Total Rec Cheer Program Prep
My *FAVORITE* thing about running my youth rec cheer program was the day before my bday: Cheer Coach Certification Day! It's an intense 7+ hours of teaching nonstop information - rules, regulations, technique, best practices, troubleshooting - but the sense of accomplishment afterwards, knowing these strong, beautiful women are prepared to make such a significant impact in the lives of the hundreds girls on our squads this season, makes my heart swell!
Actually, I was wrong when I said Coach Certification Day is my favorite part of running the program. This year, it truly was our Stunt Certification Clinic! I invented this event last year to help new coaches get the tools to safely raise their game, and I got Annelise's competition cheer gym to volunteer to host & teach it to us for free!!! This year was even better than last - I honed the content based on feedback I got last year, focusing on a greater variety of examples for the most basic stunts, instead of spending time on more advanced possibilities. I also had our instructor make us all get up & actually put all of these stunt options up ourselves, so every coach would know what it feels like to have their bodies physically in the stunts they're going to teach. I loved this chance to stunt with & encourage all of our new coaches, everyone getting into the groove together, really giving their all & caring about how to learn how to teach these things!
I taught Cheer Camp the following morning: hundreds of girls over two sessions, 8 AM - 6 PM...
Here's the 2017 Hello Cheer and the 2017 Opening Ceremonies Dance we choreographed & I taught. (These are the practice videos we recorded, so that the girls can continue to work at home after Camp & in between their own individual squad practices.) I'm very big on doing dance songs that have meaning &/or positive messages, so this year I chose Danny Gokey's "The Comeback".
We also collected our donations, again, this year for Operation Backpack:
It. Was. Exhausting. But since this is the first time in eight years that I am *not* coaching a cheer squad of my own, I felt like I could pour every ounce of myself into Camp, without having to leave anything in reserve for my own squad practices to also begin that week. That Saturday at 6 PM:
A post-cheer miracle: Praise Team needed me to sing that Sunday, the day after Cheer Camp. Our worship pastor gave me an amazing solo that I knew would be so powerful…if I didn't lose my voice. I was very honest with him: my throat already hurt, I knew I had to yell all day at Cheer Camp, and I told him to please feel free to replace me, that I even had a fellow Praise Team friend prepped & fully ready to do my part. For whatever reason, he wouldn't let me quit; he just said he would pray for my voice and that he knew it would be fine... AND IT WAS!!! It was ALL GOD, and that was such a strong, comforting reminder!
Actually, I was wrong when I said Coach Certification Day is my favorite part of running the program. This year, it truly was our Stunt Certification Clinic! I invented this event last year to help new coaches get the tools to safely raise their game, and I got Annelise's competition cheer gym to volunteer to host & teach it to us for free!!! This year was even better than last - I honed the content based on feedback I got last year, focusing on a greater variety of examples for the most basic stunts, instead of spending time on more advanced possibilities. I also had our instructor make us all get up & actually put all of these stunt options up ourselves, so every coach would know what it feels like to have their bodies physically in the stunts they're going to teach. I loved this chance to stunt with & encourage all of our new coaches, everyone getting into the groove together, really giving their all & caring about how to learn how to teach these things!
I taught Cheer Camp the following morning: hundreds of girls over two sessions, 8 AM - 6 PM...
We also collected our donations, again, this year for Operation Backpack:
It. Was. Exhausting. But since this is the first time in eight years that I am *not* coaching a cheer squad of my own, I felt like I could pour every ounce of myself into Camp, without having to leave anything in reserve for my own squad practices to also begin that week. That Saturday at 6 PM:
A post-cheer miracle: Praise Team needed me to sing that Sunday, the day after Cheer Camp. Our worship pastor gave me an amazing solo that I knew would be so powerful…if I didn't lose my voice. I was very honest with him: my throat already hurt, I knew I had to yell all day at Cheer Camp, and I told him to please feel free to replace me, that I even had a fellow Praise Team friend prepped & fully ready to do my part. For whatever reason, he wouldn't let me quit; he just said he would pray for my voice and that he knew it would be fine... AND IT WAS!!! It was ALL GOD, and that was such a strong, comforting reminder!
So love your enthusiasm for your cheer program!! Praise God for strengthening your voice to sing!
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