Cheerleaders: Brainiac or Airhead?

The stereotype of airhead has dogged cheerleaders for decades. Where this came from is not certain, but it could be that cheerleaders naturally have bubbly personalities; unfortunately, outgoing is wrongly associated with “dumb.” Attributing this trait to cheerleading is like saying they are not well trained athletes. Nothing could be further from the truth. Cheerleaders…

Structuring Your Preschool Dance Class

Who says it is easy to teach preschool kiddies? In our opinion, these pint-sized dancers offer the most challenges—and the most rewards! The best way to teach or prune these little dancers would be to toe their line and make their class interesting. Once the children love what you do and love you too, you’ll be…

Your Words and Shaping Healthy Dancers

I have been a dancer for about 20 years. The teaching methods were quite harsh years ago, when I was first learning to dance. My teachers would humiliate their students into performing the steps right. Little did they know that this type of teaching made many students self-conscious about their abilities and their bodies for…

Balancing Your Cheer Schedule with Another Sport

Some of us have only one focus—whether cheerleading, science, writing or some other interest. When this is the case, you give full attention to your chosen activity and practice and perfect it. But what do you do when you have multiple passions demanding your time? If you are a high school cheerleader and love playing…

Get Flexible! Top 5 Stretches for Cheerleaders

Flexibility is the key to tumbling successfully and safely. As a cheerleader, you should be working on and improving your flexibility throughout the year. If you haven’t started school yet, you can do some extra stretching now to get ready for the season. But even if you’ve already started school, you can make time for…