We’ve been talking to cheerleading coaches all over the country to find out the must know info. The first question we asked was:
Question: What’s the best advice you have for new cheer coaches?
Here are the the most common answers:
- Have fun and take it one day at a time
- Stay organized and try not to be overwhelmed!
- Make sure you communicate clearly with your team and parents.
- Have your curriculum ( cheers, chants, dances and stunts ) already done so you can focus on coaching / teaching vs choreography!
Here are some more tips that our coaches had to say!
- Make it enjoyable. It’s all about having school spirit for us. We want to make it fun but also help promote school pride! Heather Graham- Trinity High School, Matthew KY
- You need an athletic director that’s supportive. Be hard at first. Set the standard for your team. Vickie Saunders- Rincon High School, Tuscon, AZ
- You need to be the authority. But not too much. They need to know that you are not their friend. You are the coach. You don’t want to lose control. You want them to know that you always have the final say. Chris Billy- Williams Allen High School, Allentown, PA
- This is going to take a lot of your time. I don’t think you really know at first just how much time actually goes into this. Debbie Bianchi- Mckinley HIgh School, Canton OH
- Just take it one day at a time. It can be overwhelming. Make sure you can separate the cheerleaders and parents. You will need to deal with each group at different times for different reasons. Try not to carry anything into practice with you. Salina Mitchell- Tates Creek High School, Lexington KY
- Watch a lot of videos. Get on you tube and watch as many videos as you can. You need to take the time to do your own research. Talk to other coaches. Kayla Burr- Tempe High School, Tempe AZ
- Keep your distance from parents! When you communicate with both the team and the parents it’s best to be as consistent and organized as you can. Angelia Howard- Scott County High School, Georgetown KY
- Parent Meeting Tip: It’s important that if you need to have a meeting with parents that you have administration or the athletic director around at that time. Sometimes you may also need to document. You also need to be prepared and have a game plan on paper. Coach Pavick- Mathews High School, Mathew VA
- Talk with your team about expectations and have a plan set in place. Kimberly Burban- Lyon County High School, Eddyville KY
- Always communicate with parents! The parents can make or break you. Take the time to get to know them because you will be working with them all season. Kristi Field- Williams G. Enloe High School Raleigh, NC
- Stay organized. Try to get your team involved in as many things as you can. Talk with your parents and make sure that they stay involved too. Courtney Grier- Oxford Area High School, Oxford PA
For TONS of Tips, check out all of the interviews – click on CHEERLEADING COACH INTEREVIEWS
