Ask Mandy

Cheer Celebrities

FlyGirl Promotional Tour

FlyGirl Ad in Cheer Biz News

Colouring Contest

FlyGirl video

Cheerleader Nation

Stick It

Summer in L.A.

Skooled
Elevation

 

Dear FlyGirl,

 

            I am the captain of my high school team.  I am getting really frustrated because we can’t seem to get past extensions and liberties that hit most of the time.  A lot of the girls on the team complain that we are not as good as we should be and mostly blame the flyers for not being tight enough.  How do we get to the next level?

 

Stephanie, California.

Dear Stephanie,

 

            As a coach and choreographer for many years I have seen this scenario over and over again.  I believe there are two compontents crucial to your team’s success.

 

1. Attitude.  If you believe it, you can achieve it.  If you team is spending a lot of time complaining they are not spending that time working and focusing on the positive things your team has going for them – like a dedicated and caring captain!!!   Sometimes the reason that cheerleaders do not progress beyond a certain point is because they are afraid to try new skills.  Every one of us has experienced being afraid to try a new skill in cheerleading – it is natural – this is a CRAZY sport!!!  It is very important that you discuss your fears as a group and make a commitment to do whatever you need to in order to execute the new skill properly.  Here is an exercise I do with a group about to try a new skill. 1 – describe the skill – each person describes what they will need to do to make the skill hit properly. 2. – discuss what can possibly go wrong and how each person will deal with that if it does. 3. – commit to the skill. Each person says outloud to the group that they are willing to give 100% effort to the skill and go for it – this is KEY. If one base is not giving 100%, it is not only most likely not going to work, but chances are they are the ones who may end up getting hurt!

 

2. Aptitude. We are talking physical aptitude here.  In order to achieve a higher skill level you need to have HIGHER skills (meaning more air time), which requires more power, and mostly, more speed.  How do you achieve this? Train!!! You ability to perform is directly related to the amount of time you spend preparing for that performance.  Practices are used to develop you as a cheerleader  - meaning that you will work the skills required for the execution of your routines. As the season progresses you have less time to condition and are spending more time perfecting routines.  It is super important that each member of your team is following a holistic approach to cheerleading.  Exercising the mind, body, heart and spirit!  How do you do this? Do your research ;) Find teams and coaches you admire and find out when they train, what they do outside of practice to maintain a balanced diet, build strength and endurance and focus on the positive aspects of Who They Are!

 

If you want to be treated as an athlete, you must train like one!
Cheers!
Mandy

  Julia from Richview Collegiate in Etobicoke, Canada

Julia started off as a gymnast. She gymed recreationally and competitively for six years. She went on to coach gymnastics and has done so since 1997. She began cheerleading in 2002 at Richview Collegiate Institute and continues at the University of Toronto. She has been coaching for FlyGirl Canada for two years and is presently head coach for Richview Collegiate Institute.  Julia has been doing lots of clinics for FlyTeams this semester!

March 2006

April 2006

 

FlyGirl will be advertising in American Cheerleader Magazine’s Publication called Cheer Biz News.  Cheer Biz News goes out to over 7000 cheer gyms and cheerleading businesses across North America.  Not getting your FREE copy? Call American Cheerleader's customer service at 1-800-596-2317 from the United States or 1-815-734-1216 from outside the United States.  Please note that you must be a member of the industry (own an all star gym, or run a cheerleading company) to receive a free copy.

 

Our National Colouring Contest is under way!  Below are a couple of entrants from Edmonton, Alberta!  Look for us a competition near you to enter! The winner will have their uniform made for them!!!

 

 

Got Spirit? Check to see if you are in our FlyGirl Promo video shot at last year’s competitions!

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There has been a lot of press lately on cheerleading. Some of it great, some of it not so great.  We are happy that people are getting excited about cheerleading, and especially happy that there are so many new movies and shows coming out about the sport we all love!

 

Taking viewers inside the dizzying world of parenting teenage girls -- from rivalries, friendships, boyfriends, acne, teachers, and wrong shoes, to competing for a national athletic championship, Lifetime Television will premiere its new one-hour reality series about the roller coaster relationship of mothers and daughters on a high school cheerleading team in “Cheerleader Nation” premiering SUNDAY, MARCH 12 at 10:00 PM ET/PT. 

            "Cheerleader Nation" takes an inside look at Lexington Kentucky’s Dunbar High School cheerleading squad. Having already won two national championships, they are now competing for the third -- a feat never achieved in the history of the sport. They'll need to keep smiling through physical exhaustion, social drama, demands they put on themselves, and the pressure set upon them by their parents. Among the featured girls from Dunbar High is a genetically lucky girl who seems to have it all; the rebel who wants to quit; the girl whose football-loving father has adopted the team as his passion project; and the freshman whose mother, also the squad's coach, has driven her since the age of five to be the best cheerleader of them all. 

 

 

 

 

 

Auditions are underway for dancers 14 Yrs+ to Adult for Be Discovered's 2006 Summer in L.A. taking place July 24 - July 31.

Amateur and professional dancers and dance teachers are invited to join us for not just another dance intensive but a dance experience of a lifetime!

For 2 years in a row we have sold out! Spaces are limited and this year we are guaranteed to sell out again.

Audition at a FlyGirl competition/event, by attending any of our workshops, by inviting us to watch you in a show/competition or by submitting a DVD/VHS.

Visit us at http://www.flygirl.ca/dance/index.htm for more information!

 

 

Students:  What if you were given the chance to teach your teachers? 

 

Teachers:  What could you learn from your students?

 

“SKOOLED” is an exciting series currently airing on TV Ontario, Wednesdays at 6:30pm.  We are currently searching for subjects for Season II.  This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for students to switch places with the teachers!  For one week the students will take charge of the school and it will be the teachers turn to learn the curriculum…    

 

We are looking for:

 

 

 

We are also interested in hearing from kids on how they think a school should be run, what they would teach & how they would teach their classes.

 

For more information, ideas, and if you wish to nominate yourself or another student/teacher to participate in this show, please contact: