The Cheer News

The world’s most exciting sport has just teamed up with the world’s most popular board game, MONOPOLY®. Whether you’re a fan of Pop Warner or High School, All-Star or College cheerleading, The Cheerleading Edition of the MONOPOLY® game will thrill you! Hold on to your poms and get ready to wheel and deal your way to owning the ultimate competitive cheerleading empire of all time!

Get fired up to buy, sell and trade some of the most prestigious cheerleading competitions from around the country. Collect competitions from Hawaii to Florida, from Maine to Texas, build Gymnasiums and eventually own your own Convention Centers as you GO, FIGHT, WIN your way to victory!

Order NOW! Games will be off the Press in October.

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Lincoln High School’s Cheer & Stunt Team attended a Universal Cheer Association cheer camp held the first week of August, where they one a trophy and four members were named UCA All-Stars.

From an article at www.wisinfo.com:

The Cheer & Stunt Team earned a first-place trophy for its home routine, first place for Camp Xtreme Routine, and second place for Camp Cheer.

Four members of the Cheer & Stunt Team were named All-Stars: Becca Bradley, Taylor Davis, Toni Maurer and Natalie Singer. To be chosen as an All-Star, cheerleaders must perform the Xtreme Routine, Camp Cheer and a jump of their choice in groups of three before the entire camp.

Read the full article…

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It is that time of year again. The National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research (NCCSI) has issued it’s most resent report on sport injuries in High School and Collage. Cheerleading is again, the one sport that is responsible for more injuries than any other to female athletes.

You can see the full report here.

Keloland Television has an online article about the NCCSI report including some of the things that can be done to improve the safety of everyone involved.

Injury prevention is going to come from coaching education, proper training of the athletes, giving them the right environment and the right opportunities.”

As for those opportunities, Fritsch said parents should research cheer programs and choose one with coaches who are safety-certified.

The American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators has a website that parents can go to, which offers the top five questions that parents should be asking when their child joins a school or club

Read the full article…

Technorati Tags: NCCIS, AACCA, Cheerleading Safety, Cheerleading News

From the Inside Cheerleading Magazine newsletter:

Inside Cheerleading magazine and our sister publication, Inside Gymnastics magazine have teamed up with Secret Clinical Strength Sport to bring you “Sensations of Sport.” We’re looking for stand-out athletes who’ve shown dedication to the sports of cheerleading and gymnastics and have triumphed through hard work and adversity. We want to know your story! Tell us why you should be picked as a Sensation of Sport and you could be featured on InsideCheerleading.com in the next few weeks! If you’re selected , you’ll receive a prize pack that includes a free one-year subscription to Inside Cheerleading or Inside Gymnastics magazines! We’ll also pick one cheerleader and one gymnast for a full-page feature in either Inside Cheerleading or Inside Gymnastics magazines!

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From the NCSSE newletter:

As the new cheer season begins, two health and safety issues take the news–heat and heart.

Heat issues can be minor like heat cramps or life-threatening as heat stroke. Coaches should know the signs and symptoms of heat-related issues and how to treat them. Humidity, direct exposure to the sun and temperature can all contribute to heat-related illnesses. The combination of these factors make up the heat index you hear weathermen talk about. Proper hydration and reducing sun exposure can help reduce susceptibility to heat-related issues. “There’s no excuse for any number of heat stroke deaths, since they are all preventable with the proper precautions,” said Mueller, the author of the Annual Survey of Football Injuries, a long-running compilation of statistics that tracks major injuries and deaths in 1.8 million football players on middle school, high school, college, sandlot (organized, non-school affiliated) and professional teams (see report at http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/uonc-urh073008.php).

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) in athletes was the subject of the June 27, 2008, U. S. News & World Report article by Steven Reinberg. SCA is the leading cause of death in young athletes, but the worst news is that only one in 10 student-athletes who suffer SCA survives. The article goes on to say that “approximately one case of Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) occurs every three days in organized youth sports”

• Access to external automatic defibrillators (AEDs) can change these statistics. Access to AEDs within three to five minutes can mean the difference between life and death.
• Schools, practice areas, gyms-all need to have access to an AED, a person(s) trained to use the AED, and an emergency plan in place for using the AED.
• Screening exams for heart problems along with a physical before sports participation are recommended. A study in Italy where a screening EKG mandated for student-athletes resulted in a 90% decrease in SCD.

An amazing group of people have formed Parent Heart Watch. Their mission is to promote awareness of SCD, establish credible research initiatives for SCD, and affect public policy change to encourage community action. They assist in getting AEDs placed in public locations and devising a plan for training and maintaining. One of their goals is to provide the resources and training so communities and parents can host group screening events with trained professionals. The Parent Heart Watch is a non-profit, state-by-state network of parents. Check out their website to see if your state has a Parent Heart Watch group and contact them to see if they can assist your team or gym with EKG screenings or procuring an AED.

Technorati Tags: Parent Heart Watch, NCSSE, Cheerleading Safety, Cheerleading News

If you are at least 18 years old and think you can cheer with the best of them, you may have the opportunity to represent your country at the world’s largest international cheer competition. The USA Federation for Sport Cheering will start accepting online applications August 15th to select participants for the two national teams that will represent the United States at the International Cheer Union’s 2009 World Cup. USA Cheer is searching for the nation’s top 60 cheerleaders to form an all-girl and a coed team that will take on the world’s best at next year’s event.

The selection process will consist of three stages; anyone 18 years or older is eligible to apply. The first step is an online application process on the USA Cheer Web site (www.usacheer.net) where interested athletes can complete an application and upload a video of their skills. From there, USA cheer will select the best applicants to attend one of four regional tryouts. USA Cheer will make another round of cuts after the regional tryouts, and the final teams will be announced January 19, 2009.

The International Cheer Union’s World Cup is the largest international cheer competition in the world, consisting of 25-30 competing countries and more than 1,300 participants. It will take place in Orlando, Florida April 22-24, 2009. The competition will include two levels of cheer (elite and premier) and two partner stunt divisions (all-girl and coed).

“Our application process is unique in that it gives anyone a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete to represent our country,” said Executive Director of USA Cheer Bill Seely. “We’re scouring the nation to select the elite few who will form the first-ever USA cheerleading dream team; only the best of the best will represent our nation on the world stage.”

USA Cheer also announced the coaches of the soon-to-be-formed teams:

• James Speed, Head Coach of the University of Louisville cheerleading squads/Owner of Gym Time Cheer Gym
• Jomo Thompson, Head Coach of the University of Kentucky cheerleading squad
• Tony Nash, Head Coach of Morehead State University cheerleading squads

Seely said of the coaches, “Choosing the coaches was a critical step in this process. Our focus as an organization is to support all of cheerleading and to serve community, school-based and gym-based cheer programs, so it was important that the coaches have a strong background in all areas. We also wanted coaches with a successful track record with college-aged athletes, and these three coaches have won National Championships in both the school and all-star worlds. We are fortunate to have such great coaches to lead the first ever cheerleading dream team.”

USA Cheer

USA Cheer is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) and was formed exclusively for charitable purposes.

Technorati Tags: USA Cheer, Cheerleading News

From the National Council for Spirit Safety and Education newsletter:

The Twenty-Fifth Annual Report on Catastrophic Sports Injury Research reports these statistics and several individual cases dealing with catastrophic cheerleading injuries. These numbers include fatalities, non-fatal injuries with permanent severe functional disabilities, and serious injuries. Many of these are head and neck injuries.

The time for denial and comparing cheerleading to other sports is over. Now is the time to focus on prevention. Safety begins with the coach. Four elements are of utmost importance:

1) the coach must be trained and knowledgeable about cheerleading skills,

2) physicals (including a complete medical history) should be included in pre-participation screening,

3) proper conditioning programs should be provided for cheerleaders,

4) proper training in gymnastics and stunting (including proper spotting techniques) should be provided.

Whether you coach high school, all star or recreation cheerleaders, safety and proper training for all should be your focus.  The full report written by Dr. Fred Mueller and Dr. Robert Cantu can be accessed at http://www.unc.edu/depts/nccsi/AllSport.htm

Read the special section on cheerleading and the individual cases included in the report.

IRVINE, CA, August 08, 2008 – The National Cheer Safety Foundation is now sharing online cheer injury data with Dr. Fred Mueller, Founder and Director of the Catastrophic Sports Injury Research Center in an effort to reveal injury data that will help alert industry leaders to troubling injury trends and be a catalyst for developing additional prevention strategies that will decrease cheer injuries resulting in death or disabilities. After reviewing over 200 cheer injuries, 30 classified as catastrophic plus the deaths of Ashley Burns and Lauren Chang, a pattern of delayed emergency medical services emerged and the NCSF jumped in to expand the Rehearsed Catastrophic Injury Emergency Plan for Competitive Cheerleaders to a comprehensive 9 page color guide to aid coaches during emergencies. The guide is free and can be downloaded at www.nationalcheersafety.com/emergencyplan.pdf.

“For cheerleading injuries to account for 2/3 of all catastrophic injuries to female athletes in high school and college is a huge red flag that will require identifying what factors put athletes’ at risk for injury to begin with, implementing new strategies, studying effects and making new changes to increase effectiveness. We have to stop comparing cheerleading injuries to other sports, or defending the alarming number of life altering injuries and get serious about learning from the injuries that have already happened.” stated Kimberly Archie, Executive Director of the NCSF.

After completing this year annual report Dr. Fred Mueller advised that, “Cheerleading should be considered a sport and as such should have qualified coaches, safe facilities, pre-participation physical exams, sports medicine care, and safe travel. Cheerleading will then receive the recognition it deserves, and injury prevention will play an important role,” Dr. Fred Mueller is a professor of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Director of the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research. To view Dr. Mueller annual report, go to http://www.unc.edu/depts/nccsi/AllSport.htm.
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27 Cheerleaders Selected From 10 Twin Cities High Schools To Participate In 2008/2009 All-State Cheerleading Performance Team

Minneapolis, MN – August 7, 2008: Northern Elite All Stars, Minnesota’s fastest growing cheerleading company, is pleased to announce the roster for the first ever All-State Cheerleading Performance Team. Comprised of selected cheerleaders from ten different Minnesota high schools, the Performance Team is the first of its kind recognizing the best cheerleaders in the State. The performance team is designed to showcase the most complex stunting and tumbling routines allowable under State cheerleading guidelines.

The team will perform exhibitions at several local competitions throughout the 2008/2009 cheerleading season. Scheduled exhibitions include performances at Lakeville North High School (Nov. 1, 2008), Minnetonka High School (Nov. 8, 2008), Eastview High School (Nov. 16, 2008), Armstrong High School (TBD), and the Minnesota Cheerleading Coaches Association (MCCA) State Competition in St. Paul, MN (Jan. 31, 2009)

Athletes were specifically hand picked for the inaugural team because of their talent, hard work, and dedication to the sport of cheerleading. Additional selection criteria include leadership, discipline, work ethic, personality, sportsmanship, and ability to be coached. High School and All Star coaches were consulted in team selection, and the athletes will wear cheer uniforms from their respective high schools or all star programs during the Performance Team exhibitions.

2008/2009 All State Performance Team members include:

Tasha Hansen (Bloomington Jefferson High School)
Jess Snyder, Fallon Acker (Eagan High School)
Kelsi Franta, Jillian Lentz, Bridget Moran, Morgan Poulson (Eastview High School)
Holly Johnson, Sarah Johnson, Lucy Rymes (Edina High School)
Amanda Paulson (Forest Lake High School)
Becca Barrea, Haley Bina, Shelby Davidson, Taber Hanna,
Lauren Heide, Ashley Ray, Margaret Arnold, Katie Huber (Lakeville North High School)
Rachel Happe, Kira Johnson (Minnetonka High School)
Sam Landvick, Rebecca Wiig (Rosemount High School)
Will Couture (Saint Paul Harding High School)
Dan Galloway, Bobby Hedeen, Allyssa Orton (White Bear Lake High School)

For additional information about the Performance team, Northern Elite all-star cheerleading teams, and classes please visit www.necheer.com. For more information regarding the Performance team please contact Coach Dane Campbell directly at coachdane@hotmail.com. For questions regarding any other teams or classes please contact Coach Carin Moore at carinmoore04@msn.com.

About Northern Elite :
Northern Elite is a non-profit corporation based in Eagan, MN. They support 9 cheer teams and three dance teams in addition to the All-State Performance Team. Northern Athletics is also a proud sponsor of the Northern Elite Adaptive Team. Its coaching staff features both state and nationally recognized cheer experts with a combined total of over 75 years of cheerleading experience. Northern Elite offers a wide range of classes and teams for all ages (tumbling, dance, jumps, motions, and choreography) with open enrollment all year long. Northern Elite’s competitive teams are nationally ranked, and compete at the local, regional and national levels.