just dance

Workouts that will improve your dance skills
Dance and cheer go hand in hand, so it's no surprise that dance conditioning moves can help cheerleaders reach their physical peak. "Conditioning is a great way to prepare for national competitions," says Eva Redpath, a Toronto-based fitness expert and personal trainer. "Not only will it put your body in top performance shape, but it can also prevent or rehabilitate injury."
To help you hit the right exercise note, we asked Redpath and Jaclyn Butterfield, dance director of Costa Mesa, CA-based Team OC Training Center, for their rockin' recommendations. Get ready to move into the fitness groove!
1. Power Pli�
A) Start in first position.
B) Lift up onto the balls of your feet keeping thighs squeezed together.
C) Slowly lower into a pli�, then raise back to the standing position, keeping the heels raised the entire time. Repeat the same movement four times. On the fourth repetition, hold at the midway point and perform eight tiny pulses. Repeat the complete sequence with your feet parallel rather than turned out.
Sets/Reps: 3 sets of 10
Benefit: No dance-based workout would be complete without plies. Dancers use these conditioning plies to add airtime to their jumps, and so can you.
Training Tip: Make sure to keep your pelvis tucked under your rib cage, holding your body in line. Avoid sticking out your butt for the best results.
2. Gravity Stretch
A) Lie down on your back with your butt against the wall and legs raised at a 90-degree angle.
B) Keeping your legs against the wall, open to a middle split
C) Hold the stretch for at least one minute, then lower legs closer to floor and hold for another minute.
Sets/Reps: Repeat this for four minutes in total.
Benefit: The crew at Team OC swears by these splits for staying flexible. "These stretches can really help your toe touches-either in Basket Tosses or on the ground," says Jaclyn.

Training Tip: Keep your feet turned out the entire time.
3. Criss-Cross
A) Lying on your back, raise your legs to a 90-degree angle. Make sure your feet are positioned one in front of the other in fifth position and toes should be flexed.
B) Using quick beats, criss-cross your legs twice, and then throw your legs open into a middle split, keeping them turned out
C) Raise your legs back to a 90-degree angle, with the opposite leg in front and repeat.
Sets/Reps: 2 sets of 16
Benefit: A big part of getting those long, lean dancer lines is toning your legs-and this exercise is tailor-made to do just that. Your inner thigh muscles will thank you.
Training Tip: Make sure to do this exercise at a fast pace, keeping your legs long and straight as you go.
4. All About Attitude
A) Start in a sitting position, with your left leg in front of you and your right leg behind you. Both should be bent.
B) Place your hands on your front knee, and squeeze your right butt cheek so that your knee and leg come off the floor. Repeat the sequence on the other side.
Sets/Reps: Repeat the lift eight times, holding the eighth one. Keeping your knee off the floor, flex your foot and push backward eight times.
Benefit: Say sayonara to muffin-top, and hello to toned glutes with this challenging move! Another benefit is improved Arabesques and Scorpions.
Training Tip: Make sure to keep your glutes squeezed as you do this exercise.

Winner's Circle

FEB 2010-Johnna Petitte
Baltimore Ravens
Morgantown, WV * 23
KUDOS: Two-time NCA National Champ with Hawaii Pacific University.
CATCHING UP: I finished my collegiate cheer career and graduated from WVU with a degree in multidisciplinary studies. Now I cheer for the Baltimore Ravens, the only team in the NFL with a coed stunt team.
FAMOUS FOR: My double full.
VOTE FOR JOHNNA: I've dedicated my life to cheer since I was 13 years old. I've cheered for all-star, college and now the NFL I'm a great role model, and I'd be honored to be named ACs COY!
APR 2010-Brianna Reilly
Southern Connecticut State
University * New Haven, CT * 21
KUDOS: Taking second at UCA College Nationals freshman year and winning UCA Nationals in 2009.
CATCHING UP: This summer I was lucky enough to intern with CBS studios in NYC. I met huge celebrities like Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell and Bradley Cooper!
FAMOUS FOR: Being the person who's always smiling.
VOTE FOR BRIANNA: I think the COY should be a genuine, friendly, dedicated and talented cheerleader with a good heart. I believe I have all these qualities.
JUN 2010-Caitlin Hering
World CUP Shooting Star
Westfield, NJ * 17
KUDOS: Winning silver at The 2010 Cheerleading Worlds and NCA All-American.
CATCHING UP: I've been working with Girls Learn International to prepare my school's chapter, and working with our new partner school in Cambodia.
FAMOUS FOR: My dance and performance abilities.

 
VOTE FOR CAITLIN: I believe cheer should be universally recognized as a sport, and as COY, I'd advocate for the athleticism and character that cheerleading builds in all its participants.
AUG 2010-Tarin Moses
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL * 19
KUDOS: Making University of Florida's Varsity Coed team as a freshman.
CATCHING UP: I've been to Alabama and Tennessee this season, where I've met some amazing cheerleaders. Lately, I've just been trying to keep our football team's spirits up and preparing for basketball season.
FAMOUS FOR: Any Basket Toss!
VOTE FOR TARIN: Cheerleading has made me the person I am today; it has the power to mold a person into an amazing role model. It would make me the happiest person in the world to give other cheerlead- ers the inspiration to follow their dreams.
OCT 2010-Jenny Blake
University of Louisville
Louisville, KY * 21
KUDOS: Recovering from a broken leg and making the Louisville cheer team.
CATCHING UP: I've been studying for the GMATs, attending practices, cheering on the Cards and getting ready to start my finance internship.
FAMOUS FOR: I really love double full Baskets.
VOTE FOR JENNY: I've received messages from girls telling me how my story encouraged them to try out for the next level in cheerleading. I'm so happy to share my experiences and give girls the confidence to go after their dreams.
DEC 2010-Marcy Smith
Bob Jones HS
Madison, AL * 18'
KUDOS: Current squad captain and threetime national HS champion.
CATCHING UP: I'm enjoying sharing my issue with my family and friends and hearing from readers. It's been such a thrill. I still need to pinch myself to make sure it's real!
FAMOUS FOR: My triple toe-touch back tuck.
VOTE FOR MARCY: I love being a representative for cheerleading and feel I'm a well-rounded athlete and would do my very best to represent cheerleaders everywhere.

awesome athletes

Nicole Elias {15}
CALIFORNIA ALL STARS
Hometown: Santa Barbara, CA * Years Cheered: 3 * Positions on Squad: Base, backspot * Signature Stunting Skills: 1 '� Up, kick Scorpion, Scale, double-down * Top Tumbling Passes: Punch front, round-off handspring layout, five jumps to tuck * Claims to Fame: World Champion, National Champion, Grand Champion, State Champion, National Honor Society * Future Goals: Win Worlds this year, cheer at Hawaii Pacific University and major in communications
Personal Quote: "Fall down seven times, stand up eight."
Christine Schwartz {18}
EASTERN IOWA ALL STARS
Hometown: Bettendorf, IA * Years Cheered: 5 Positions on Squad: Backspot, base * Signature Stunting Skills: Kick double, Liberty sequences * Top Tumbling Pass: Front walkover round-off back handspring layout * Claims to Fame: First at 2010 Nationals, Attendance Award, Over-Dedication Award * Future Goals: Become the top oncologist in the U.S.
Personal Quote: "We win competitions at practice and pick up our trophies at competitions."
Heather Tabb {19}
TOP GUN ALL STARS
Hometown: Malvern, PA * Years Cheered: 6 Positions on Squad: Top girl, base, backspot Signature Stunting Skills: Bow- N -Arrow, straight-leg Scorpion * Top Tumbling Passes: Standing full, standing two handsprings to a double * Claims to Fame: Best Jumper, Most Improved, three World championship rings Future Goals: Finish school and possibly start a career in cheerleading on both the sidelines and in business
Personal Quote: "Never give up, never quit, and always keep trying."

 
Anna Richey {18}
MAC ALL STAR CHEER STARZ
Hometown: Alpine, UT * Years Cheered: 10 * Position on Squad: Base * Signature Stunting Skills: Full-up, bump down chest, full-up to Bow-N-Arrow, switch to Arabesque double-down Top Tumbling Passes: Punch front, nine standing fulls in a row Claims to Fame: Best All Around Macs Starz, Jr. Worlds Scholarship, Sr. Worlds Scholarship * Future Goals: Attend The Cheerleading Worlds and cheer with my sister in college
Personal Quote: "Just do it!"
Kathleen Black {17}
COLTS NECK HS & WORLD CUP SHOOTING STARS
Hometown: Colts Neck, NJ * Years Cheered: 11 * Position on Squad: Base Signature Stunting Skills: Tick-Toes, half-ups Top Tumbling Pass: Running double Gaims to Fame: Dancer of the Year, Cheerleader of the Year, NCA Ail-American Future Goals: Cheer at a large university and obtain my BSN degree in nursing
Personal Quote: 'Naders are ordinary people with extraordinary determination."
Samantha Ortner {17}
BRICK TOWNSHIP MEMORIAL HS
Hometown: Brick, NJ * Years Cheered: 10 * Position on Squad: Top girl Signature Stunting Skills: Kick double Basket Toss, 360 reload to Heel Stretch, Scorpion full-down * Top Tumbling Pass: Punch-front round-off back handspring full Claims to Fame: Valedictorian, Prom Committee , Peer Leader, captain, National Honor Society * Future Goals: Go to college and major in political science
Personal Quote: "The only real failure in life is not being true to yourself."

Champion Chit Chat

Squad leaders interview their biggest competitors and ask their most burning questions.
Cheer Extreme Allstars' Senior Elite scored their first gold medal in the Large All-Girl Level 5 division at The 2010 Cheerleading Worlds, beating out threetime champs World Cup Shooting Stars, who walked away with the silver. AC organized an interview between both teams, and here's what they had to say!
WORLD CUP SHOOTING STARS FREEHOLD, NJ
Representatives: Taryn Applebaum, Juliette Bronisevsky, Caitlin Clearie, Gianna Pepe, Lauren Pisardk and Lina Zermane
WC: Since cheer is a fan-based sport, do you believe that conversations on Facebook and message boards treat us as celebrities rather than athletes?
CEA: Our fans are our motivation. We want to be inspirational to those who watch us and involve them in our journey. This may result in becoming a celebrity, but we feel that we're athletes. We try to separate ourselves from the gossip and rumors that surround our team and our sport and just do what we love to do - cheer.
WC: How do negativity and po your team's mentality and performance? Which fuels you to be your personal best?
CEA: Attitude affects everything we do. Whether it's before the routine or during the last 8-count, a positive or negative attitude makes all the difference. Our coaches instill the confidence in us that's necessary to complete our difficult routines. We try to ignore negative comments and use them to our benefit. Positivity is always helpful.
WC: Do you believe in team unity over individual excellence? For instance, should one person's ability create a universal image for a team?
CEA: Absolutely team unity. Although it's not in the nature of girls to get along, cheerleading's a team sport, and Senior Elite is a team. One person can't carry a team on their own or identify team image. A team is ultimately a reflection of its coach's style and creativity.



 
WC: Would you classify your gym as more of a dictatorship or democracy?
CEA: Although our coaches make the decisions, we're a big part of what goes on in our routines. We have excellent relationships with them, which is a big part of our success. We'd classify ourselves as a benevolent monarchy.
WC: In your opinion, does the crowd affect the outcome of a competition or does the outcome affect the crowd?
CEA: Both. Crowd response affects performance, judging and overall impression. However, the outcome affects the crowd too. To gain crowd support you have to perform.
CHEER EXTREME ALLSTARS SENIOR ELITE, KERNERSVILLE, NC
Representatives: Erica Englebert, Maddie Gardner and Alana Zeitany
CEA: How do you stay highly comp. while promoting good sportsmanshi]
WC: That's an ironic question, because we recently had guests from northern Maryland engage in a clinic and practice with our team. While we're often in a competitive atmosphere, we're always willing to help others achieve greatness as well. We promote sportsmanship by inviting other programs to participate in our pursuit of success because we know we share a common interest. To us, being competitive doesn't mean putting down other teams; instead we strive to help others while still maintaining our competitive nature.
CEA: Do you feel that cultural and regional differences affect performances?
WC: Yes. the northeast has a style all its own. We believe the top competitors in a region dictate that region's style. Like you, in the south, we appreciate your stunting ability, the jumping ability of the southwest, the creative choreography of the west coast and ^e performance value of the northeast.
CEA: If you could write a story that I describes your season, what would it be?
WC: While our season's results are unpredictable, the story would be memorable. We're working hard to keep the Shooting Star tradition alive ... the saga continues.
CEA: How does your team feel about the possible change of team size in the Large and Small All-Girl divisions?
WC: Regardless of the size of teams in Large Senior 5, we strive to put the best routine and athletes we have on the floor. Whether it's 32 or 50 girls, as athletes we don't have much control over the situation and we'll be fine with whatever's decided. No matter the outcome, we're confident our coach will lead us in the right direction.
CEA: How does participation in cheerleading affect your lives?
WC: Cheerleading teaches us time management and to respect others. Overall. it teaches us how to commit to something we love. Shooting Stars builds life-long friendships and bonds that we would've never experienced otherwise.

PURSUIT OF happiness

From bullied teen to singing sensation, exis Jordan shares what brings a smile to her lips.
As an eighth-grade cheerleader at Fair Oaks MS in California, a pint-sized Alexis Jordan relished her ability to belt out cheers from the sidelines. She may not have known it then, but her powerful voice would come in handy later when music labels were looking for the next big thing. "When I was a cheerleader, I was mainly into the performance aspect of it all," says Alexis. "For me, it was just about getting to perform in front of a large crowd. And I love that cheerleaders really make crowds happy." This isn't too surprising considering her first single, which debuted at the top of the Billboard charts in 2010, was titled "Happiness."
But Alexis' life wasn't always so blissful. The 18-year-old admits that once she entered high school, she experienced a lot of bullying from her peers. "My high school experience was tragic," she says. "Kids threw my backpack in the trash and poured milk all over it, and I couldn't find it for hours. A group made plans to turn my mouth blue. I even had people come to school with scissors because they were planning to cut off my hair just because it was long." The teen was threatened, assaulted and at one point, even escorted to class by police officers. She ended up going to four different schools in ninth grade just to escape the harassment.
So, when did Alexis' luck change? After appearing on the first season of "America's Got Talent" in 2006, the world got a chance to see her singing abilities, and soon after, her mom suggested she upload videos of herself singing onto YouTube. Alexis took her advice and quickly found a following online. One fan in particular turned out to be the producing team at Stargate.
"I was singing all these covers of songs by Rihanna, Ne-Yo and Beyonc�, which were all produced by Stargate," says Alexis. "They sent me an e-mail that said, 'We're Stargate and we want to sign you.' At first we were like, 'Who's Stargate?' But then we found out it was legit, they flew us to New York, introduced me to Jay-Z, and the next thing I knew, I was signed."
Now, as the first female artist on Jay-Z's RocNation label, Alexis is ready to put her troubled past behind her and concentrate on a bright future. And with an endorsement from a musical titan like Jay-Z, why wouldn't she be happy? "It's weird sometimes, because people will say, 'You're Alexis Jordan!' And my first reaction is, How do you know my name?" says Alexis. "And then I remember..."

hall of SHAME

Surviving a fall from cheer grace
First comes that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. Then the flush creeps up your neck and over your cheeks, you start to sweat and your knees feel weak if you're at a cheer competition, and it's not a case of the flu, these are most likely symptoms of an ache familiar to every cheerleader - the shame and embarrassment over a stunt or move gone awry. You can barely lift your eyes, let alone face your teammates, coach, family and fans. You might experience a range of other emotions, similar to stages of grief, including shock, pain, frustration, depression, anger, loneliness and fear.
The good news is, these feelings are normal, and they can actually help you become a stronger athlete and a better teammate (see sidebar for tips on what to do when your friend is the one who's upset over a misstep), and learn valuable skills to cope with difficult situations.
A SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM
Morgan Styer, 18, of All American Cheer and Stunt in Kansas City, MO, was stunned by both the physical and emotional pain of falling during a routine at competition. "Everyone landed their tumbling, had successful Baskets, stuck the pyramid and hit their stunts - except me," she says. "I fell on my two [handsprings] to a full, then had a top girl fall on me during stunts. She gave me an elbow to the face and broke my finger." A brave Styer did her best to complete the routine despite her discomfort, all the while fearing the worst to come from her team. "For the rest of the routine, I smiled through the pain and a bloody nose, expecting my teammates to hate me for messing up," she says. Making a mistake at a crucial point can be devastating, but add physical pain to the mix and the results are a crushing blow to the system.

 
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED?
Once the initial shock of a mistake wears off, it's naturai to want to dissect the incident over and over to try to figure out what went wrong. You replay the scene in your mind, wishing to turn back the clock and hoping it was all a bad dream. This is a dead-end cycle, because endless worrying won't fix the situation. However, you can rework the incident in a positive way. If you can realistically and fairly review what happened, you can decide whether or not the mistake was caused by a factor that was within your control.
If the mistake was within your control - for example, you were recovering from an injury and shouldn't have been stunting - then you know that next time you have to let yourself fully heal before performing. But if your foot cramped up, or some other uncontrollable force was at work, you have to work toward acceptance, not blame. "Think about what happened and why," says Judy VanRaalte, professor of psychology at Springfield College in Massachusetts, former president of the American Psychological Association division of exercise and sport psychology and former VP of the International Society of Sport Psychology. "If the cause is controllable - you didn't have the right amount of training, you didn't warm up, you didn't sleep or eat right - think about what you need to do to prevent it from happening again. If the cause is uncontrollable, like something happened in the room to distract you, realize that sometimes things like that happen. Do your best to control what you can."
The pain and sadness over an incident often magnifies its importance in your mind. After her painful fall, Styer's teammates greeted her with "hugs, smiling faces and ice," she notes, not the anger and disappointment she anticipated.
THE SHOW MUST GO ON
So how do you bounce back from a mistake when the competition isn't over? "You're judged more on how you come back from a devastating loss, or from being at the bottom, than you are from how you handle success," says Ronald L. Kamm, MD, an adult and adolescent psychiatrist in private practice in New Jersey, who's consulted high school, college and professional athletes. "It's not how low you fall, it's how you handle it and whether you come back Real character and toughness are bom from loss." If you can put on a smile and keep moving, you can salvage more than you might expect.
"My coaches always taught us to keep smiling and moving," says Jomarya Diver, a varsity cheerleader at Bishop Kearney HS in Brooklyn, NY. "At competition two years ago, we did a ripple stunt in a straight line going from the front of the mat to the back. My stunt group was one and we messed up. We were very upset, but stuck it out and kept going with the routine. If you continue with a smile on your face and put a lot of energy into the rest of the routine, it can make up for your mistake."
If all else fails, fake it till you make it. You can always take a private moment to absorb the sadness later, but a great finish is than letting the whole routine go because of one mistake. "When I mess up at a competition, I keep going through the routine strongly and don't think about it," says Kayla McHaIe, a member of the Senior Coed Prodigies at Ultimate Athletics in Wauconda, IL. "If it does come back into my mind during a transition or some other part of the routine, I think about a practice where I hit it perfectly, and try to move on."

Team THAILAND

Cheerleading is extremely popular here in the United States, but what about in the rest of the world? AC's newest column gives you an inside look at whal it's like to cheer in different countries around the globe. First up, Thailand!
AC: What's the main difference between American cheerleading and that of Thailand?
KEVIN SCHLEBAUM, THAI CHEERLEADER: In Thailand, we're not taught the basics, like cheerleaders are in America. We can't start cheering until high school, so mostly everyone who joins has never cheered before and gets mixed in with people who've been doing it for years. Also, we choose to focus more on dance and pyramids, because gymnastics instruction isn't available everywhere here, and we don't begin tumbling until we're in high school, either. American teams are much better at tumbling, stunting and jumps.
AC: What part of the routine does your squad focus most on perfecting?
KS: The pyramid, cheer and dance. In Thailand we don't have a lot of tumbling, and because of the [average] body size of our athletes we can't do great partner stunts. We like to keep our Thai style in our dances.
AC: Are there more female cheerleaders?
KS: Mostly all Thai cheerleaders are male.
AC: What's a typical practice like for you?
KS: We warm up practice stunts, then run through the whole routine a few times. The end of practice is solely focused on gymnastics.
AC: Have you ever been to the Worlds/ICU competitions?
KS: Yes. We went to both in 2010.
AC: Did you take home any awards?
KS: We took fifth place both at the ICU and at Worlds in our division. We also received a silver medal in the International Worlds division.
AC: How many squads are in your country?
KS: There are 60 teams.
AC: How often do you compete?
KS: Pretty often. We placed first in the Thailand championship Seacon Square and in the Thailand International Championships twice. We also won first in the Thailand Cheer Championships three times.
AC: Tell us about your cheer squads.
KS: We have two levels of school teams. The first is high school competition, which ranges in age from 14 to 18 and competes in Coed Level 5. The second is university competition, which includes 18- to 25-year-olds and competes in Coed Level 6. We also have all-star squads. These athletes are 1 4 years or older and compete in the Coed Level 6 division.
AC: What do people in Thailand think of cheerleaders?
KS: Thai people are interested in cheer, but since it's new to the country they don't consider it a sport. Some people don't even know what cheerleading is and don't understand why we do it.
AC: Where do you see cheerleading going in the next 10 years?
KS: It will be bigger and more focused on gymnastics. Maybe it'll be in the Olympics, too!
AC: What would you like cheerleaders in the U.S. to know about cheer in Thailand?
KS: My team would like everyone to know how much we love cheerleading. We try our hardest every year and have won first place in Thailand many times. We love traveling to America and meeting the cheerleaders who live there. We want to show other teams that we're special, and not just any other squad.