I just got done watching the True Hollywood Stories “Cheerleading” episode and yet again the industry is associated with all of the negativity that happens throughout the year, not all the great things cheerleaders are doing around the world. I want to get your perspective … who saw the show and what did you think?
Wow so it’s been a long 8 months here at CheerOutLoud. Jason and I finally got together in person as I stayed with him while I was in town competing at the AVP Brooklyn event on August 23. I also realized that I was battling an ear infection and respiratory infection at the same time. Pretty harsh. I ended up in bed for a few days when I got back to San Diego. Our sessions in his office were great and we went through the website and made revisions to a lot of features, interacted with our development team and connected with some members for feedback. We love feedback and we want your feedback on what you want for features, what tools do you need to make cheerleading better for you? What companies do you want to see on the site? What brands do you just love?
In case you didn’t know we’re all over the web by now and we wanted to share with you what sites you can find us on as we all know that managing multiple profiles is tough, but to make it easy here is where we are:
YourMinis: http://www.yourminis.com/people/yourminis/cheeroutloud
SuperViva: http://www.superviva.com/ideas/23680-make-CheerOutLoud-a-successful-business.html
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/cheeroutloudteam
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=779785022
TeenInk: http://teenink.com/talk/member.php?s=fe0fc430d95e15ef45720176d41cecaa&action=getinfo&userid=9966
Australian Cheerleading Online: http://www.acacheer.com/dragonfly/index.php?name=Your_Account&profile=cheeroutloud
Spain Cheerleading Directory: http://www.worldwidirectory.com/Europe/Spain/Recreation/Sports/Cheerleading/
Technorati: http://technorati.com/blogs/blog.cheeroutloud.com
So with all of the hardwork and long nights that have gone into CheerOutLoud.com to make it the best experience for cheerleaders arounf the world, we’re now looking to our current 550 BETA members to give us some feedback on what they want to see next!
thanks for all of your support!
Jason & BJ
Co-Founders
Hello to all our friends of CheerOutLoud,
Below, you will find our 2007-2008 Advertising Kit featuring banner rates, premium listings and other options. Our inventory works as such:
It is first come, first serve so certain space may get taken right away.
This allows you to lock in these rates until they update in 2008
You can buy out certain ad spaces so you’re the only featured there
Please feel free to contact us with any questions and to see about setting up a customized package. We are also looking to setup sponsored landing pages within the community for $2,500/mo where we will design a page for you featuring ad copy, images, tag line and a link from our homepage.
Download CheerOutLoud.com’s 2007-2008 Ad Kit
If you are at all interested in any of these advertising opportunities, please email info@cheeroutloud.com
Thanks for your time,
Jason & BJ
Co-Founders
A NEGATIVE MIND SPAWNS ONLY NEGATIVE IDEAS.
It is a physical impossibility for a negative mind to generate positive thoughts. When you allow yourself to dwell on the negative aspects of life, negative thinking expands to fill all of your thoughts until there is no room for positive thoughts to grow. It becomes an endless cycle. The habit of negative thinking generates more and more negative thoughts, which the mind attempts to turn into physical reality. The result is a life of despair and hopelessness. Develop the habit of eliminating negative thoughts the moment they appear. Start small at first. When you first hear that inner voice that says, “I can’t do this,” put the thought out of your mind immediately. Instead, concentrate on the task itself. Break it down into manageable parts and complete them one at a time. When the job is finished, tell your doubting self: “You were wrong. I could do it, and I did!”
As part of my position as Camp Director with COA (Cheerleaders of America), I run daily coaches classes where I cover various topics that hopefully help the coaches run a more successful program.
I recently came home from a camp in Columbus, Ohio and I think my second coaches meeting went so well that I’d like to share it with you…
As the coaches arrived, I had them each take 4 M&M’s from a bad I’d purchased minutes earlier. As they took their seats I explained that they were not to eat the M&M’s until I said so. I then went on to assign a question to each of the colors:
Red - What do you hope to learn?
Yellow - What is your biggest concern about being on/coaching team?
Green - What is the riskiest thing you’ve ever done?
Brown - What is the best team you’ve ever been on/coached? Why?
Orange - What is your major strength as a team player/coach?
Blue - What are you most proud of?
They had to find someone else with the same color and both share their answers to the correspconding questions. They got 5 minutes per color and then had to switch partners. The only rule was that they could not talk to the same person twice (even over a different color M&M). Once the 5 minutes was up, they could eat the M*M.
This ice breaking game was intended to show them a fun way that they can get their team to bond. Team bonding is a very important process that will help to ensure a close-knit team. A strong cheerleading squad is one that shares purpose and desire. Playing teambuiling games are a fun way to break down walls in communication, provide avenues that encourage discussion, and increase productivity.
I continued the class by taking about the importance of goal setting… When I am introduced to a new team, I have them right down 3 goals, sort of a personal mission statement.
1. Short term
2. Long term
3. Team goal
When writing their goals, they must write in present tense. Example of a short term goal: Today is September 15 and CheerOutLoud.com has successfully launched.
I believe that there is power behind writing down your goals because they are no longer just an idea. But I even more believe that by speaking your goals to people that will support and encourage you, you are already on your way to making them come to be.
Once the entire team, including the coaches, have spoken their goals (in the present tense, and with conviction), I collect the goals and hold on to them to refer back to throughout the season. Reminding the cheerleaders of their goals on a frequent basis will helping realize their goals much sooner.
I believe that if you, as a coach, can encourage your cheerleaders to consistently improve themselves by always trying to be better than themselves, that they will develop positive habits. And positive attracts positive so… I’d be willing to bet that not only will they achieve their goals faster, but long term goals will become short term goals and team goals will become a reason to celebrate.
To close out my class I shared two quotes that I have carried with me for many years:
“All that we are is the result of what we have thought.” - Buddha
“Be absolutely determined to enjoy what you do.” - Gerry Sikorski
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Now playing: Reel Big Fish - Sell Out
via FoxyTunes
“There is no achievement without goals.”
Mckain, Robert J.
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to say “it was meant-to-be” whenever a dream or goal comes true? And how much easier it is to give up and walk away from a dream simply because it was difficult?
Some goals require a tremendous amount of effort, however, difficulty is not necessarily a sign that our hopes and plans are a lost cause. Quite the opposite actually, difficulties and challenges along the way can be more important than the initial goal.
I find that when I want something, the fastest way for me to get it is to write it down. When I create a list of what I want, citing each item in as much detail as possible, my aspirations take on new substance. What was once a mere wish becomes real and achievable when put into words. As you pour the contents of your heart and soul into your list, your well-defined ambitions become a part of you, and like magic, new opportunities related to your goals will appear in your path. The words and ideas that we think can shape our lives and drive us toward success and happiness or failure and distress.
How you think and feel can have a profound effect on your ability to recognize opportunity, how well you perform, and the outcome of the goals that you’ve set for yourself. Positive thinking dramatically increases your chances of success.
If you keep your list in a convenient spot and review it daily, you will remind yourself that you are truly committed while keeping your goals fresh in your mind. Once you are committed to embracing positive thinking, you’ll start believing that everything that you want is within your grasp.
In 1999, while I was a cheerleader at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, my friends are I were asked by the NBA to help them start a crowd-interactive square. We weren’t sure what they wanted, and they weren’t sure what we were capable of… so it was perfect! Haha. Our first event was the Hall of Fame Game in Connecticut and I guess we did a great job because only a month later, they sent us to Milan, Italy. It’s been a fun ride since then…
1999 - Hall of Fame Game, Springfield, Mass.
1999 - McDonald’s Championship at the Fila Forum in Milan, Italy
1999 - Exhibition Game in Mexico City, Mexico
1999 - NBA Japan Games at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan
2000 - NBA All Star Game, San Francisco (Oakland)
2001 - NBA All Star Game, Washington DC
2002 - WNBA All Star Game, Orlando
2002 - NBA All Star Game, Philadelphia
2002 - WNBA All Star Game, Washington DC
2003 - WNBA All Star Game, New York City
2003 - NBA Europe Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris, France
2003 - Exhibition Game at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain
2004 - China Games at Shanghai Stadium, Shanghai, China
2004 - NBA China Games at Capital Stadium, Beijing, China
2005 - NBA All Star Game, Denver
2005 - WNBA Sll Star Game, Connecticut
2006 - NBA All Star Game, Houston
2006 - WNBA All Star Game, New York
2006 - USAB in Guangzou, China and Seoul, Korea
2006 - NBA Live in Barcelona, Spain, Paris, France, Rome, Italy and Cologne, Germany
2007 - NBA All Star Game, Las Vegas
In all the years I’ve been cheered for the NBA, I have never seen our routines. Needless to say, it’s taken a long time to get these videos of our performances and I am so excited to share them with you. Enjoy…
Europe Live 2006: 76ers vs. FC Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain
Europe Live 2006: Suns vs. 76ers in Cologne, Germany
Europe Live 2006: 76ers vs. CSKA in Cologne, Germany
NBA All Star Friday Night
NBA All Star Saturday Night
NBA All Star Sunday Night
The first-ever Nebraska State High School Cheerleading and Dance Championships will take place at Grand Island’s Heartland Events Center. The coaches association is sponsoring the Feb. 23, 2008, event, along with the Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.
It will be coordinated by the Universal Cheerleaders Association and Universal Dance Association from Memphis, Tenn., which also sponsors the national championships held annually at Disney World and televised on ESPN.
Johnsen said high school cheerleaders and dancers spend a lot of time, money and energy on their sport.
“It’s an expensive activity, and other than being showcased at games, they don’t have a true statewide competition. We felt it was time to change that,” he said.
The competition will feature the cheer divisions of tumbling, non-tumbling and sideline cheer. The dance divisions are pom, jazz, hip-hop and high kick.
All high schools Classes A, B, C and D are eligible for the competition.
Read more here.