High School Ideas. Needed

[Tori Vandepas]

so recently i was hired as the jv coach for my former high school
i couldnt be happier, im just kinda playing around and coming up with ideas for music, cheers, themes, and everything.
wondering if any of you had suggestions.
id love to hear them!!

 

[MHSCheercoach]

Try and stay away from current music, everyone seems to do the "popular now" songs. Then you go to a competition or perform at your games and everyone comments about how it's the same music as so and so. UGH! Also, try to be innovative. Even if you use old cheers or use camp ones try and add your own squad personality to it or signature move, stunt etc. Good Luck

 

[gymcatmomx2]

I would search on YouTube for videos of schools pep rallies and performances in other parts of the country. They could give you some different ideas that maybe you hadn't thought about as well as some new material. Check out school's cheer pages also. They have videos of chants and cheers as well as dances that you can incorporate into your squad.

 

[Tori Vandepas]

thank you both. i never thought about looking at other countries. i mean i know cheers i cheered for the school ill be coaching at but they havent been able to compete and havent been taken seriously because the lack of a good genuine passionate coach and i really want to make a big turn around and comeback. but thank you both great ideas!

 

[CheerKatie08]

Congratulations, coach!

My best advice would be to attend a summer camp! They will set you up with some great music, cheers, dances, and stunts. As a first year coach, it's important to set your expectations when you first enter the program. Attending summer camp is a great way to do this.

Fun personal story about my alma mater: Rocky Point High School never competed until a new coach took over their JV team in 2002. This coach decided to change the program around and have summer camp for her team. A few years later, in '06, she got the position of varsity coach and enrolled them in a regional competition just to see how they'd do. They got a bid to nationals, but didn't make it out of Day 1. The coach kept taking her kids to UCA camps, and with each year their skill level progressed. They returned to nationals every year, making it closer and closer to finals. By 2010, they had a national title.

This proves that your passion can help to turn the program around! I'm also from New York & can give you the contact info for our UCA regional director if you'd like. There are a ton of different options, and Joe is very helpful in helping you decide which type of camp would be right for you!

Good luck this season :cheering:

 

[MHSCheercoach]

thank you both. i never thought about looking at other countries. i mean i know cheers i cheered for the school ill be coaching at but they havent been able to compete and havent been taken seriously because the lack of a good genuine passionate coach and i really want to make a big turn around and comeback. but thank you both great ideas!

I've been in your shoes and know what it's like to have to and want to turn a program around. Being passionate and knowing your stuff is key number 1. The second obstacle is to get your squad to understand that what has been allowed or acceptable in the past is not anymore. Have a very detailed rule book and go over it with your squad explaining why you made the rule. Talk to them about how you want them to be taken seriously and you want them to be proud of how they look during games. Pride is so important. Work on the basics! You don't have to push for hard stunts and such, yet, just work on doing nice clean cheers and sidelines that involve the crowd. Get the girls involved in community activities so that the community starts seeing the girls in a different light as well. Cheer camp is always great, but if that's not possible see if there are any all star coaches or college coaches near you that might come in and help for a day to work on cheer skills, a lot of the time they will do this for free or a small fee.
My first year I focused on changing the communities attitudes and the girls, we set reasonable goals and surpassed them. The second year we did a couple small competitions and stepped up our cheers, goals, and expectations. Now I'm on my third year and we are looking at going to state competition and pushing ourselves to be "that team" that other students and other schools look up to. It all begins with the basics though! Good luck and if you ever need help, advice, or someone to vent to I'm here for ya!

 

[B*sBeLifting]

so recently i was hired as the jv coach for my former high school
i couldnt be happier, im just kinda playing around and coming up with ideas for music, cheers, themes, and everything.
wondering if any of you had suggestions.
id love to hear them!!

I'm not sure what you mean by themes, as such, because I've never had a pep rally as a UK cheerleader - but I do think that sometimes themes can be a little too restrictive. The kids will want to be learning new and different things so whilst themes are absolutely fantastic for special events, try not to get too caught up in having to make everything fit into a certain category.

Also, this is kind of outside what you were asking so sorry if you think I'm being rude/out of line - I just think it's also a good idea to involve the kids as much as possible. I think it really helps encourage team unity and a passion for the sport beyond practice if they are engaged on more than a physical level. Like, for example, if you want to run charity events, can your team have a charity rep? They can still run as much as you think necessary by you, of course, but it gives them something extra to be involved in. (Plus it'll look good on their college applications!) Or like a socials rep, uniform and equipment rep, anything.

Even, thinking long time and getting really overexcited for you, training a couple of people up as assistant coaches each year and generating new leaders in that way?

Congratulations, coach!

 

[Tori Vandepas]

Thank you both and although this is my first high school coaching job i have been an all star coach for three years with 5 national titles under my belt as a coach. We cannot make them attend summer camp they do have the option but it is expensive for them and unfortunately i was not hired until after they had the option. And i am all about the idea of getting them involved in the community and have ideas stirring in my head. Thank you @mshscheercoach for the suggestion of a rule book I'm definitely going to go with something along those lines because i want them to be taken seriously at the school with their peers and the community. And I'm going as simple as i can i understand they are not all star kids and cannot be expected to perform high level stunts on command. If all they can do is simple preps and extensions that's all they will do. As far as theme goes that was more aimed towards competition season which is kinda far away but i wanna be ready. I wasn't thinking like super structured theme more like something to base music and bows and apparels around to keep it fun for them like one year my all star team did a "hot like fire" theme we got flame bows and flame spankies. Something along those lines but ill have to get know the girls first and bounce ideas off them. I want to share my passion and develop theirs' the best i can. Thank you all so much you've been a huge help and hopefully can continue to be.