So what do you do when someone tries out for your squad that has disabilities that keep them from participating in the other aspects of cheerleading like stunting, jumping or tumbling?

That’s what happened in Nebraska. You can read about it here.

Let us know what you think in this post’s comments section.

What would you have done if she tried out for your squad?

This lesson’s opening activity is a rigorous conditioning session. It should be a little more difficult than usual. Be sure to be reminding them throughout the session that they should be trying their hardest and not cheat themselves out of the benefits of this hard work. Then you begin by asking questions like the following:

1. How hard was it to do your best even at the end of that conditioning?
2. How do you benefit when you do your best the whole time?
3. How do you suffer when you don’t?
4. Why is it important to be diligent even in our fitness routine?

What is diligence?

Diligence is more than a trait that we should possess . . . it is a command from God. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it this way: 1) persevering application 2) characterized by steady, earnest and energetic effort; painstaking.

The diligent person is one who applies him- or herself wholeheartedly—no matter how mundane or difficult the task. They are constant in their effort to accomplish whatever goals or assignments that have been set in front of them. God often tells us to be steadfast in keeping his commands and living the lives he’s set before us. Read what he commanded the Israelites through Moses in Deuteronomy:

“Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take you oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. Do not put the LORD your God to the test as you did at Massah. Be sure to keep the commands of the LORD your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. Do what is right and good in the LORD”s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the LORD promised on oath to your ancestors.” –Deuteronomy 6:13-18

What is our assignment?

The Bible is full of our many tasks and the commands we are to obey. Our assignment is to diligently keep them in the way we approach and live our lives. We are not to be distracted by what the world flaunts in front of us.

The Israelites were terrible about this . . . really terrible. All Moses had to do was leave for a few days and suddenly they had created an idol to worship. Next thing you know, they’ve moved into a new area and begin to worship the gods of the people living there even though they have had dramatic encounters with the one true, living God.

But then again, we’re all bad about this same thing. We put our popularity, our possessions and countless other idols in front of the God who gave his all to bring us to him.

Diligence is remaining faithful to his Word.

What’s the point?

If God is forgiving, why bother trying to keep his commandments? What’s the difference to the world anyway? Jesus said it in the Gospel of John:

“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” – John 15:8-10

It’s about God’s glory. It is easy to get sidetracked—thinking that our life is about us. In fact, that’s exactly what the world will tell you. It may not be popular . . . actually, Jesus says that it won’t be later on in John. But he gives a word of comfort, that is one of my favorite verses in all of the Bible:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” –John 16:33

So what can I do?

I think Paul put the application of diligence best in Colossians when he said:

Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your hear, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. –Colossians 3:22-24

No matter the task that your teachers, your parents, your coaches or anyone else places before you – you are working for the Lord. Diligence is our assignment.

Closing activity

Discussion (either in pairs, small groups or large group):

1. In what tasks do you find it hard to be diligent?
2. Why do you think that is?
3. Why is it important to be diligent?
4. What are the benefits of diligence? (Colossians 3:23, Proverbs 22:29)
5. In what areas of your life can we pray for more diligence?

The first is the holiday gram. You can pick a fun holiday and deliver messages, sweets and gifts for other on that day. For example, when I was in high school, we did “Val-o-grams” for Valentine’s Day, and we would make a couple thousand dollars each year. It took a lot of work, but it was worth it. Here are some ways to start your own holiday gram service.

Pick a Holiday

Lots of holidays are “gram-worthy.” This could work at Christmas or even Halloween. We always used Valentine’s Day because people want to give small gifts or tokens to express their appreciation then. Some kids would even use us instead of buying small valentines for their classes from the store. Pick a time of the year that is right for your squad or your school. Homecoming may even be a good time.

Choose the Items

When we started the choices were simple: small candy, rose, or carnation. By the time I graduated high school, we had tons of options: candy (fun sizes or smaller), rose, carnation, balloon, small stuffed animal and more. All come with a personalized card. We would simply print these from the computer and write the messages from the students on there for them. Choose prices depending on the cost of the materials. (Top tip: If you do Valentine’s Day, go to the store the day after Valentine’s Day to stock up on small stuffed animals for the next year!)

Go to Work

Now that you have all of your items and prices in place, get together an order form and distribute it to the school. Have a specific place or process for the order forms to come in. I would start a week ahead of whatever the delivery date is (at least). As the cards come in, write the cards and have some kind of system for knowing what goes with each card. For example, we would write in the top corner an abbreviation for the gift. If it’s candy then it goes right on the card (this works with suckers well too). Have a box or other designated area for each class, and place the cards in there. Fill orders on the day of delivery as possible (Note: this may require cooperation from teachers).

This fundraiser can be as much work as you want it to be, but it can also yield plentiful results.

What are some of your best fundraisers?

The Plank

The plank position is the foundation of many great exercises.

This exercise begins in the push-up plank position. The body will remain in this position throughout the exercise with the exception of the legs moving. You’ll want to watch closely for form mistakes so that your cheerleaders don’t cheat themselves out of this exercise’s benefits. (Want some form tips? See our post about the basic push-up.)

The Climb

The low jumping lunge motion works a variety of leg muscles.

Once the form for the plank position is established, your cheerleader then moves one leg to a runner’s lunge position with her right foot between her arms. Then, by pushing off with her legs, switches their positions so that the left foot is now in between her arms and her right foot is lunging behind. This continues for as many reps as you would like. The biggest form troubles you will encounter are a tendency to let their bottom to become loose and lift high and a tendency to not get their legs between their front arms, but rather, run in place.

The parts of the body benefited in this exercise include: shoulders, arms, glutes, abs, and legs. 20 (on each leg) will give them a nice challenge when mixed in with your conditioning or fitness plan.

These are all things that are part of our job as cheerleading coaches. And guess what?

These responsibilities don’t disappear during the summer months. In fact, the summer is when some of the best discipleship happens. “How?”, you ask. By praying for your team and for your season. . . because, let’s face it, the Holy Spirit can do more good in you and your team than you could ever hope to do alone.

The discipleship process must always start with prayer.

Here are a few ways to get started.

Pray for Individuals

I have found few prayers more powerful than those that mention people by name. Sure—it’s easier to do a blanket prayer for your entire squad, and I think this is necessary too (as you’ll see below), but you’ll probably find more opportunity for growth (for yourself and your cheerleaders) when you pray for them by name.

By now, you have a roster. Take a few minutes each day to sit and pray for each of the cheerleaders individually. Some items to start with are that they have good attitudes, that they will be able to focus and give their all in practice, and think of something personal that each cheerleader needs in practice. Ask God to reveal ways to pray for them during this time. You may find that he opens your eyes to some home issue that you never knew was happening. This is a great time to connect with your cheerleaders. . . even though they’re not there.

Pray for the Team

It is also vital that you lift the team as a whole up to the Father in prayer. You can start by asking for teamwork, unity and peace— for their team culture. Safety is also a high priority, so you can add that to your list of prayers. This is also a good time to lift up your season—that you would have progress, that you would grow as a team and that your team may be an example among their peers at school.

Pray for Yourself

For me, I often lift up my cheerleaders and forget that I am even a part of their cheerleading experience . . . or perhaps I am slightly arrogant and think that I do not need the prayers—they do. But the truth is that we all need the prayers—they as your participants and you as their facilitator.

Pray for your attitude—that it would be an example to your cheerleaders. Pray that God would use you in each practice and in the life of each of your cheerleaders. Ask him to show you how to connect with each of them and how you could improve as a coach.

Just because you don’t see your cheerleaders every day doesn’t mean that you can’t be a part of or affect the lives. . . because you can through prayer. Take some time to pray for your cheerleaders today.

What are some of the ways that you pray for your cheerleaders?

Photo: John Martinez Pavliga, Flickr Creative Commons

What does this mean?

Well, now when you go to any of these competitions, you won’t have to change your all-star routines based on the different score sheets, because they all have the same score sheet.

These changes are said to allow “teams that go ‘outside the box’ to be rewarded for doing so.” This means that your creativity counts! You can be innovative (while still adhering to the rules), and you can be rewarded for doing so.

The new scoresheets also give credit for difficulty apart from technique. Taking these two apart allows you to be rewarded for both or penalized for each separately. Additionally, the scoresheets and scoring system are said to be simplified in order for judges to have an opportunity to enjoy the routines they see instead of being bogged down by difficult scoresheets during the performances.

What does this look like?

You can find the actual scoring updates here and here. But the main changes are these:

• Your Day 1 competition score will be 25% of your final score in two-performance events.
• The score sheets have now been weighted so that some categories (like stunts and skills) count more than others (such as overall routine and creativity).
• Single athlete mistakes won’t count as much as a team/group mistake (i.e. stunting error).

Overall, I think these are good changes and they might even make your life as a coach and choreographer a little less stressful. Good luck!

The push-up is a miracle-exercise. It combines motion and holding a position to work all major muscle groups simultaneously. When done right, it’s a classically effective move. Here are some tips to get all you can out of the basic push-up.

Plank

The basic push-up begins with an extended arm plank.

The first part of the push-up is the plank position. It is important to check their positioning before they begin the downward motion. Make sure that the cheerleader’s head is not down or up, but even with her back keeping her spine aligned. Next check her back to make sure that it’s level and not arched. Likewise, make sure that the abdominals are engaged and not sagging toward the floor.This will help the position of the back as well. Be sure to check the position of her seat as well. You want to be sure that her bottoms are not way up in the air, but squeezed and even with the rest of her body.Lastly, have her place her arms directly under her shoulders, fingers facing away from her. In this position the abdominals, lower back, shoulder, glute muscles and more are working. Just holding this plank position is building strength.

Dip

The dip engages the triceps and the pectorals.

The dipping portion of the push-up engages a new set of arm muscles as well as the chest muscles. Holding the plank position, the cheerleader then bends her arms with her elbows pushing out to the side. You will want to be sure to check for form issues like the ones above, but also be sure that the cheerleader is dipping down far enough to get the workout in her tricep and pectoral muscles.

The push-up may not seem like an exciting part of one’s workout. However, when used correctly, it can be one of the most effective parts of it. Keep a look out on CCC in the future for more push-up variations to spice up your squad’s conditioning time.

What is your favorite classic conditioning exercise?

Speaking to yourselves
 in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
 singing and making melody in your heart to
 the Lord;—Ephesians 5:19

Opening Discussion Questions:

What would your reaction be if you just walked in to your surprise party?

… if you lost your phone?

… if someone handed you the keys to your favorite car?

… if your dog died?

… If he was brought back to life?

Our reactions to the events of life say a great deal about us. What if I told you that you had died and had been brought back to life?

How would the way you approach each day change?

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. —Romans 6:4

So what is joy?

Here is the dictionary definition (from: m-w.com): 1a : the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : delight b : the expression or exhibition of such emotion : gaiety

Joy is a reaction to what God has done for you. It should be natural, but often times we let our joy get crowded out by our other emotions. The honest truth is that the reaction of joy comes with a certain perspective—a perspective that we’re commanded to have in the Bible.

Rejoice always —I Thessalonians 5:16

What Joy is Not

A Christian’s joy comes from the eternal perspective that we should have. It is not happiness. It is not circumstantial like happiness. It is based solely out of God’s love for us and his provision for us through the cross. Joy comes from a changed heart—a thankful heart.

So what happens when we encounter hard circumstances? Here’s what Jeremiah said when he encountered difficult times in Lamentations:

Yet this I call to mind 
 and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, 
 for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; 
 great is your faithfulness. —Lamentations 3:21-23

We can still have hope and joy despite our current troubles because we trust God to provide for us. He is faithful. His mercy is new each morning.

When Joy is Hard to Find

Often when we don’t feel close to God, we don’t feel the immediate effects of His joy. For example, when our relationship with God is damaged because of kind of sin, can we still count on God’s joy even when we wrong Him?

Unlike humans, God is quick to forgive when you ask him. Does it hurt him when we sin? Yes. Can he still love us? Yes. Can we still have joy? Yes.

See how David approached this in the Psalms:

For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning. —Psalm 30:5

As quickly as night turns into day, our weeping turns to joy. God is faithful and has forgiven us through his sacrifice. What then is our reaction to be?

JOY.

Freedom to Rejoice

The joy of the Lord makes our lives enjoyable even in tough circumstances—because it gives us strength.

Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength. —Nehemiah 8:10

Closing Activity

Pair them up (if you have big/lil sisters this is a great time for that), and have them complete these activities and share.

• Count your blessings—write down 10 things you’re thankful for, therefore over which you have joy
• Count her blessings—what are some of the things that you see in the others’ life that they should be thankful for, find joy in?
• Brainstorm ways to show your joy each day, or to remind yourself of your joy each day. (Share solutions with the entire group).
• Thank God—take a few moments to pray to thank God for these blessings and to ask that his joy would make you strong in Him each day.

That’s precisely what we hope to be able to help you with today. There is no sure-fire cure that will keep an entire squad football season ready throughout the summer, but there are a couple of ways to encourage them to keep up their skills even though they’re not in school.

• Practices (optional or required)

Because the school that I went to had camp mid-July, we practiced once a week during the summer to make sure that we were prepared. However, this isn’t always practical. Offering open-gym style practices at various times throughout the summer months can be more enticing and a way to supervise their skills in a safe environment. Whether once a week or once a month, these practices give them a chance to come see their friends and keep their skills in check for the season.

• Summer Fitness Homework

Sometimes the cheerleaders just don’t know where to start. You can help them by giving them a small amount of conditioning exercises weekly through e-mail or once at the beginning of the summer. If you really want to enforce it, you can have parents sign off on it, but sometimes the suggestion is powerful enough.

• Phone tree/buddy up

Lastly, if you’re serious about your summer fitness, you can buddy them up or put some kind of phone tree into action to keep them accountable for their fitness. This can be profitable because it teaches them responsibility, accountability, and because it keeps them working out throughout the summer.

Sometimes all a team needs is a little direction and encouragement. It may help to tell them that if they come back strong you can move on to the harder stunts or other skills because they will have mastered the basic ones. You just have to find the right motivation for your team this year.

Your camp cheer should show off your squad's strengths.

Going to camp usually means bringing a piece of your creativity with you in the form of a camp cheer. Debuting this cheer at camp can be a victory or a disaster. Below, I’ve listed a few ways to make your camp cheer a success story.

• Plan ahead.

Even before you sit down with words in front of you, you may want to think through how much you want to pack into this cheer. Know whether it is best to have a performance cheer or a crowd-oriented cheer for your organization. Decide if you want a jump, tumbling, stunts or all of the above. Think through your squad’s strengths and the formations.

• Find the words.

Words for me are often the hardest part. Now that you know what you want to put into it, you’ll need to put together a cheer long enough to accommodate those skills. Search online and pull pieces together that you like and that aren’t the same, everyday cheer words that you’re familiar with.

• Add motions.

This is the fun part. Since you have the formation (with easy access to stunt groups if you’re adding stunts) and the skills figured out and placed in the cheer, you may now begin adding in the motions. Traditional cheer motions are always a great place to start. Think about adding a couple of “dancy” motions in for variety and adding levels or ripples.

• Keep it simple.

Don’t overwork your team. Camp represents a difficult time where a new squad first gets it all together. You want to use skills that they have mastered cleanly and that they can accomplish when they’re tired (because they will be). You can always make it more difficult at camp if they’re up to the challenge, but hitting their egos with a “watered-down” version is not usually the best way to start off a year.

Camp is a catalyst for your whole cheer year. Be a success story by showing how your team can work together with a cheer that they can accomplish victoriously. Building a squad of confident, strong cheerleaders is the goal—start here with a knock-out cheer.

What is your process for preparing a camp cheer?

Photo: Beth Rankin– Flickr Creative Commons