High School Captains Or No Captains?

[lisa G]

I ask the question because i have been the coach for two years with the following results...

Year 1 - i allowed the teams to vote and the Varsity team ended up a popularity contest and the "captains" did nothing but complain to me that the girls didn't listen and the "others" complained the captains did nothing but i told them when i let them pick that they had to keep whoever they picked and deal with it.

Year 2 - i selected captains because the way i did it the first year did not work. Everything was fine on JV but for Varsity only two of the three captains helped (i really had three to make sure there was a senior too) and three games before the end of the year some of the senior girls didn't like one of the captain choices so their parents complained to principal and the pricinpal wanted me to announce that girl as an additional captain. I refused to do that and "fired" all of the captains to make the principal happy. That also caused the principal to make me change everything else the girls didn't like. I did that and then the girls weren't happy with the new way so they went back and complained that it wasn't any fun so the principal made me undo the "new" changes and let them do whatever they wanted at the games (i.e. where to stand, who called cheers, etc). Needless to say our last three games we looked crappy and hardly did any cheers. Those senior girls then had to the nerve to post on social media that the last games of their senior year were ruined because of the way i ran things...Really because things were running just fine all season until you complained about me.

This year i am NOT going to have captains but what i am considering is having the 5 senior girls that have cheered all 3 previous years become team "leaders"....what do you think, is this a good idea?

 

[Cheermom4lyfe]

Whatever strategy for selecting team leaders and the title you give them, you may want to first write down 1) characteristics you require in said leader (GPA, evidence of other leadership skills, etc??), AND 2) your expectation of those leaders once selected (call cheers, communicate to others, plan activities??) What is the purpose of this position and who are the best people to fulfill the responsibility is the only way to approach this. Is your "captain" an honorary title with no responsibility? Do you reward Seniors just for being seniors? This is what I would consider if in your position.


Lee Franconia Cheer

 

[AScheer]

I had captains my first two years. My third year I did away with them and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. All upperclassman and veterans are expected to act like leaders and lead by example. No one is the boss or has any more power than another. The natural leaders that the team listens to will be apparent, but there won't be any big heads or power trips. If there is something I would need a captain for I choose based on recent actions, behavior and work ethic.


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[Haileycheer]

Captains/leaders should be based on behavior, grades, and of course their ability to lead the team. The leader should have a limited amount of authority over everyone else, because it is in fact a TEAM sport. Everyone should have a say in decisions, and the captains cannot think of themselves, they need to always think and do what is best for the team. Make sure the girls understand that the leaders job is not to change positions and put themselves in the front of the lineup, but give the spot to the girl who does the best job, has worked hard, and has earned it.

 

[CoachKar]

I would put something into your cheer constitution that both the girls and parents sign. Have in there that if so and so happened x amount of times than you forfeit the role of captain. That way the know they have to be on top of their game to keep the title plus it makes it so the parents can't complain because they will have read and agreed to the constitution if they signed it. This year I had two captains, I had one that was the perfect example of what a captain should be and then I actually picked my "problem" child to be a captain as well. I was hoping that her having that spot would make her work harder and be more of a mentor to the younger girls and it ended up working. They knew that I would not hesitate to take away their title, it also helps that our school has a VERY supportive principle which always helps.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Had them.

Was a real crapshoot.

If I return to school cheer, I will not be having them anymore.

 

[cheernerd5678]

Captains/leaders should be based on behavior, grades, and of course their ability to lead the team. The leader should have a limited amount of authority over everyone else, because it is in fact a TEAM sport. Everyone should have a say in decisions, and the captains cannot think of themselves, they need to always think and do what is best for the team. Make sure the girls understand that the leaders job is not to change positions and put themselves in the front of the lineup, but give the spot to the girl who does the best job, has worked hard, and has earned it.

You mean captains shouldn't get to rearrange a formation to put themselves front and center? :rolleyes: my whole cheer experience has been a lie.
For real though. Captain =\= coach. They need to be supervised because they're teenage girls. It's hard to keep emotions out of it. Coaches need to make sure they're not playing favorites with the captains - they're going to make mistakes and you can't just side with them because they're captains.


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[Flexiii_Lexiii]

You should definitely try captains one last time, third times the charm? (;


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[vannahlexis]

We never had captains when I cheered. I think it eliminated a lot of potential cattiness between the girls because no one was jealous of the captains. It allowed the natural leaders to take over.

Actually, come to think of it, we did have captains my freshman year. They were the two seniors we had on our team- who would have lead the team regardless of the title. I almost forgot we had captains in the first place, because they didn't really make much of a difference.

All four of my cheer years we decided amongst everything with a team discussion and no captain ruling. It ran pretty smoothly as well.

 

[Haileycheer]

@cheernerd5678 Yes haha! Thats exactly how it is at my high school, its terrible!!

 

[Twinklestars]

We had uniform try-ons last week. The girls voted for captain. We have a senior captain, a junior co-capt, and a sophomore co-capt. I am not sure how the voting actually turned out since the coach said she would make the final decision. Right now, I like that it is spread across the grades, but worried that those are the girls she has picked for future captains.


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[MHSCheercoach]

No captains. I did away with them at the school I coach when I took over, as I explained to them "there is only one boss, that is me". I have a calendar and schedule set up for choosing cheers for games, uniforms to wear, and responsibilities at practice (stretching, conditioning, mats, etc). This way everyone gets a chance to "be in charge" without being in charge. It gives them each a stake in the team without giving too much privilege to one person. I found this works out best and eliminates cattiness. If you have a large squad (unlike me) then put two or three cheerleaders in charge of picking cheers, etc at each game but let them know that you still have ultimate say, they are simply getting more say in preference.
Good luck, it's really a personal choice, but I say if it's been an issue then take it away and see how it works because those who have been on the squad or know how things have been in the past are already going to have a negative mindset to the "captain" issue.