Beginning your own youth cheerleading squad is an excellent way to provide a means of exercise and self-esteem for young boys and girls. Knowing the essentials in starting a squad can make the process simple and stress-free. Coaches interested in launching a cheer group should take time to prepare before publicizing the squad in order to stay organized and run the best squad possible.
Create a Constitution
You, as the coach, need to create a constitution for your squad. This includes your group's purpose, rules, expectations and your contact information. By knowing up front what the coach expects, parents and cheerleaders can avoid miscommunications, misunderstandings and mishaps. Schedule a parent meeting before tryouts to go over the constitution and answer any questions. Provide a contract for the parents and participants to sign once they have made the squad, including an agreement to adhere to the constitution.
Coaches Training
Get the appropriate training to be a cheer coach. The Universal Cheerleaders Association, UCA, provides numerous courses that can qualify you to be a cheerleading coach. The most important courses cover partner stunt progressions, motions, jumps, and tumbling. You also need appropriate safety training. The American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators, AACCA, provides a safety course for all cheer coaches.
Tryouts
Preparation is the key in making sure the tryouts run smoothly. Begin preparations at least six weeks ahead of time by securing the location and devising a checklist of the details that will go into running a smooth tryout. Publicize tryouts for the new squad with flyers, mailings, posters and word of mouth.
Squad Goals
Once you have your squad roster, schedule a meeting to create a list of goals. Each cheerleader can create personal goals, such as perfecting a jump or learning a back handspring. You also can come up with squad goals, such as placing in a competition. It is important to set goals that measure progress and provide motivation.
Posted in: Cheerleading