The Determination to have a Cheer Season

Almost every coach I have talked with has told me that they still do not have any idea what their season is going to look like.  Will they be able to cheer for football?  Will they be able to compete?  

Many coaches feel like they are at a standstill.  Most teams are not allowed to stunt.  They can only do so much at practice…..IF they are even allowed to practice.  Zoom practices are only productive to a certain degree.  

I am right there with you. As a coach I can relate to getting a plan in place and then the restrictions change.  I wish I knew what my team’s season would look like too. It is challenging to be able to motivate a team and prepare for the school year when you don’t even know WHEN you are going to cheer at games or IF you will even cheer at games.

I am never a worst case scenario type of person, but I do try to strategize my plans based on a worst case scenario. If a plan is in place then maybe if the worst case happens, you can still have something positive come from the situation.  Worst case scenario...I really hate even writing this, but…...worst case - we cannot cheer at games because there will be no games and we cannot compete because they cancel the competitions.

I began to think, what if everything is cancelled?  What will I do with my team?  As of now, my team can practice with many restrictions.  We are learning cheers and dances.  We are working jumps and tumbling (skills they can do without a spot).  If the sports that we cheer for are cancelled, but we are still allowed to practice, I realized we can still do something.

This is my worst case scenario plan. 

Support What we Can

Find out if ANY sports will take place.  In my state, golf, tennis, and softball, as of now, will take place this season.  Of the three sports, my school has a golf team.  How in the world can you cheer for golf? This is not a sport that you can actually be on the fairway and cheer, but I decided it wouldn’t hurt to make up a golf cheer, put it on video, and post it!  Check out the cheer in this blog post.  

In addition to sports, find out what activities and clubs will be taking place.  Can you make up cheers for them?  Can you send them special gifts your team makes and/or send them encouraging notes?

Utilize Online Platforms through Video

If cheer competitions and the sports that the cheerleaders cheer for gets cancelled, I decided that we can still take advantage of the ability to post videos online through social media, the school newsletter and more.  This is as long as my team can still practice together.  Just like the golf cheer, we will perform cheers and dances to promote school spirit.  We plan to do a cheer a week and a dance once a month.  We can do this six-feet apart!  

You Can Lead the Way for School Spirit

During this uncertain time, it is important as cheer coaches we lead the way on building school spirit even if the students are not in the classroom, or in the classroom with social distancing in place. We cannot change the current situation with COVID-19, but we can choose to be leaders that promote school spirit!  Whether our cheerleaders are on the sideline, the competition mat or practicing via Zoom, we can be an example of how to rise to the occasion with school spirit regardless of the current climate.  

If you are implementing school spirit ideas, I would love to hear them.  Email me here!