Tag: Coaches

Connect the Kids

A long time ago, when I first started coaching Tiny and Mini aged kids, I was told kids won’t do anything for you until they think you care about them. This was quickly proven true. At that age some of the kids instantly decide you are best friends and you are good from the first moment. Others are a little more suspicious of new people and it takes more effort to build trust and rapport with them, so step 1 was getting the kids to like you.

A recent conversation with a coach reminded me that sometimes competitiveness in this area isn’t the best thing. The conversation was about a coach who was so determined to be every child’s favorite that he was in some ways cutting down the other coaches to improve his position. Even though I think wanting to be the favorite can be a good thing I don’t think doing it at the expense of others is good. I hope coaches are putting in effort to ensure each kid connects with someone on staff without getting too caught up on being the one each kid connects with. It is great to be the coach every kid loves, but much more important that every kid feels loved.

 

 

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Certifiably Challenged

I’ve worked scoring and deduction challenges at several events in the past, usually on the deductions side, but occasionally on the scoring side. In doing this I’ve been part of and have overheard many discussions related to scoring and rules in our industry and it has left me with an idea for an experiment.

I’d like to see what would happen if a major event required the coach to be certified in that category to be able to challenge a score. Using legality deductions as an example, only USASF certified judges would be able to challenge a legality issue. The exception I would add for legality concerns is if the skill was sent in via the USASF Coach App. If you aren’t certified and didn’t send it in there is no opportunity to get a legality deduction reviewed. Similarly on the scoring side, you’d need to be a certified building judge to challenge your stunt score, etc.

I believe this would accomplish a couple things. First, I think it would incentivize coaches to better educate themselves regarding the scoring system or rules. Some coaches are already doing a great job of this on their own, others have shown up to challenge scores and as I was showing where what was performed fell on the scoring rubric, they asked where I got it (the rubric) and asked if they could get a copy.

Second, I believe this would reduce the number of baseless challenges giving the challenge representatives more time to work with coaches on the legitimate challenges. And to help keep the number of baseless challenges minimal I would also have a method for revoking a certification a lack of knowledge is demonstrated in a coaching role just as it is if a lack of knowledge is shown in a judging role.

On top of that to keep the interactions professional I’d reserve the right to revoke the certifications of those not being professions, removing their ability to challenge for the remainder of the season. There are several logistics that would need to be worked out to make this a reality, but I think it would be worth trying.

USASF: Is Your Eligibility Up-to-Date?

With the start of a new Membership Term (June 1st), have you taken the necessary steps to be eligible this event season? NEWfor the 2019-20 season, all Owners, Coaches, and Personnel must be SafeSport trained. Find out more here. #DontbelikeDiana

USASF: Learn About The Dance Rules And Age Grid

USASF Logo 2018Join Meredith Walker, Director of Rules and Safety, for the 2019 Dance Rules and Age Grid Webinar.  Open to Owners, Coaches, and Event Producers, the webinar will cover the updates to the Dance Rules and Age Grid document and will conclude with a Q&A.

Registration is required.

2019 Dance Rules and Age Grid Webinar

Wednesday, June 19th at 11:00am CST | 12:00 EST

(The Registration Link was included in the email)

USA Cheer: Rules Training for Coaches and Officials!

USA Cheer LogoUSA Cheer announces the first ever comprehensive safety rules course!

Unlike other rules training that primarily reviews new rules, this 4-part course covers the entire spectrum of the high school cheerleading rules. There are two courses available, with one geared towards coaches and another with additional fifth training section for rules officials.

The course is developed by the USA Cheer rules committee which is led by rules experts Bill Ahern and Jim Lord, both of whom are also advisers to the NFHS rules committee. The course is designed to be compatible with both the USA Cheer and NFHS safety rules, and should serve as the foundation for rules understanding for any cheerleading coach or choreographer.

The course will be updated each year, along with a “new rules” add-on for coaches who have completed the comprehensive training.

For more information, and to complete the USA Cheer Safety Rules Course, click below and select “Responsibilities and General Rules (Part 1)” from the “HS Rules” section. Join USA Cheer for course discounts!

USASF: Join USASF this Summer!

National Meeting

Elevate yourself. Elevate your program. Elevate All Star!

Join USASF this summer at the National Meeting in Dallas, TX August 10-11. Log in to your COACH profile, select Credentialing Website from the drop down menu at the top right, then select MEETINGS AND EVENTS on the left side to register. Click here for general information and the block schedule.

See what the excitement is about!

Coaches & Owners

Integrity Motivates People And Cultures to Transform (IMPACT). Coaches and owners will make an IMPACT on their athletes, program and fellow coaches by participating in this leadership series exclusively for All Star Cheer and Dance professionals. Click here for details

Cheer & Dance Leaders

Bettering Our Leaders of Tomorrow (BOLT) activates young cheer and dance leaders to become strong peer role models who put team first, fully commit to their All Star program and learn to make the choices that lead to accomplishment. Developed and led by alumni of the USASF Mentoring Leaders program, BOLT will set young athletes on their path to success. Click here for details

Male All Star Athletes

A leadership program just for male All Star athletes! Males Advancing Respect, Character and Honor (MARCH) builds confident, strong, principled and motivated male leaders, and prepares them to lead their peers, their team, their All Star programs and in their extended community. Click here for details

Athlete Leadership

Developed for ALL All Star athletes. Want to transform your athletes into leaders for their teammates, their program and their community? Join USASF this summer! Watch this testimonial by Drake #leadershipforlife

USASF Cheer Rules & Policy Change

Cheer Coaches and Owners

Want to make a change to the Cheer Rules & Policies for the 2019-2021 seasons? Find out how and complete this form.

Deadline: June 1, 2018

Editor’s Note – We omitted the link to the form in this article. The link was included in the email sent to USASF members.

USASF: Cheer & Dance Updates

Cheer Credentialing Update

Cheer Coach Credentialing has been updated in the database. Please log into your coach profile and review the credentials that appear on your dashboard. If your dashboard does not display credentials or you believe the data that is showing is incorrect, follow this link and let us know.

Dance Rules & Policy Change Suggestions

Dance coaches and owners, have suggestions for existing rules? The 2018-19 Dance Rules & Policy Change Form is now available. We’d love to hear from you.

Policy change submission deadline: March 1, 2018.

Is this Legal?

Don’t risk legality points at an event when you could have your skill reviewed before you compete and know if it’s legal or not!

Cheer: Is this Legal? | Dance: Is this Legal?

USASF: ID Cards

ID cards for Coaches, Owners, and Personnel will be available to order on February 12.

Coach and Owner ID cards: can be requested through your Coach profile. All coaches and owners will receive one card (at no charge) each membership term. Additional cards can be ordered for $10 each.

Personnel ID cards: need to be ordered by the Program Administrator. All personnel are eligible to receive one card (at no charge) each membership term. Additional cards can be ordered for $10 each.

If you have questions or need additional assistance please send an email to [email protected]

USASF: New Ways to Connect With the USASF in 2018

For the past several years, the USASF has held Regional Conventions as an educational and community-building opportunity for coaches and owners. Attendees networked with each other, learned from a variety of speakers, earned their coach credentials, and received hands-on education related to rules.

Each year, USASF staff reviewed the successes and challenges to prepare for the following season. While the conventions were an extremely beneficial experience for the attendees, only 16% of member coaches and owners were able to attend. Cost, travel and scheduling conflicts kept participation low.

We had the hard conversation that we were investing a lot of resources and time but only reaching a small percentage of membership. What could we do with those same resources to make information and tools easily accessible to the majority of our members? We’ve got three opportunities in the works:

National Meeting

Rather than dilute the experience across five Regional Conventions, the USASF will conduct one National Meeting in 2018. Mark your calendars for August 10-12, and plan to be in Dallas, TX for a brand new meeting experience! The meeting takes place on the 10th and 11th, and includes a special All Star celebration Friday night. Make plans to stay, and have your athletes join you on Sunday, for coach and athlete leadership training. Cheer and Dance Legality Official training will also occur during this weekend. So, block these dates and stay tuned for details!

Online Resources

Online accessibility to many of the same opportunities that were presented in person at conventions brings the USASF directly to all members! Our first online resource is the launch of the Rules & Safety Video Library that illustrates nearly every Rule and Glossary term for the USASF Cheer & Dance Rules & Safety Guidelines.

Do you ever ask yourself “what exactly does that rule mean?” Just click the links and we’ll show you! Log in to your USASF member profile, then go to the drop down menu in the top right corner, select “Visit USASF Rules Video Library” and start clicking! Stay tuned for additional online resources to be introduced soon and regularly!

Partnering

USASF has already been partnering with our event producer members at their events and conferences to offer Cheer Coach Credentialing, Legality Official training, Leadership classes and education about USASF programs and initiatives. We will continue, and expand, these partnerships in an ongoing effort to reach more members.

Join Us!

Connect with the USASF in all the ways that are convenient to YOU! Attend the National Meeting, access our growing library of online resources, and support the events and conferences hosted by our event producer members. Wherever you are, we’ll meet you there!

First Look in the Mirror

I recently had a couple conversations about the reasons given for things not going as well as expected at a gym, such as lower than expected placements and athletes leaving a program. One coach talked about their program’s team placements being low, but as a program they didn’t have a great understanding of the scoring system. They looked at the judges as the problem, saying the judges needed more and better training, but didn’t have anyone on staff attend training on the scoring system, didn’t have anyone that judged, overall didn’t do anything specific to gain a better understanding of the scoring system, and left easy points on the table due to their lack of understanding of the scoring system. The judges may not have been ideal at their events, but this program wasn’t either by not excelling at the things under their control.

Another coach talked about the owner saying rising costs were the main reason athletes leave the program despite the owner being a large influence on the total cost by being the one picking expensive uniforms, competitions, choreography, music and clothes. Yes there are expensive options for each of the products and services, and some vendors are raising their prices year after year, but there are also less expensive options available that would allow costs to remain the same.

An owner of a different program also cited costs as being the reason most athletes left the program, but one of the coaches I know at that program questioned that stating several athletes that left the gym continue to cheer at other programs, including several athletes switching to a program that is a couple hours away and known to be more expensive. The coach said the main problem was more likely the lack of organization and the owners often coming in from vacation sun burnt while a pile of work sits on their desk.

I say all this to remind you that you are the main influence for your results. If athletes are leaving your program and blaming rising costs, you need to look internally to find where you can lower or control costs before blaming outside forces. If you aren’t getting the scores and placements you believe you should, you need to take steps to ensure you properly understand the scoring system before saying the judges need a better understanding of the scoring system. You need to start by evaluating the things you can control before looking to the things out of your control.

USASF: We’re Building the USASF CommUNITY and Need Your Help!

Dear USASF Coach and Owner Members:

I hope this email finds you successfully surviving a busy 2016-17 competition season! In the midst of the busy-ness, we hope you’ll find some time to contribute to the USASF CommUNITY!

We’re building an online community full of articles, sample forms, informational resources and more that will launch this summer and we’d love for YOU to contribute and share ideas and tips with USASF members!

Keep reading for details – and submit your articles and sample forms starting today!  Click here to submit content.

Content Ideas for Owners

File Sharing

  • Employee Contracts
  • Athlete Contracts
  • Social Media etiquette

Parents

  • Communication with Parents
  • Setting Expectations
  • Athlete Contracts

Marketing

  • Marketing Strategies
  • Creating loyal fans
  • Growing your program

Financial

  • Creating an effective Booster Club
  • Booster Club – Non Profit?
  • Revenue Builders
  • Fundraising Ideas

Personnel

  • Hiring
  • Communication
  • Setting Expectations
  • Employee Reviews
  • Front Desk personnel
  • Employee Contracts

Management

  • Running effective meetings
  • Constructing a one year plan
  • Managing time efficiently
  • Planning b-­day parties, banquets, performances, showcases
  • Community outreach ideas
  • Social Media policy

Content Ideas for Coaches

Motivation

  • When/when not to push your athletes
  • Self motivation
  • Accountability
  • Pre-Comp Traditions

Conditioning

  • Strength
  • Stamina
  • Stretching

Team Building

  • Just for Fun
  • Team Talks
  • Setting Goals
  • Building Trust
  • Commitment

What Do I Do Next?

It’s simple! Choose as many topics from above as inspire you (or create your own) and submit articles to us! Click here to read all the details for submitting your content. Questions? Just reply to this email.

Your contribution to the CommUNITY will be beneficial to your fellow USASF members…THANK YOU for being a part of our new initiative!

Most Sincerely,

Lynn Singer

USASF Executive Director, Communications and Dance

USASF: Are You Election Ready?

Cheer & Dance National Advisory Board elections are coming up! If you’re a current USASF Professional Member and your email address is accurate in your member profile, you’ll receive the ballot to vote for coaches in your region! Remind your co-coaches to update their profiles!

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