own children.






There is no other heartbreak that is comparable in coaching, then when you have a kid or kids you have invested in, leave your program.Every coach or owner I have ever met, has a story (if not more than 1) of the total and absolute heartbreak stemming from this. It can be confusing, hurtful, blindsiding and really derail your forward momentum if you let it. Or this can be a moment in time where you grow as a coach and a person.







I have personally experienced this many times over the years. Its not easy to navigate through, but I have always come out the other side a better, stronger person. It’s important when you lose a kid to understand the situation from all angles, remind yourself that you ONLY want kids in your program that want to be there and lastly move on, find peace and gain focus.








Understanding the Situation from all Angles





Kids leave gyms or get out of cheer for a handful of reasons depending on their age.

Here are just a couple of reasons:

  • Cost
  • Time Commitment
  • Not Progressing
  • Burn out
  • Playing another Sport
  • Opportunism
  • Fit
  • Outside Distractions (Boyfriends, Friends, High School, Getting a Car, etc).




These are all valid reasons for a kid to start unengaging and want to quit or move on,  but these are not necessarily reasons that parent should allow it. But that’s itself could be a whole other blog ☺


Whatever their reasoning may be, once a kid or family lets one of those reasons fester long enough, it will become a distraction for them, you and the team. Not every kid is made for the long haul in cheer, and not every kid that starts in your program will make it to the end of their eligibility in your program. Once you understand and accept this some disappointment will come off your shoulder.

Put yourself in the kid or parent’s shoes.  Realize that sometimes it really isn’t about you, its about them and whatever stage they are in in their lives. If they have done you wrong before, during or after they’ve left, that’s on THEM, not you.





 

Our job is to love these kids, help them foster growth and become better people while they are with us. We are just lucky enough to do all of those things through the vehicle that is Cheer.






Only Want Kids in the Program That Want to Be There



This was a big mentality shift for me about 6 years ago. Instead of valuing my team, program or gym where I should have, I had gotten really suck on this idea that if a kid left it was because we “weren’t good enough in some way.” Being on the defense all the time stopped me from being able to read the team environment and individual kid’s interactions correctly. Some kids/ Parents are TOXIC to your gym and environment. Don’t fight for those people. Don’t stand in their way if they talk of leaving And don’t be sad when they leave.

Nowadays, my mentality is that it’s a privilege to cheer in our program, and I may love you, but if you don’t hold value in our gym, team, stunt, then this isn’t right fit for the kid, the team nor the program.






Move On, Find Peace and Gain Focus



Move on! Every kid that has ever come through your doors has been an important part of your history, your now and your future. No one kid, or handful of kids will define you or your program. It’s really easy to let getting burned by a kid or a family alter what you do, and question the motives of others around you. Be vigilant, but not paranoid.  Never let a situation or disappointment create an emotional wall between you and the people that are deserving of that love.







The last piece of the puzzle for me was gaining focus. I aim to focus on everyone around me that’s ALL IN. those people are the ones who can handle a rocky competition, terrible practice, stunt/ formation changes with grace and ease. They understand the process and the hills and valleys of a season. They understand that you are human and sometimes make mistakes, and they support you through them. I invest in these people and they invest in me and the program.  Give new kids and families that join your program the chance to create forever bonds with you.







People stay in a sport like cheer because of their kids abilities, and their belief that the coaches care about the kids successes on and beyond the mat. A gym is a family, and its own community. And that community is strongest when you believe in your program, your product and yourself . These kids deserve ALL of you, not just a small protected portion of you.




Water, love, and nurture the ones who have dropped roots and move forward from the ones who have not.






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Can I start Cheering in College?

Posted on by Steve Pawlyk
Can i start Cheering in college
15
Aug

Steve Blog Circle

Byline Steve Pawlyk

Steve Blog Circle

Byline Steve Pawlyk

By Steve Pawlyk

Published August 15, 2018

Can I start cheering in college?

Yes you can!  I am living proof!!

I played all types of sports growing up such as hockey, baseball and football.  When I stepped on to a college campus for the first time that all changed.  Despite being recruited to play hockey at numerous colleges, i chose to attend a university that didn’t recruit me.  I pressed my luck and tried out as a walk-on.  Even though I made the practice team I was dissatisfied and chose not to continue.  Turns out that this was the best decision of my life.  Why you ask?  Because I was introduced to (college) cheerleading!  And I haven’t looked back.

Let me tell you how it all started.  One day I was walking out of the cafeteria and noticed some people engaging in what I could only describe at the time as a circus act.  These guys and girls were throwing each other around like rag dolls.  I thought this was interesting and continued watching.  As I was about to walk away one of the female athletes approached me and asked if I wanted to give it a try.  I declined at first, but she followed with the line that changed my life forever.  What did she say that completely altered my life and has led me to writing this right now?  She said, “if you try, you’ll get to touch my butt”.  With a twinkle in my eye and excitement surging through my body I said, “yes, yes I would like to touch your butt.  Please show me how”.


CAN I START CHEERING IN COLLEGE?

College cheerleading is one of the few sports that you can really learn and perfect in a couple short years.

Although I was extremely athletic and strong, nothing could have prepared me for the journey on which I was about to embark.  Cheerleading, especially college cheer, if very nuanced, but can be learned with no prior experience.  When you’re surrounded by other high-level athletes, learning almost becomes contagious.  In one year I went from knowing absolutely nothing to being a pretty good coed stunter.  Although there was much to still learn, I was well on my way.

College cheerleading is one of the few sports that you can really learn and perfect in a couple short years.  When you ask around as to how many athletes, guys in particular, started cheering in college the numbers are staggering.  Although guys are becoming involved with  cheer at younger and younger ages with the rise and popularity of allstar cheer, you will find that at least 50% of guys don’t start until they are in college. 

This is less true for female athletes, but there are still a number that I have encountered that hadn’t cheered until the college level.  Most were prior gymnasts wanting to continue using their skills despite their school not offering a gymnastics program.   Therefore, they end up on the cheer team.

CAN I START CHEERING IN COLLEGE?


When it comes to college cheer, it’s never too late. 

It seems that in most cases there is no prior skill needed.  There are some amazing teams that require some prior involvement, but a super majority of college teams are happy to take any guy or girl off the street who are willing to work and put the time into perfect their skills.


So don’t fret.

If you want to give college cheer a try, then do it!  You’ll never know what could happen unless you try.  I couldn’t imagine that one stunt in front of the cafeteria my freshman year would have turned into a career in cheerleading.  If you want it, go do it!


Ipp-logo-cheer-music-red


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CHEER WIKI

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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…



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!








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