Stunt Tip Tuesday

with Kenny La from Outlaws All Stars, Australia

Hey everyone! Today we’ve got some quick tips for the small but fierce faces of the stunt group—the flyers!

✊ SQUEEZE YOUR CENTRE ✊
Staying ‘tight’ requires you to squeeze your centre which is where your hips are. Whether we’re twisting or tic-toc’ing, tuck your bottom in and lock your core.

🎋 FLEXY BUT STRONG 🎋
Make sure that your lines are on point by stretching a lot and making sure we are pulling lines in correct alignment (i.e not pulling lines to the side). Flyers also need to be strong, so make sure we do plenty of mobility & strength exercises in your flyers classes or at home.

🎤 PERFORM 💃🏼
You are the face of your stunt group, you are what the judges and audience see. Make it exciting and perform! Sing the lyrics to your music, hit your motions hard and always smile.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you would like some more detailed information or just have a question about stunting, feel free to message me on Instagram (kenny_la) or Facebook (Kenny La). If you have any requests for what we should do next, let us know in the comments! See you all next week!
#stunttiptuesdays

FISU Includes Cheer at World Championships

A week ago, Team USA made history and won the first FISU (International University Sports Federation) World Championship Title in Lodz, Poland. It was the first time Team USA had competed outside America, and the first time cheerleading was officially included in the FISU World Championships.

Why is this a big deal?

In the past, the International Cheer Union (ICU) has held the World University Cheerleading Championships in conjunction with the UCA College National Championship in January, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. Since starting the Olympic journey, this is the first time the cheer has been included in a multi-game competition, earning recognition of its sports status alongside other recognized disciplines like soccer, triathlon, track and field, squash an uh, chess!

What exactly is FISU?

FISU, or the International University Sports Federation, aims to bring the best college athletes from around the world to compete, fraternize and come together in the spirit of sportsmanship and fair play.

FISU launched the World University Championships in the early 1960s. Meant to guarantee continuity in the competition programme, these Championships take place during even-numbered years and experience increasing success year upon year. They allow a large number of students and university sports leaders to get together. The Championships celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2013 and in 2018, 33 stand-alone World University Championship events across countries and continents made for a calendar full of quality competitions.

Congratulations to Team USA, and all countries who participated in the inaugural event from Australia, Japan, Belarus, Russia, Thailand, China, Korea, Hungary, Chinese Taipei and Canada!

Full results can be seen here.

Image courtesy of @USACheer Instagram

Nike Signs New Athlete

Nike surprises with runner with cerebral palsy with pro contract

Justin Gallegos, a runner at Oregon with cerebral palsy, thought he was just finishing another cross country race. Little did he know, Nike was waiting at the finish line to offer him a pro contract (via Elevation 0m)

Posted by Sports Illustrated on Wednesday, October 10, 2018

 

Justin Gallegos, a runner at Oregon with cerebral palsy, was pushing through a cross-country race with friends and teammates. But this race was going to be different because Nike was at the finish line. Justin is about to become the first Nike pro-athlete with Cerebral Palsy.

Workout Wednesday

Planks & Strength for Jumps?! Yes Please!

Time to get your #WorkoutWednesday on with our friends @cheerfittraining!

Join NOW to get in on bonus vid’s and fit tips to rock the mat this competition season! You in?! ~cheerfittraining.com/JOIN

Stunt Tip Tuesday

with Kenny La from Australia

Hey everyone! Today we’ve got some quick tips for the tall, powerhouses of the stunt group – the backspots!

⬆ PULL UP ⬆
Being the tallest in your group, make sure you pull the stunt up to lighten the load on your bases and increase the stability. This also ensures your bases are locking out and allows them to have correct posture while stunting.

☝FIRST CONTACT☝
Use your height to your advantage and be the first point of contact in any stunt. Being behind the stunt also allows you to get onto the ankles and deliver the flyer straight into your bases hands, especially in release stunts.

📣 CALL THE SHOTS 📣
Use your unique view of the stunt to spot any irregularities or adjustments that need to be made. Make sure you’re also the one that’s counting and always check to see if the group is in formation.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you would like some more info or just have a question, message me on Instagram (kenny_la) or Facebook (Kenny La). See you all next week!
#stunttiptuesdays

Workout Wednesday!

Hands UP if you’re getting #cheerfitstrong for competition season?!?  Here’s a total bod’ @cheerfittraining workout to double the results in half the time!!

– Burpees

– Spiderman Pushup

– Plank Leg Lifts

–  Negative Crunches

**Try it today with a friend! Go for 10 reps x 3 rounds

👉Get the full workout & exercise videos in the CHEERFIT Ambassador Club ~ cheerfittraining.com/JOIN  #ambassadorperks

Making Full-outs Fun!

The weather is getting cooler and the days are getting shorter… this means full-out season with competitions around the corner!

Struggling to breathe through your full-outs? Or dreading it whenever your coach tells you to set? Use these tips to get ready to go full-out.

Mat Talk

The most underrated skill in cheerleading. Cheer on your teammates during a full-out to make sure they know you’re invested in their success. Every time your flyer sets for a full-up, or your backspot goes for her running tumbling, yell for them! Make it predictable every time so they know when it’s coming and they learn to rely on your encouragement. It also helps you breathe! Continue Reading

Destroya the Rules

photo credit: Biz-Art Graphic

As a performer, athlete, former gymnast and cheerleader, Roya (the Destroya) hasn’t ever let anyone say she can’t do anything. Break-dancing in New York, street performing throughout Europe and currently working with FRONTX in Belgium, she does it all.

Born with one leg, Roya was a competitive gymnast and cheerleader before she branched out into dance, acrobatics and street performance. Now followed by thousands across social media, Roya has performed all over the world and doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon.

So when two popular Paris tourist attractions denied her entry (first the Eiffel Tower two years ago, and recently the Catacombs) because of her disability, she was dumbfounded. It’s 2018…  Continue Reading

Faith, Focus, Believe

by Coach Mandi Spina at Cheer Fusion

As we head in to competition season, here’s a few reminders for athletes and parents:

1) The judges are scoring off of a pre-determined scoring rubric. There are pre-defined ranges of skill elements, mixed with the % of the team competing the skills, that determines a difficulty score.

2) Execution is critical. Doing a skill and executing a skill are two very different animals. One thing we hone in on is perfected execution. Everyone can “do” but can you do it well? Technique always wins out over difficulty. High range difficulty is only a 0.5 spread, but technique is a 1.5 spread. I’ll take the 1.5 any day of the week over a 0.5. Sometimes you may “have” a skill that isn’t choreographed due to the technique of the skill.

3) All routine positions are up for grabs. Just because you aren’t in a spot now doesn’t mean you won’t be in November. Constant improvement is required. 110% every rep. Every stunt. Every pass. Every jump. Every motion. Earn your spot. Work hard outside of practice. Show up ready to show off your hard work.

4) Prepare for practice. Know your trouble areas and ask for help. Know your grips. Know your counts. Breathe your routine inside and out so that execution is the focus. .

5) Rely on your teammates. They are your sounding board, your family, your reliability, your rocks.

6) Admit to your faults so you can strengthen them. Let your strengths shine through and own your pieces of the routine.

7) Work on your stunting and jumps as much as you do your tumbling. We always see athletes in private lessons for tumbling, but what about your jumps and your stunts? Your stunts are technically worth more than your tumbling, but the focus on that area is less when athletes work outside of practice. Reps in stunts are CRITICAL. If you only practice in practice… you know the rest.

8) Being on the outside or in the back of a formation does not translate to your abilities. Placement in a routine is oftentimes dependent upon where you were in the section prior or where you’ll be in the section after.

9) When you step on stage, you are a unit. A team. Not individuals. You all play a part of the puzzle.

FAITH in yourself and your teammates
FOCUS on your execution and technique
BELIEVE in the dream

Hoco Dresses… with Pockets?!

Looking for something cute and flirty for homecoming? Pockets make the outfit at least 16x better. Because phones. And lipstick. And snacks.

Check out some of our faves below!

Hoco Dresses We Love!