CBN Jun/Jul 2010
$11,000 Raised at COA Mid America Nationals for Ailing Athlete
Coaches, judges, athletes and spectators at Cheerleaders of American (COA) Mid America Nationals contributed nearly $11,000 to help Ally Ross, an athlete from Kansas City Athletic Cheer who is struggling with cancer. The fundraising began at Ally’s gym, where coaches, athletes and parents raised $1,700 before enlisting the help of COA, which then set up a fundraising booth at the competition to sell the T-shirts and bracelets her family had made to raise money. Enough purchases and donations were made over a 48-hour period that COA was able to present Ally’s family with check for $10,743. The Kansas State cheerleaders who worked the event gave Ally a T-shirt signed by the entire squad and their mascot, Willy the Wildcat. Ally can rest assured that even though she’s battling a tough disease, she has an industry of cheerleaders behind her.
AACCA Launches New Cheer Safety Online Search Tool
The American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA) is now offering an online search tool that will make it easy to know if a coach has completed the AACCA Cheerleading Safety Course. Using this tool, certified coaches can find out when they need to renew their certification or print out a lost certificate. Administrators and parents can also check online to make sure coaches have completed the course and are up to date with safety requirements. To try the tool yourself, visit aacca.org/coachsearch.
Additions To the Varsity Family Plan
Beginning with the 2010–11 season, Cheer Ltd. and Mardi Gras Spirit Events have joined the Varsity Family Plan, and all their companies will be included. There have been no mergers or changes in ownership of either event company, but their addition to the VFP will financially benefit the hundreds of teams that attend their annual competitions.
UPA Announces Its Coaches of the Year and Hall of Fame Inductees
Top Five UPA National Cheer Coaches of the Year Recipients:
- Nikki Baker, Club Kicks, Nebraska
- Dave DeBolt, Planet Spirit, Minnesota
- Kristine Penca, Glitz, Iowa
- Todd Knihnitski, U of Saskatchewan & Prairie Fire Cheerleading, Canada
- Scott Natrass, Rocky Mountain Elite, Colorado
2010 UPA Hall of Fame Inductees:
- Susana Reyes, ULA Dragones, Mexico
- Sue Godes, Planet Spirit, Minnesota
AmeriCheer Acquires ECDA
AmeriCheer, Inc., has welcomed the Eastern Cheer and Dance Association (ECDA) to its family. Having successfully operated independently for more than 25 years, the partnership is anticipated to strengthen both organizations while offering new opportunities to clients. ECDA’s customers will be able to enjoy Cheer Bucks, one of AmeriCheer’s rewards programs, and qualify for the All-American Spirit Team Specialty Events. The industry will also benefit with a new competition in Washington, D.C.—the D.C. Extreme National Championship—which will be held in January 2011 at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center.
Coastal Corporation’s Judge of the Year
Congratulations to Kevin Braasch of Middletown, PA, for being named the Coastal Corporation’s 2010 Judge of the Year. After judging nationally for the last decade, Braasch is amazed at the growth of our sport and looks forward to what new trends will be established in the industry.
New IEP Board Member
The Independent Event Producers (IEP) has elected AmeriCheer, Inc. president and founder Elizabeth Rossetti to its Board of Directors. Rossetti will be taking the seat formerly held by previous Eastern Cheer and Dance Association president Kim Dornak.
JAM U Offering Free Attendance
If your program has attended four or more JAM Brands Events and you’re sending two paid coaches to this year’s JAM U, you can also send up to two owners free of charge. JAM U will be held on June 25–26 in Louisville, KY. Speakers include:
- Elaine Pascale, World Cup
- Morton Bergue, Cheergyms.com
- Courtney Smith-Pope, Cheer Extreme
- Debbie Love, tumbling consultant
- Kathy Penree, CNY
- Jeff Metzger, Kids First Sports Center
- Angie Tyler, All About Kids Sports Center
- Terry Stapp, Partner, Buetow, LeMastus & Dick
Safety Tip of the Month
presented by American Association of Cheerleading Coaches
and Administrators (AACCA)
Safety and Overtraining
Overtraining is the term used to describe when an athlete’s physical output exceeds their capacity for recovery. The body needs to recover in order to improve and perform skills safely. The effect of overtraining can be that an athlete’s physical performance will level off and may actually decline.
In cheerleading, it’s not uncommon for an athlete to cheer on multiple all-star teams or on their school team as well as an all-star team. The same athlete may also be playing organized soccer or jogging on their own for miles a day. In most cases, coaches don’t know what other activities are being pursued by each of their athletes.
Parents and athletes need to be aware of overtraining and its symptoms in order for them to make the best decisions about their activity level. There are many great resources online to further educate yourself at aacca.org/overtraining.
Tips to help avoid overtraining:
- Don’t overload your schedule. If all your athletics have you training five or six days a week for three hours a day, that’s too much.
- Alternate muscle groups when training. Weightlifters work different areas of the body on opposite days to allow more recovery time. If you’re conditioning, consider using this training method.
- Vary the intensity. Working on a new skill with coaching and review in between attempts has a different physical
Inside American Cheerleader
American Cheerleader’s June issue has everything your athletes need to get the most out of cheer camp, from our top six things about camp and how to choose the perfect one to attend, to avoiding camp drama and finding the coolest retro camp clothes. Make sure your team also checks out our newest Cheerleader of the Month, Caitlin Hering, from World Cup in Freehold, NJ. And they definitely shouldn’t miss our Squad of the Month, Pro Spirit, who will inspire them to get out there and give back to the community. Get excited for AC’s August issue, which will equip your cheerleaders with the best for back-to-school!
A Letter of Thanks from Jason Mitchell of Arizona Heat Elite
This past Thanksgiving, my wife, [Krystal], was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. My business partner of 13 years found a tumor in her left breast, and we were told by the doctors that this was a very fast-growing form of carcinoma. Chemo was started two weeks later, and we found out that our insurance would not cover Krystal’s chemo treatments.
From day one, the support from students and families in the gym, our small group at church and our cheer community was amazing. We had people praying for Krystal and our family from all over the United States. A calendar was set up to help with meals on chemo weeks through families in the gym and our church. A family in the gym had bracelets made with Krystal’s name on them and “Attitude is Everything,” which is a main focus that we share with the team members in our gym. A dear friend and mom in the gym set up a blog for Krystal (caringbridge.org) to be able to share her experience.
Fifteen days after chemo started, Krystal’s hair began to fall out. On top of the effects that the chemo treatments took on Krystal’s body, she was now dealing with the mental anguish of losing her hair. Prior to Christmas, Krystal decided to have me shave her head, and later that week in the mail, our JamCare rep sent Krystal some beautiful hair bands that she had made with her own two hands to lift her spirits.
As word spread about Krystal’s situation and our insurance company not covering our insurmountable medical bills, some families in our gym decided that they wanted to open an account for people to be able to donate money to help pay for these bills. A few weeks later they came to us and asked if we would be okay with them putting on a fundraiser to help with this burden. We agreed, and they decided to do a Casino night. The event was May 7, and they had all of the expenses covered through sponsors. Some families in our gym were able to get the Breast Cancer Society to sponsor the event to make donations tax deductible.
In April, a mom in the gym who sells jewelry at the American Championships events asked the Spirit Team if they would allow her to set up a booth for donations for us to help with
the medical bills. They agreed, and we were so blessed to see the industry come together once again to show its love for Krystal.
We have found out that we have been accepted for state aid, so all medical bills going forward should be paid. Krystal has had surgery, and the doctors are optimistic that they were able to get all of the cancer. She currently has only one more round of chemo before radiation starts.
I don’t share all of this with you to receive your sympathy, because everyone has trials that God allows to happen during our lives, but to share with you how the cheer industry has stood beside us to support and offer up ways to ease this burden for Krystal and our family. The hearts of the families in our gym, other gym owners and coaches, as well as the event producers have been amazing. Krystal and I have been overwhelmed by the love and support we have received. The fight is far from over for her, but dealing with it has been easier because of our cheer family. So, thank you to everyone for your continued prayers, support and love!–Jason Mitchell
ACE Takes Over Two Premier Locations
ACE Cheer Co. has added Nashville and Murfreesboro, TN, to its list of locations after taking over two Premier Athletics all-star programs. This is not considered a merger, as no teams or staff have been combined. ACE will simply be running the programs already established, with some Premier staff members staying on. The two programs will start competing under the ACE name in the 2010-2011 season.
Premier Athletics Mergers
Premier Athletics Cincinnati Elite All-Stars has partnered with Spirit of Kentucky to form a
new competitive program in the greater Cincinnati area. Next season, they’ll add Premier Athletics of Lexington, which is merging with Kentucky Elite and Showtime Spirit. The merger hopes to benefit the athletes and families in the tri-state area. The official names and colors of both of these newly formed programs had not yet been decided as this issue went to print.
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