Photo by  Styves Exantus  from  Pexels Competitive teams are required to select what level they will compete. Determining this level occurs at different points in a season depending on your organization. All Star teams generally has an idea of team levels and then holds tryouts to place each athlete onto the appropriate team. School cheer may have less options. High school is generally Freshman vs JV vs Varsity and again, tryouts are used to determine placement. However, Pop Warner and AYC teams are a little different. Coaches may not know the skill level of athletes they have until practices begin. They then have a few weeks to select the level that their team would be most suited. This post will focus mostly on these teams. So, how do you determine the level? A lot of it is based on your competition score sheet. and, in most cases, it comes down to 2 categories, stunting and tumbling. You want to set your team up for success but also make it challenging enough that they...

Keeping track of your choreography is a vital part of routine creation. You want to document exactly what happens when not only for yourself, but for other coaches, music producers or participants to reference.  I will usually start by jotting down ideas on a scratch pad or on my phone or saving links of cute ideas to use for inspiration. But, ultimately, it all needs to come together in a cohesive way. This is where the 8 count sheet comes into play. There are many options out there for capturing what happens during each count. Some music producers require a particular format if you plan to submit one for your custom track. You will need to decide what fits best based on your needs and your preferred method of documentation. Here are some of the options available for download: Cheer Music All Stars provides options in both PDF and Excel formats. IPP provides a fillable PDF sheet chEARmusic has a version that I've used many times. Confused about how to use an 8-count sheet? A tutor...

Welcome to Cheer Coach Central!  I began my coaching career over 10 years ago coaching Pop Warner. Although I was a cheerleader in a previous life, this was my first experience as a coach. I had no idea what I was getting into. The cheerleading industry had changed drastically since I was last involved. There was so much to consider. Sideline cheers, stunt progressions, choreography, tumbling. Not to mention all the administrative responsibilities that go along with managing a season. It was quite overwhelming. I found myself scouring the internet for help. I was able to piece together advice from many locations but I was unable to find one source for everything I needed. Since then, between my coaching and my daughter's cheer career, I've been involved in many aspects of the cheer world. Pop Warner, AYC, All Star, School...I've had exposure in each of these worlds. I've amassed 10 years worth of videos, links, training and advice which I've used to help coaches in ...