Q: I have a question about becoming an All-American cheerleader. I have been a high-school mascot for one year, a varsity high-school cheerleader for one year, and this year is my first year participating on a competition squad. I have a great desire to become an All-American cheerleader at camp and was wondering if you have any tips into starting the process

A: It might sound simple, but the best chance of being an All-American is about being the best you can be. All American selections are based on picking the best cheerleaders at a camp. Give yourself an honest evaluation and find your areas of weakness and work on them. You don't want to go out and do a great cheer or dance and then have a terrible jump. Then, whenever you learn the material for the tryout, practice, practice, practice! Finally, laying the foundation like this will let you show your confidence when you go out for the actual tryout. Even if you aren't selected as part of "the best", the preparation you've put in will have made you a better cheerleader. Good luck!

- Jim Lord 

Q:  For a 2 day competition with WSF what is the percentage of the teams score for day 1 and day 2.

A: Similar to all the Varsity Brands WSF uses the following percentages for 2 day events the FINAL SCORE will be calculated by adding 25% of the Day 1 Score and 75% of the Day 2 Score.

- Don Collins

Q: I am a first year coach for a local Rec program-my age group is 7-9. Do you have any tips on how to improve sharpness in their moves? Some of the girls are shy and tend to rush through or put little movement into a cheer.

A: Getting new cheerleaders to learn to be sharp and tight with their motions can be a very tough chore, especially at the ages you are coaching. My advice would be to take it slow and work on a few different motions each practice. The attention span for kids at that age is not very long and they will bore quickly when working on fundamentals. Doing motion work is not as fun as stunting for these kids so try to make a game out of it: Who can be the sharpest? Have little candies for prizes! This is a fun way to get your results you want without them know.

A trick I have used with my old cheerleaders is the water bottle trick. Give them an assignment to bring in two bottled waters (small enough to hold in your hands) to your next practice. Have them use these water bottles to go through all your motions. The little bit of weight will make their arms tire but should help with their sharpness when they do their motions without them! Have them work their way from water to rocks in the water bottles.

Good luck and remember that motions are not going to look good overnight! It takes practice, practice, and more practice!

- Josh McCurdy

Q: I would like to enhance our baskets. What is the safest way for tops to work on their skills without putting bases at risk?

A: Start with elevator extensions that cradle. This stunt uses the same basic techniques and timing as basket tosses and they are less wear and tear on bases. Make sure the top is loading in by jumping in by herself and holding her weight with her own arms. She should be as tall as possible in this load-in position. The backspot can help at the waist or ankles, but should NOT push up under the rear. That creates a dependency from the top person and a tendency to squat instead of standing tall. Then work on speeding up the elevator from the load-in to the top. It should almost come out of the hands at the top. If this isn't happening, then how would you expect a basket toss, which is the same basic technique, to get any height? Then work on popping the cradle straight up and catching the top person with the arms extended upward. They should make contact with the top above their heads and cushion with their legs as they catch. These skills will be vital when you start getting good basket tosses. If the extension and cradle are shaky at all, forget doing baskets.

Next, work into the baskets and focus on using the same timing as you had with your elevator extensions. The front of the feet should be on the basket, with the heels hanging off of the back. Then toss in a smooth manner using the full follow through to extension, but without throwing as hard as you can. Again, the backspot should help drive the basket up from under the basket grip, NOT by pushing the rear of the top person. Pushing the basket from below the interlocked grip helps support the bases and helps them follow through to the top of the toss. Remember to catch high and cushion the landing. You may find your basket toss is higher using this smooth technique than when you throw as hard as you can without technique. Use these "pencil tosses" to work on your timing and technique and slowly add in speed and strength. Then you can add in the tricks at the top of the basket, but always start with a great toss.

- Jim Lord