All-Star Cheer Extreme Questions And Answers From Courtney

[Ceacoach]

What do you think inspires your athletes to work so hard for what they want and never give up? And how do you think they have affected your life by working with your teams for so long?

I would imagine all athletes in this sport are that way...it takes a strong athlete mentally, physically, and emotionally to endure what we all do for 365 days and risk it all in 2 minutes and 30 seconds at the end. In a way, I think it trains our kids for life...interviews are no different for the dream job they all want. We all train for that one big shot. For CEA specifically, I hope the kids know how much their coaches believe in them inside and outside of the gym and want for them to succeed. I think they know when they look across the mat in the eye of every team mate there is the same drive and determination to give everything possible for the good of the group. I just love being a part of the magic of being a kid again...watching their dreams develop keeps me young at heart and reminds me of the things that are most precious in this life... love, hope, and trust.

 

[Ceacoach]

Is there anyone on Senior Elite that doesn't have much tumbling?
Because I actually saw in the jump section, some girls ducked down on the tucks.

We always pick a few girls for their superior stunt skills. Everyone on the team can throw countless jumps to back when they aren't tired...but our stunt section always prevents a few from being able to consistently land 10 out of 10 times. I have never seen a scoresheet where that has been a factor ( I of course could be wrong ). I do this for a few reasons: #1 They deserve a spot on this team whether its for heart, dedication, number of years here, etc. #2 For all the aspiring Senior Elite girls in the gym that dream about being on this team...it gives hope to those who excel in pyramids and stunting and may never have the tumbling skills they would need to make say the other teams in our division. I think this sport is all about using everyone's talents effectively...tumbling is only part of the scoresheet. PS. In reference to this season...the new flip in the dance created some hip flexor injuries ( a muscle they had previously rarely used ) and made it hard for a few of these kids to jump period...much less jump to back. On a separate note... Our dance was so much better and we loved it..

 

[Ceacoach]

who can i email about your clothes website if i have a question?

You can contact my mom at 336-682-2338 Betsy :)

 

[Ceacoach]

What advise would you give to young coaches (such as myself) just starting out?

Be yourself...love your kids...watch infinite hours of youtube videos studying the intricacies of the sport...judge a few events so you can see what the other side of the pen is like...make it fun for all ages...don't be afraid to move your kids up a level on the hopes that they achieve new skills...they almost always rise to the expectation...seek the best you can in music and dance choreography ( JR , Jamein, Jamie Parrish :) and find competitions where they are both challenged at some points of the season and experience a level of success ( not those where they are the only one in the division ). Make your focus stunting in the gym and not just tumbling ( we can teach a 16 year old to base a full up MUCH faster than we can teach them a double full from scratch ). Bond with your kids outside of the gym...Read "Beyond Basketball" and "Mind Gym"

 

[xtremecoach10]

After reading all of your comments..I love the passion and drive that you have as a gym owner! I want to come be on an international team there when I graduate!!!

 

[Ceacoach]

What tumbling can your kids do?
Do they ever not like it or one like it more than the other? How do you deal with if they felt they wanted to not cheer anymore since it is a huge part of your life

Kenley is 6 and is working on a round off hs tuck and standing tuck...Carley who is 7 is just starting tucks. We didn't let Kenley join at first and she watched her sister cheer for 6 months back in the tiny days...I think when we finally let her on a team she was just so excited she keeps trying to prove herself. Kenley sits in the chair with me most Sunday's from 1-9 and gets a front row seat to all our level 5's...she loves it. Carley loves the social aspect of it and dancing the most..plus she is an avid recycler and takes charge of the parent section most nights ( she also sells the contents of lost and found sometimes when we won't buy her another drink :) . We don't talk about cheerleading or practice past the one mile stop sign on our drive home...and I would never let them if they didn't want to do it. I am a firm believer that kids have to do this for themselves and completely for themselves and ANY attempt at motivation or participation by the parents corrupts a kids natural tendency to reach their own goals. PS This is REALLY hard to do each day...but I know what happens all too well on the other end.

 

[Ceacoach]

Another question. Do you pull girls from all of the CEA gyms for SE team?

No, our Raleigh teams pull from Greenville and Sanford. Kville pulls from Salem and Lake Norman. Occasionally we swap kids from Raleigh to Kville and vice versa mostly for kid specific needs such as a team to fly on..a higher level spot opening...etc.

 

[Ceacoach]

@Ceacoach I don't know if you've seen them at the local North Carolina competitions, but Odyssey Athletics used to have the zebra mascot come out on stage with them haha

Oh we've seen them...Kenley is terrified of mascots...I've actually had a few conversations with the zebra himself asking him to try not to make my daughter cry ... I think we've out grown those days.

 

[Ceacoach]

so when maddie graduates SE, have you given any thought to who would step in as point flyer? im thinking cute little kenley, but thats just me:)
serious question though, whats your least favorite part of the season?

I haven't sufficiently mourned the loss of the great 13 yet...not even letting that thought enter my mind until April 2012

 

[Ceacoach]

As a coach in a part of the world where cheer is just developing I was wondering what the best piece of advise you have for those trying to promote cheer throughout the rest of the world is?

This is a great question...We'd love to travel overseas and help :)
Honestly, this sport is so perfect for girls with its mixture of athleticism, grace, beauty, and performance....i would keep on introducing it to as many people as possible...Most of the US gyms started in a backyard somewhere back in the day and we loved it so much we made it into what it is today with sheer will power. There is so much available on the internet now it you shouldn't have to reinvent the wheel. The more exposure the better at all ages and levels.

 

[Ceacoach]

what teams are planning on attending Jamfest SuperNationals?

Not totally sure at this point...we are offering surveys to all our Kernersville families at this time during parent meetings. My guess would be the Kville Level 5 teams.

 

[Ceacoach]

just a thought...what if those bigger/smaller gyms worked together...not the big gym buying out the small gym, but that small gym training lower levels and training them to "feed into" the bigger gym level 5s?

I think in theory this is truly the answer...however any coach that has ever lost an athlete to another gym knows this isn't something anyone would willing put themselves through. It hurts too much.

 

[Ceacoach]

I debated asking this question for a long time, don't want to sound like I'm questioning your abilities as a coach, that would just be ignorant of me.

I haven't intensely studied any score sheets and would not call myself an expert what so ever, but to the best of my knowledge & as far as I'm aware if something is not done by the majority, it is not going to "up" (or shouldn't) your difficulty score. That being said, why was the decision made to put in such a risky stunt (Maddie's "highlight" stunt on SE) if it's not going to be done by majority (5+), therefore, (again as far as I'm aware) it wouldn't really impact the score more than if she did the same stunt everyone else did. It seems like in this situation (to me anyways) the risk is greater than the reward. Now maybe I'm wrong and it can significantly help your score, or maybe it's just for the wow factor?

This isn't meant as an attack, I often wonder this, not just about CEA but any teams that have an extremely "risky" element in their routine that isn't done by the majority. This was well known example.

What a great question.

We set up our routine both in 2010 and 2011 for 8 elite stunts. We were fully capable with a healthy team of doing 9 on "Any Given Sunday"...we didn't because at the last minute when you have to put in subs ( ie...every SINGLE time we competed this season ) the stunt is too hard to teach. We had no choice but to do 9 at some point for our quantity score...using Maddie's stunt as a focal point ( plus the Maddie Davis and Erica this season ) detracted from the straight up versions of our other groups. At Worlds we received a 49.5 from every judge in stunting ( even on day 2 )...while falling hurt our overall impression...this risk proved very effective all other times we were on the mat.

 

[Ceacoach]

Love this thread and that you are so real about it, "honesty is the best policy" and you are truly inspiring once again through this thread.
Questions:

1. I have heard some "rumors" Jay is moving and not going to be doing CEA videos anymore. Any truth to that? I sure hope not...but he travels to the events regardless of our homeplace and I hope he will always cover our teams...he is gifted in his own right and we respect, appreciate, and admire all he has done for our program...He's a senior elite alumni dad ya know?

2. How does it make you feel to know your little seed (one CEA gym) has grown into an field of wildflowers (multiple gyms) and do you ever have times where you think you just can't do it anymore ( like completely overwhelmed)? Its so funny that you used this metaphor...I sent a story about the sunflower field in Dallas once that was symbolic of this. It makes me proud. It does certainly make our staff stretch to the limits but there is no way we could effectively compete against the populations of Atlanta, Dallas, Miami, etc without out reaching our program to expand our geographical reach. Yes it is hard..but very worth it to offer what we love to do to kids who would not otherwise have the opportunity.

3. How did Kelly ( your sister) become involved in CEA? When I first was learning about CEA I associated it with just you and Ben. Now I am starting to hear about how much Kelly is invloved and Betsy ( more behind the scenes but def. a huge part) and I just LOVE the family aspect of it all. However, does Kelly ever get jealous of your noteriety with CEA? Kelly and My mom ARE CEA just like I am...Mom is the fearless leader ( friend request Betsy Smith on facebook...it will make her day )...Mom runs the whole operation by hand with no computer...and is simply amazing..generous, loving, compassionate, and quite fiesty for someone who weighs 95 lbs. She takes great care of us. My sister is the reason I started coaching in 1991...for her and and her friends..she has grown up cheering for me ( I learned how to spot everything with her as the guinea pig ). She was valedictorian of both her high school and of NC State where she cheered for 4 years. She started the Raleigh program when she graduated in 2006. She is brilliant and every bit as responsible for our success as I am.

4. I have heard SOOOO many things about how one coach of CEA this past season abruptly left ( or was fired ) bc he wanted to start his own cheer gym. What are your true feeling about that situation and situations like that ( which happen in other gyms as well).

 

[Ceacoach]

Your Gym is awesome!
I Love Senior Elite!:D
Do you think that senior elite will come back really strong this year?
How is it looking?

I am chomping at the bit to pick this team and get started. We learn so much every season and have had several seasons of very strong junior teams to fill the roles of the graduates.