As I sit here and watch the World Cup I can’t help but wonder what can be learned from this event and soccer, in general, that can be applied to the competitive Cheerleading and Dance industry. The first thing I notice is the game of soccer is an easy concept, which is probably why it’s the most popular sport in the World. Competitive Cheerleading and Dance are not. There are many participants and parents that don’t really understand it, and even a few coaches that don’t understand it well enough. I can’t help but wonder what we can do to simplify it.
Second, it’s easy to tell who’s winning and who won a soccer match. Can we say this about our industry? Scoring, with or without a standardized score sheet, is complicated and sometimes just bad. Although I’m not yet a fan of a universal scoring system, mainly because I have yet to see one that I want to be stuck with at every competition, it is inevitable that we will have one in the future.
Finally, the passion of the fans is unmatched. What can we do to get more Cheerleading and Dance fans and make them as passionate about our activity as so many people are about soccer. We have many participants that are passionate, but how do we get people that have never participate to become fans and participants?
Andre
P.S. For World Cup 2014 in Brazil/Brasil, can we avoid cheer drama that takes me away from the games? Please tell me that is not too much to ask.