#TheCheerMom Motivational Monday

                        Staying positive is key...                            Every Monday I will be posting motivational quotes to get us through the week on a positive note.... 

Tara

#TheCheerMom, CheerLEADER Advocate

Cheer360 Summer Fun: #Cheer360Flexercise Competition!

As school has ended and the summer has finally set upon us, we here at Cheer360 decided to have a summer long, friendly and fun competition. Cheer360 builds smarter, stronger and better cheerleaders. To do that, it is important that we exercise, maintain a well balanced diet, mentally prepare and most of all, have fun while doing so.

To make sure we continue to smile both on and off the competition mat, Cheer360 is having a summer long, #Cheer360Flexercise competition. So what does that exactly entail you ask? Here are the details:

1. First and foremost, while this is a competition, it is important that we have fun! Cheer360 promotes healthy lifestyles, self awareness, confidence and lifelong learning. The competition's goal is to reinforce these ideas and help the community 'find their personal greatness.'

2. So what is a #Cheer360Flexercise competition? Cheer360 asks that you tag or upload as many pictures or videos of you, your friends, family, pets or team doing your favorite flex or exercise or both! Perhaps, your favorite exercise is burpees (everyone's favorite exercise) or box jumps into a needle (see our Long Island Cheer athletes below) or tuck jumps. If that is the case, take a picture or video and send it to us!

3. How can you send us your videos and pictures? While using the #Cheer360Flexercise hashtag, you can tweet us on Twitter, tag us on Facebook or Instagram at Cheer_360 or upload a video to our YouTube page.  Remember, it is important that you use the #Cheer360Flexercise hashtag!

4. See rule 1.

5. So how do I win? Cheer360 staff and social media likes, shares, favorites, retweets etc. will determine the winners. Creativity, fun and the proper execution of the exercise are equally important. Yes, there will be multiple winners.

6. Can you submit more than one photo or video. Yes! You can submit as many as you like, but don't forget to use the #Cheer360Flexercise hashtag!

7. So what do I win? Winners will receive prizes that range from, exercise equipment, Cheer360 training sessions, workout gear and gift cards.The prizes will be posted on our website in August.  

8. Remember, all videos and photos will be posted for everyone to see. As rule number 1 states, this is meant to let people know that fitness and healthy living are not only important but fun. Good sportsmanship is important to this competition and Cheer360 has the right to disqualify any participants if their entry is inappropriate or done in poor taste.

9. Who can submit photos? Anyone can! Friends, family, Cheer360 athletes, staff, teams, pets. As long as they are following our rules, anything is possible!

10. Lastly, have fun, be creative and show us what great things you are all capable of achieving!

Continue to follow our blog and website as we will compile an album that will showcase all our #Cheer360Flexercise participants!

If you have any questions about our competition or would love to learn more about Cheer360 and our program, feel free to register at www.cheer-360.com for updates or email Coach Kristen at Kristen@cheer-360.com

Coach Mike says, "Let the #Cheer360Flexercise begin!!!"

As a Cheer360 Co-Founder, Arthur's young, energetic and ambitious career has prepared him for his exciting role as the Director of Operations and Business Development. Here he manages business operations and establishes strategic partnerships that will bring the latest equipment, guest speakers, food and nutrition and educational programming directly to the athletes, families and communities served by Cheer360. For more information visit: www.cheer-360.com

Spotlight: Cheer360 Athlete Meghan Ruggiero Receives "Find Your Greatness Scholarship"

Recently, we celebrated the accomplishment of Cheer360 athlete, Meghan Ruggiero on her acceptance into Western Kentucky University and her placement on the Cheerleading squad. Cheer360 awarded Meghan with a $100, 'Find Your Greatness Scholarship.' The newly established scholarship is meant to support Cheerleaders who pursue their dreams of furthering their Cheerleading career at the Collegiate level. 

The newly established scholarship program was created to meet the financial needs of the traditionally under-served scholarship population found within the sport of Cheerleading. Scholarship money goes towards covering any incurred costs related to serving on a Collegiate Cheerleading team. 

Cheer360 was able to speak to Meghan and ask her some questions and celebrate this special accomplishment. 

Bio

Athlete Name: Meghan Ruggiero

Team and Position: Smithtown East, Flyer

College: Western Kentucky University, Class of 2018

Cheer360: Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you decided that you wanted to be a Cheerleader?

Meghan: As a young girl, I always looked up to and found inspiration from my sister, Ashley. When my sister joined cheerleading, I was able to see how it positively challenged her while at the same time, how much fun the sport was as well. In seeing this, I decided I must become a Cheerleader! 

Cheer360: What is that you like most about the sport of Cheerleading?

Meghan:  I really like the family aspect of Cheerleading, you spend so much time with your team they quickly become your family. It is really nice to have made so many memories with my team and know that should anyone need something, we are all there for each other. 

Cheer360: How has Cheer360 helped you achieve your goals and find your greatness?

Meghan: Cheer360 has made me a stronger cheerleader overall. It has given me all the skills I will need to be the best possible athlete. I only wish Cheer360 was around when I first starting cheering! 

Cheer360: What are you looking forward to most about Western Kentucky University and their Cheerleading program?

Meghan: I am looking forward to all the new challenges WKU Cheerleading will put before me. I like being challenged and I believe being part of this team will push me to my full potential and help me reach greatness!

Cheer360: Meghan, before you go, do you have any words of advice for other Cheerleaders who want to follow in your footsteps?

Meghan: I would give young Cheerleaders the advice to work hard, even when times get tough, you must stick with it and work harder. The success you achieve will all be worth it! Also, never say I can't!

Cheer360: Thank you for your time and answers. We want to wish Meghan much luck and success in her pursuits. We are confident that she will succeed and continue to make her family, friends, teammates and Cheer360 very proud.

Cheer360 is always looking to support our athletes by helping them find their own personal greatness. If you are a college bound cheerleader and wish to apply, please contact Coach Kristen (Kristen@cheer-360.com) for more details. 

Big Smiles with Meghan and Coach Kristen

Thumbs up for Success! Western Kentucky University look out! 

You Know You're A Cheerleader When

1.     You have more cheerleading shirts than regular clothes.

2.    You’ve said, “I can’t. I have cheerleading."

3.    You hear a song that reminds you of an old routine and instantly you start performing it.

4.    Counting to 9 seems weird to you.

5.    You can do more push-ups than most guys in your Physical Education class.

6.    You’re ready at any moment to defend cheerleading when someone says it’s not a sport.

7.    You have a pair of soffee shorts in every color.

8.    You feel the need to stunt anytime, anyplace (pool, hotel lobby, kitchen, classroom).

9.    You pray for a snow day from school but hate when you realize that means practice is canceled.

10.  You have more bows than a five year old.

Shari Tarburton is Cheer360’s Co-Founder and Director of Educational Programming.  She is a New York State Certified Health and Physical Education Teacher, a certified Personal Trainer and Mental Game Coach, and a Varsity cheerleading coach.

Why "can't" is a curse word!

As athletes we all experience self doubt at times but have you ever counted up how many times you say “can’t” at a practice?  Chances are it’s more than you think and this one small word could be hurting your performance!

Self-talk is the dialogue that we have with ourselves all the time.  Whether we choose to be positive or negative our self-talk will impact us either way by directly affecting our attitude which will than directly affect our behaviors.  Saying words like “can’t” negatively affect us which is why we should become aware of how much we say this word and take steps to replace it with a more positive word or statement. 

While this may seem easy to do its harder than you may think!  The next time you are at practice be consciously aware of how many times you say “can’t’ or a negative word/statement, write that number down.  Then spend time developing positive words and statement to replace the negative ones.  Every time you practice and you think or say “can’t” correct yourself by using a positive word or statement. 

Over time your self-talk will lean more towards positive than negative, which will change your attitude and ultimately change your behavior.  Take the time to work on your self-talk to give yourself the optimal environment to succeed.

Kristen Perri is Cheer360’s Co-Founder and Director of Mental Fitness.  She holds a masters degree in Sport Psychology, is a certified Mental Game Coach, Sport Hypnotist and Personal Trainer.  With over 8 years of cheer coaching experience, Kristen has coached all skill levels including middle school and junior varsity. Currently, Kristen is the Head Varsity Coach of a major Long Island Cheerleading Program. 

The F.I.T.T.E: Guidelines for Exercise

Frequency Intensity Time Type and Enjoyment (F.I.T.T.E) are the five guidelines that every athlete should keep in mind when personalizing a training program.

Frequency is the number of training sessions in a given time frame. The number of training sessions can be broken down by year, month, or week (long term, short term, and immediate results) depending on the athlete’s goals. Training frequently for shorter periods of time is how an athlete would try to obtain immediate or faster results in order to reach short and long term goals.

Intensity is the level of demand that a given activity places on the body. Knowing how much intensity to use for each program plays a huge role in the program’s success. For example, cheerleader A’s short term goals are to improve her jumps and tumbling within a six-week training program; Cheerleader B’s long term goals are the same; however, she wants to accomplish them within a six-month period. The six-week workout program used by cheerleader A requires high levels of intensity, more frequently, to produce maximum results. The longer six-month workout program used by cheerleader B requires the same high level of intensity, less frequently, enabling athletes to achieve goals more gradually with a lower risk of injury.

Time refers to the length of time an athlete is engaged in a physical activity. Workouts for strength athletes such as cheerleaders should average between 30 and 90 minutes. The shorter 30-45 minute time frame is recommended for in-season training programs. The longer 60-90 minute time frame is recommended for pre and post-season training programs.

The second T in the guidelines is Type. Type is the mode of physical activity that an individual is engaged in. This can be any activity that raises your heart rate above its normal resting level (RHR). “What type of exercise is the best?” This is the number one question I am asked as fitness professional.  My answer is and always will be the same: “Do whatever you enjoy doing the most, the most often, unless you are preparing for a specific sport or sporting event.”

The final and most important principle of the guidelines is Enjoyment. If you don’t enjoy what you are doing, then it’s time to change it up. Training programs are hard; they are designed to be that way. Programs are made to overload your body with stress to promote new growth and abilities, both physically and mentally. The results are what make the stresses worth it. “Endure the obstacles on the path, embrace the journey, earn the results, and enjoy when you reach each destination along the way.” 

Kent Tarburton is Cheer360’s Co-Founder and Director of Fitness. He holds Personal Training certifications through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), the American Aerobic Association International (AAAI), the International Sports Medicine Association (ISMA), and is a certified Mental Game Coach.

Fun Friday: Putting Cheer360 Core Values to Use!

For their entire lives, the owners of Cheer360 have used their collective set of core values as their moral compass for their everyday decision making. These core values are what make each of us ourselves, and Cheer360 the premier strength, nutrition and mental coaching program for cheerleaders. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Cheer360 core values, I am going to utilize this as an opportunity to showcase through our actions, how we roll up our sleeves, influence and empower our athletes, and lead by example.

Excellence: in all we do directs our Cheer360 team to develop a sustained passion for continuous improvement and innovation that will propel Cheer360 athletes into a long term, upward spiral of accomplishment and performance.

• Cheer360 has not only worked hard to achieve success, but we hold ourselves accountable in doing so. It is often said that hard work and achieving excellence in all that we do, will not go unnoticed. This was the case this past week as one of the top division I NCAA Cheer programs, The University of Central Florida, recognized our work by "liking" our motivational images and commenting back on our Cheer360 Instagram as seen here. This was a big boost of motivation to not only our team but our athletes as well. 

Persistence: We require that the Cheer360 team possesses the inner drive necessary to position oneself to overachieve daily. The majority of successes happen just after overcoming the most difficult. This is where the personal development comes in. Remember, just keep going!

• Cheer360 helps our athletes map out nutritional, mental and physical plans. This balanced approach will lead to an overall improved healthy lifestyle that will last a lifetime. Who knew that boxes were not just meant to be jumped on? 

Respect and Humility: We value the strengths, experiences and perspectives of others, and we recognize our own limitations. Cheer360 places value in those around us as they are not only a source, but a beneficiary of our success. 

• One of our smallest, yet hardest working athletes, Crista embodies the famous Mark Twain quote, "It is not the size of the dog in the fight, it is the size of the fight in the dog." Crista's hard work, has been an inspiration to us all, as seen by her quick rise to Instagram fame, notice the comments of support! 

Team: We value and care about each other, operate with a generosity of spirit, and have fun in the process of working together. To maximize our collective impact, we inspire, challenge and support each other to be our best and sustain our efforts. 

• Cheer360 has the benefit of seeing our hard work blossom into greatness right before our eyes. To ensure our success continues, we as a team work really hard to challenge one another to put forth creative, challenging and fun ideas. This is most evident in a recent team push up session!

Community:  We are committed to the cultivation of positive relationships between, and common experiences among, athletes, parents and staff. We instill a strong sense of self recognition and purpose with our athletes. These skills empower our athletes to serve as leaders in their communities. 

• Cheer360 has begun establishing the framework for a Cheerleader mentoring program. This mentoring program model will be implemented in communities that have youth cheer teams/leagues. Cheer360 will mentor current Cheer360 athletes to become coaches and mentors themselves for youth cheer programs. This program will develop future leaders and be a tremendous investment in the communities overall future.

I hope you enjoyed seeing how we practice what we preach. With being open for just under a month, Cheer360 has been to able to inspire and put smiles on the faces of many. We are thrilled and excited about all the support we have received and look forward to the bright future ahead. Remember, it is more than just cheerleading for us, it is a balanced healthy lifestyle that will last a lifetime. 

As a Cheer360 Co-Founder, Arthur's young, energetic and ambitious career has prepared him for his exciting role as the Director of Operations and Business Development. Here he manages business operations and establishes strategic partnerships that will bring the latest equipment, guest speakers, food and nutrition and educational programming directly to the athletes, families and communities served by Cheer360. For more information visit: www.cheer-360.com

IS CHEER360 JUST FOR CHEERLEADERS?

Cheer360 was founded on the belief that all athletes should receive a well balanced, personalized, proper strength, nutrition and mental coaching program. Cheer360 has focused its coaching efforts on athletes who traditionally, have been misunderstood  or underestimated and have not participated in a year round training regiment. Consequentially, it is these athletes who are highest at risk to injuries, confidence issues and unhealthy eating habits.

Cheer360 knows that cheerleaders, have to possess the strength of a football player, coordination of a dancer, flexibility of a gymnast, mental toughness of a wrestler and proper diet of a swimmer. Understanding this, Cheer360 has developed a  program that incorporates exercises that ensure our athletes are working on strength, conditioning, speed and agility, mobility and flexibility, mental training and nutritional planning. The Cheer360 staff has taken this philosophy seriously and has emerged our athletes in purpose driven, functional and fun exercises, as exhibited by some of our team workout videos posted on the Cheer360 youtube page.

So is Cheer360 only for cheerleaders? The answer is a resounding no. The Cheer360 founders know what it takes to be not only a successful cheerleader, but a successful athlete as well. Currently, Cheer360 serves dancers, gymnasts, baton twirlers and cheerleaders. All of these athletes are receiving the comprehensive, personalized fitness programming that they themselves and their respective sports desire.

It is important to remember that the "Cheer" in Cheer360 represents not only a sport, but an emotion that if embraced, will add unlimited positive benefits for a lifetime.

If you are an athlete and are unsure if you are the right fit for Cheer360, contact us to set up a free workout at our facility or call us for a phone consultation.

As a Cheer360 Co-Founder, Arthur's young, energetic and ambitious career has prepared him for his exciting role as the Director of Operations and Business Development. Here he manages business operations and establishes strategic partnerships that will bring the latest equipment, guest speakers, food and nutrition and educational programming directly to the athletes, families and communities served by Cheer360. For more information visit: www.cheer-360.com

Kettlebells with cheerleaders?

Kettlebells (weights that resemble cannon balls with a handle) were developed by Russian strongmen back in the 1700’s. These athletes used kettlebell exercises to increase strength, endurance, balance, and flexibility.

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) conducted a study in 2010 to see how demanding kettlebell exercises were on an athletes cardiovascular system. The study consisted of 10 volunteers (all experienced kettlebell users) ranging in ages from 29 to 46 years.

The first test given to the athletes was a five-minute kettlebell VO2 max snatch test to establish a baseline for their overall kettlebell fitness. Each athlete’s heart rate and oxygen consumption were monitored carefully during the test. Once the baseline was determined for the group, ACE put the athlete’s through a 20-minute kettlebell circuit while monitoring heart rates at 60-second intervals.

The average aerobic calorie burn for the 20-minute workout was 272 calories. Using a formula to estimate oxygen consumption, ACE was able to determine the athlete’s were burning 13.6 calories a minute aerobically. ACE also found that the athletes were burning an additional 6.6 calories per minute anaerobically. Overall, the athletes were burning 20.2 calories a minute, an amazing 1,212 calories an hour!

Kettlebell training can be used in every aspect of a cheerleader’s competitive lifestyle. Our motto at Cheer360 is injury prevention and healthy lifestyles. Cheer360 implements kettlebell training with all of our athletes so that each individual is benefiting from the most physically and mentally demanding exercise ever created.  This in turn produces cheerleaders that have the muscular endurance and strength needed to compete at their highest physical and mental capability.

Kent Tarburton is Cheer360’s Co-Founder and Director of Fitness. He holds Personal Training certifications through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), the American Aerobic Association International (AAAI), the International Sports Medicine Association (ISMA), and is a certified Mental Game Coach.

Choosing Carbs for Peak Performance

Over the past couple of decades carbohydrates haven't had a great reputation.  One diet after another has come out banishing carbohydrates from the diet almost entirely or in very small quantities.  Yet despite the growing "carbs are the enemy" movement, Americans still saw rising obesity rates.

The truth is, in order to have healthy, balanced eating, you need carbohydrates.  They are the preferred source of energy for your brain, and by eliminating them, you are asking your body to rely on making other sources of fuel that can eventually put your body in harms way.  Now that does not mean you should go eat a bagel, follow it with a bread bowl at lunch and pasta for dinner, but knowing how to use carbohydrates to your advantage will not only keep you satisfied, it will allow you to perform at a higher level than you would from avoiding carbs.

Carbohydrates should make up 45-65% of your overall diet.  If you are an athlete actively training or your sport is in season, you should be on the upper end of that range.  The real secret about making carbohydrates a part of a healthy eating plan is knowing which ones will give you the most "bang for your buck."

Here are a few tips for choosing the right carbohydrates for your diet:

•                Choose Whole Grains: The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has stated that Americans should aim to eat three servings of whole grains a day.  These powerful products contain fiber, protein and B vitamins that you may not find in refined carbohydrates like white rice, semolina pasta, and most dessert products.  So try and make the majority of carbohydrates you consume a part of the whole grain family.

•                Investigate Labels: Sometimes products that seem healthy are actually not.  For example, "multigrain" products often still have "Enriched flour" as their first ingredient.  This means they are just as unhealty as their white carb counterpart.  Make sure whole grain or wheat flour is the first ingredient so you know you are getting a non-refined product.

•                Fruits and Vegetables: One of the biggest problems with low to no carbohydrate diets when they first came out was they decreased the importance of fruits and vegetables because they are carbohydrates.  These are the last foods you want to cut out because they pack the most health benefits with usually the least amount of calories per serving. So aim for 3 to 5 a day for tons of disease fighting vitamins and nutrients!

•                Start Your Day the Carbohydrate Way: Consuming a breakfast that is mostly carbohydrates will set you up for success throughout the day.  When we wake up in the morning, we have not eaten since the night before.  Our carbohydrate stores are depleted and our brain needs fuel to start functioning.  Choosing oatmeal, whole grain cereals, or whole grain toast or waffles will start you off with quality carbohydrates, giving you the best start to your day.

The way carbohydrates help you at breakfast is the same way they help you as an athlete.  Carbohydrates are the best fuel to have at your disposal before performing an athletic activity that is longer than an hour, or very intense, so make sure you are having quality carbohydrates two to three hours before your workout, practice or game.  

Carbohydrates aren't the enemy, rather they are your friend!  So show them a little love from now on and see your performance improve!

Are you making the most of your off-season? Don't forget to Train Your Brain!

Did you know that the off-season is the most crucial and important time in making you the athlete you want to be?  You will have the most physical and mental growth during this time if you create a training regimen and stick to it!  Here are two important tips on how to keep your mind strong and become prepared for the challenges the new season will bring. 

Set off-season goals:

When the season comes to an end your head starts to spin full of big ideas and dreams for next season.  Use that excitement as the fuel to kick start your off-season training and to set personal goals.  Take the time to sit down and evaluate your performance from last season and decide on 2-3 skills that you want to improve on.  Your goals should be specific and realistic. 

Sit down and take the time to choose goals that are meaningful and important to you.  When you have selected your off-season goals write them down and post them somewhere that you can see them everyday.  Writing your goals down and then shoving them in a notebook or desk drawer creates the “out of sight, out of mind” issue….and we don’t want that!  Post them on your mirror in your room or in the bathroom, places that you look everyday.  Having a visual cue of your goals will keep your mind focused on what you want to accomplish.

Visualization:

Now that you have set your off-season goals its time to go out there and work on them everyday!  While your immediate thoughts on how to improve your skills will probably be to physically practice them (which is no doubt very important and the first step) do not forget the most under-trained muscle in your body that can help you, your brain! 

Visualization is when you create a mental image or scenario of what you want to happen or feel.  Your visualization should include all of your senses to make it as realistic as possible.  What do you see, hear, smell, and taste when you perform this skill.  Once you have visually set the stage, perform the skill perfectly that you want to improve.  Focus on all the components that you need to improve on.

Once you have created a visualization routine take 5 minutes everyday to go though it.  Find somewhere quiet, take a few deep breathes in and let them out slowly and then go though your visualization routine 3-5 times.  By working on your skills mentally a few minutes everyday you are building experience and confidence in your abilities.

Kristen Perri is Cheer360’s Co-Founder and Director of Mental Fitness.  She holds a masters degree in Sport Psychology, is a certified Mental Game Coach, Sport Hypnotist and Personal Trainer.  With over 8 years of cheer coaching experience, Kristen has coached all skill levels including middle school and junior varsity. Currently, Kristen is the Head Varsity Coach of a major Long Island Cheerleading Program. 

Preventing Cheerleading Injuries

With the increase in competitive cheerleading at the middle school, high school, and collegiate levels, comes a growing increase in injuries, as with all athletic sports.  Many cheerleading injuries can be prevented by increasing the level of awareness and knowledge among athletes, parents, and coaches.

Causes of cheerleading injuries:

• Lack of strength training and conditioning
• An athlete’s psychological status or problems
• Poor nutrition
• Improper equipment use or fit (sneakers)
• Inadequate facilities
• Poor coaching
• Premature return to participation
• Inadequate rehabilitation after an injury
• Accident

Common injuries:

• Sprains 
• Strains
• Fractures
• Concussions and spinal injuries
• Muscle strains in the hip adductors, hamstrings, and back
• Overuse injuries
• Dehydration/malnutrition

Preventing cheerleading injuries:

• Establish a strong stretching program for the upper and lower body muscles.  Stretches should be static (no bounce) and held for 30 seconds each, both at the beginning and end of every practice, game, and/or competition.
• Establish a strong strength and conditioning program for the upper body, lower body, and core.  Strength and endurance in all of these areas is extremely important for tumbling, stunting, jumping, and balance.
• Hydrate 30 minutes prior to a practice, game, and/or competition and throughout the activity with water.  You should be drinking at least half of your body weight in ounces each day.
• Work on drills during practice that challenge balance reactions and body awareness.Use proper mats when tumbling and stunting.
• Communicate with your team and trust one another.  Teammates must learn to effectively communicate with one another to avoid dangerous situations, especially when stunting.

Preseason strength and conditioning:

• A preseason, progressive strength and conditioning program is necessary to prepare cheerleaders for the demands of the season.  It is beneficial to begin a comprehensive cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility training program at least four to six weeks prior to the start of the season.

Shari Tarburton is Cheer360’s Co-Founder and Director of Educational Programming. She is a New York State Certified Health and Physical Education Teacher, a certified Personal Trainer and Mental Game Coach, and a Varsity cheerleading coach. 

CONFIDENCE IS KEY!

You hear your coach screaming from across the room “Be Confident” and you look at him/her and think, well I’m smiling… am I not being confident? Confidence is a hard skill to master and being able to show your confidence when you perform can be even harder.  I’m here to help teach you how you can become a more confident cheerleader with the 3 R’s to self-confidence.

Lets first get a good understanding of what self-confidence really is.  Confidence is the relationship you have between what you think and what you do.  Your confidence in yourself will impact your performance 100% so its important to understand what your self-confidence is made up of.  You need to practice hard and feel prepared to compete.  The person who practices hard will no doubt be more prepared.  Also, you need to believe and trust in your abilities and all the practicing and preparing you have done up until this point. 

When working at practice to improving your confidence it is best to follow the 3 R’s.

1. REPEAT- Start by picking a few of your personal cheerleading strengths and repeat them to yourself a few times in a row.
2. RATIONALIZE- Many thoughts run through our heads, some positive and some negative.  Any thoughts that you have will need to be rationalized.  For example, if you start to think “my jumps are awful” you need to breakdown why you are thinking this (rationalize your thought). Maybe you do not think your jumps are the best because you could stretch more at home or you need to focus on pointing your toes.  Instead of losing confidence in yourself because of your jumps you now have concrete skills to work on to make your jumps better.
3. REPLACE- Replace any negative thought or statement with a positive one.  Just because a situation you are in is not ideal does not mean that it is negative.  Every situation that presents itself as harder then what you expected is a challenge for you to work on and overcome.  Always look for the positive in a negative. 

Building up your confidence can be difficult but just like any other skill, you need to work on it daily and you will slowly have and show more confidence.  Start working on the 3 R’s now in the off-season to help make yourself  a more confident cheerleader by the time tryouts are upon you!  Show the judges and your coach that you believe in yourself and your skills.

Kristen Perri is Cheer360’s Co-Founder and Director of Mental Fitness.  She holds a masters degree in Sport Psychology, is a certified Mental Game Coach, Sport Hypnotist and Personal Trainer.  With over 8 years of cheer coaching experience, Kristen has coached all skill levels including middle school and junior varsity. Currently, Kristen is the Head Varsity Coach of a major Long Island Cheerleading Program. 

www.Cheer-360.com

Fun Friday: Early Memorable Moments

With Cheer360 set to open its doors on April 13, 2013, staff find themselves filled with excitement that is equally matched by all those they come in contact with. In the short time Cheer360 has been readying for its grand opening, many lives have already been positively touched and memories created.

A staple of the Cheer360 program is to tailor training programs to the athletes they serve by working with coaches, parents and athletes themselves, to ensure no need goes unaddressed.  An outcome from this personalized programming by Coaches Kent and Shari, is a benchmark workout that is named for the team or group of athletes participating in it. The athletes will later on in their training be tested to see how their overall fitness has improved. To date, we have seen the Hauppauge Eagles, "Drop Down and Get Their Eagle On" by engaging in a circuit of deadlifts, box jumps, bosu ball squats and kettlebell thrusters. The Smithtown Bulls found the benchmark exercise of BATO (Bulls Are Taking Over) to be a circuit of bosu ball push ups, K-band jumps, box jumps and medicine ball thrusters. As Cheer360 opens this weekend, more benchmark programs will be created, more athletes will begin their training programs and more fun, creative and personalized workouts will be named by our coaches and athletes.

One other recent experience that had a memorable impact on Cheer360 staff and athletes, occurred during a recent educational talk on proper nutrition by Coach Shelbi. The topic turned to, "How healthy are energy bars?" The young athletes began through rapid fire, naming nearly, EVERY SINGLE energy bar and seeking
Coach Shelbi's nutritional nod of approval. It was a very informative and fun presentation that came to an end when the group broached the subject of candy bars!

In these early weeks, Cheer360 could not be more thankful for those athletes that have already signed up and begun challenging themselves to reach their peak fitness levels. As Cheer360 grows, we expect to share more and more of these memorable moments shared by our staff, athletes, coaches, parents and community.

If you had a memorable moment at Cheer360 please feel free to write us by commenting below or emailing Kristen@cheer-360.com. These memorable moments are shining examples of inspiration to all of us.

For more information about Cheer360 visit www.Cheer-360.com and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Do we really need to warm-up and cool-down?

Warm-up and cool-down are the most overlooked aspects of an athlete’s training program. The number one excuse athlete’s give is, “I don’t have time.” Cheer360 is here to tell you that you need to start making time! 

Your warm-up and cool-down are essential for elevating performance output, heart rate, injury prevention, and overall health.  A warm-up should consist of a low-to-moderate intensity exercise for 10 minutes. For cheerleaders, the exercises used during a warm-up should mimic movements that will be done during practice, a game, and/or a competition. For example, if you are going to be working on toe touches, pikes, and herkies, then warm-up with 15-20 prisoner squats to increase blood flow to the quadriceps, gluteals, and hamstrings. This 10-minute bout will elevate heart rate, respiratory rate, increase tissue temperature, and increase psychological preparation for the duration of the cheerleading practice, game, or competition.

Cooling down is just as important as warming up because it gives the body a chance to slow the heart rate, respiratory rate, decrease tissue temperature, and return the body to a state of rest. Cool-down exercises need to consist of the same exercises executed during the warm-up.  These exercises should be done in a slow to moderate tempo in order to decrease heart rate and breathing.   Static stretching and foam rolling exercises should also be incorporated into the cool-down to help relax muscles and allow them to return to their original resting length.

 Visit Cheer360 today at www.cheer-360.com  to learn more sport specific warm-up and cool-down exercises for your cheerleading team.

Why do we stretch?

You walk into practice, put on your cheer sneakers, and your coach immediately instructs you to circle up and start your team’s warm-up and stretching regimen.  But how many of you really understand the health benefits you are receiving from stretching, beyond your everyday cheerleading skills that require great flexibility?

Maintaining and enhancing flexibility is a life-long process.  Flexibility is essential to everyone’s overall health and well-being, especially a cheerleader’s.  Many cheerleaders think that the flyers on their team are the athletes that need to be the most flexible; however, this cannot be farther from the truth.

Flexibility is important for all members of a team, including your coach!  Flexibility goes well beyond the ability to perform perfect jumps and pull a beautiful heel stretch and scorpion.  It helps to prevent everyday injuries including muscle strains, back aches, and knee pains, thereby improving posture, lengthening muscles for a leaner physique, increasing circulation, and decreasing tension and stress.

So the next time your coach asks you to “circle up and stretch,” don’t just sit in a straddle position and talk with your teammates.  Approach your stretching routine like you would approach walking onto the mat, ready to compete with enthusiasm and motivation to get better!

Visit Cheer360 to speak with a flexibility specialist on incorporating k-band stretching into your workout!

Website: www.Cheer-360.com

Progress NOT Perfection

“Perfect” is an unrealistic word used commonly by athletes when explaining what they want.  The word “Perfect” is as much of a curse word in sports as “I Can’t!”  Stop searching for perfection and start moving towards personal progress. 

Close your eyes and imagine this scenario, I’m sure it has happened to at least a few of you out there reading. 

You have been working all season on the stunts in your routine but every competition this season you have gotten scared and the stunt has fallen.  The last competition of the season is approaching in 2 weeks and all you can think of and say to yourself is “I have to hit all my stunts perfectly!” The pressure is on to make your last performance perfect so you can prove to yourself, your team, your coach and the judges that you are an outstanding athlete.  You feel that if you do not perform perfectly at this last competition you will be a failure. 

Searching for this illusive perfect performance is only setting you up for a let down. When we will only accept perfection anything else is going to be unacceptable and disappointing.  Searching for the perfect performance is the one thing the athlete should not be focusing on. 

Now you must be wondering to yourself “well, what should I be focusing on if it’s not to be perfect?”  That answer is simple, PROGRESS! Going back to the scenario above it would be best to treat this last competition as a chance to improve from your past performances.  Always focus on having a better performance from your last, this is called progress.  When you open up your mindset from being perfect to being better you allow for a more accurate description of how you performed.  When you focus solely on being perfect you can only judge yourself as either perfect or imperfect.  But when you search for progress and strive to become better than before you open up your outcomes and will be a better athlete because of it. 

Progress not Perfection is a true champions mindset!

For more information on Mental Game Coaching visit www.cheer-360.com