While coaching cheerleading you have to be able to wear many different hats at once; have the ability to turn in different directions; and have eyes in the back of your head. In order to simplify your many roles you have to be organized. The key is to start early and use an organizational game plan. Here’s how.

Make your principal your best friend
Share with him all of the great ideas you learned during the summer at the coach’s conference. Explain to him how exciting it was to hear how other schools have a Pep Rally Committee that consists of a representative from every group and organization in the school; shop class makes props, art class makes signs, drama club plans skits, etc. all the while doing this as a class project and receiving a grade. You now have a committee to help with several different aspects of producing excitement within the school. Ask the computer class to type up words to the cheers. Have the choir director teach the lyrics of the school song. Have the math class configure how many squares of poster board and how and where each should be placed if you want to use them for crowd involvement in the stands. Be sure to include teachers, coaches and administrators. The students love to see them in a different light. Teach the teachers a “Spirit Dance.” Some schools have the cheer squad do sit ups or jumping jacks for every point earned. Be different and have the teachers and school staff stand up and do jumping jacks every time your team scores. The crowd will love it.

Get other coaches involved
Ask the football (or any sport your team cheers for) coach to explain the game to the squad. They should know the difference between offense and defense so they will know which chant or cheer to perform at that point in the game.

Get the shop owners in town involved
Have the squad and the art class paint windows with encouraging messages. “Pirates are #1”; “All the way to state!”; “Beat those Bears!” etc. The special needs class can help in many ways too. They can paint and help when you return to clean the window and put up a new message. You could also make this a fundraiser by charging a fee for the paint job and for the clean up.

Share the spirit
While you have the paint buckets in hand you can write the same kind of messages on the windows of the cars that are going to the games. Tie streamers on their antennas or door handles. Again, you can charge a fee and use this as a fundraiser.

Get organized
Next plan of action is to invest in a box of folders; plain or different colors. Now work on categories and labels. You should have a separate folder for every week and a separate folder for every category you can think of that pertains to cheerleading.

Don't leave home without it!
Never travel anywhere with the squad without medical release forms in your possession. They will become part of your wardrobe or a needed accessory to compliment your organizational skills.

Document everything
Write down when and how many times Dawn’s mother calls to express how great her daughter will be as a flyer. It’s very important to note how many times you spoke with whomever. They will tell the principal they called you twelve times and you never called them back. You have it documented that they called three times and you called and left a message twice and spoke with them twice on this date at this time. You may think your parents would never act that way, but believe me, even Little Miss Muffet’s mother will turn into the Bride of Frankenstein if she feels her child has been wronged. Make a note of any injury, no matter how small. You need to be able to know exactly when it happened, how it happened, where it happened, who was there at the accident scene, what course of action you took and who can testify on your behalf in court. Of course, you did have the squad and their parents sign a document on the “Inherit Risk of Cheerleading”, didn’t you? It may sound like a lot of paperwork, but trust me, when that friendly principal calls you into his office inquiring on the lawsuit presented before the school board, you’ll be glad you took the time to document everything.

Get started!
Go shopping for your folders and get busy documenting your every move. Start off being organized and the year will go a lot smoother.

Linda Lundy has over 30 years experience in cheerleading. She’s certified to judge for Cheer LTD, American Cheer Power, United Cheer, UCA and a USASF Legality Judge. She is also a dance judge (Level IV) with the Dance and Drill Team Directors of America. She’s a USAG gymnastics judge and a Red Cross Instructor in CPR, first aid and sports safety. Linda is founder of “National Cheerleading Week” and “National Cheer Coach’s Day” and currently owns Cheer Integrity, which is known for judges training and placement. This article was originally published in Cheer Coach & Advisor Magazine-Fall 2005

This article provided by Linda Lundy, Cheer Integrity