Saturday, December 18, 2010
Christmas Cheer!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
I'm in Love...
My Biggest Secret...EVER.
Don't worry. I've had the same problem...
A few weeks ago I was trying to look up all these different ways I could increase my flexibility and the overall quality of my Cheerleading skills... And I have finally figured out the secret!
The Dallas Texas Cowboys Cheerleaders use it...The UCLA Cheerleaders use it... And you definitely can too.
Yoga. Yup. That's it! Yoga. My flexibility has increased SO much already since I've used it! I was also browsing through what some Cheerleading coaches thought about it. All of the coaches comments I read definitely approved of it. And not only that, but they said that they will test the girls on their yoga fitness and knowledge during tryouts and some of them are so strict that they only allow girls who've had experience with Yoga on the team!!!
Seem a little extreme? Well maybe not. It kind of makes sense. Yoga not only increases strength and flexibility, but it also helps with your balance (which DEFINITELY helps with stunts & jumps), and it may sound crazy, but it also helps your inner self. As you breathe in and out you are meditating which will help you stay focused and relaxed during practices, competitions, tryouts, etc.
My favorite thing about Yoga is it clears your mind, but also that it is so calming that you begin to REALLY like it and you gain SO much flexibility and strength from it...Which in my mind is a hundred times better than running 5 miles, doing weights, and other vigorous activity. You basically stay in one small area, usually just on a little Yoga mat, and meditate!
So there are many things you can do to learn Yoga. You can buy videos, take a local class...Or...(What I do). You can just look up videos on YouTube!
Tips: Find a quiet place, or some where pretty that you like to be. Yoga typically works best when you are serene.
-I would also try to mix it up and use different videos/routines so you work different muscles. (It also helps it not get boring too quickly.)
-It is optional, but light, calm music usually helps you feel more relaxed. I would consider playing it. *youtube works with this as well*
- And lastly, visit websites that offer advice as well...One that is really good is yogatic.com!
GOOD LUCK! :)
Here are some videos...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3vLZqPZxZE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxawfWl09Ts
I haven't actually tried these ones yet, but I watched them and they are for beginners, so you can try them! :)
Friday, November 26, 2010
Sweet Winter Fashions
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
We Got An Award!!!
Here is the link! Check out the page we were awarded on!
http://www.simplemommysecrets.com/2010/11/i-got-award-woo-hoo-im-so-exited-to.html?spref=bl
We are so excited to get this award! Thank you Simple Mommy Secrets!
Cheer Charm: Fashion
Monday, November 15, 2010
10 Short & Easy Make-Up tips for Teen Girls!
1. Wash your face before applying makeup! It will help clear up your skin and it makes your face a perfectly clean canvas for your makeup!
2. Find a foundation (if you need it) that MATCHES YOUR SKIN TONE!!! Too many girls are going around with orange or brown spots (or even their whole face) because they cannot apply their foundation correctly, and/or they don't have the right color!
3. It needs to BLEND. Understand that word. BLEND. A trick is to use either your middle or ring finger only to apply it. These fingers are dainty and naturally do not rub as hard so it will even out the foundation well.
4. Keep your eyebrows neat! They frame your face and make you look polished! And before applying any eye makeup, curl your eyelashes! It makes your eyes look bigger. And with eyes, the bigger is the prettiest!
6. Teens are lucky. We can use any eyeshadow we want (shimmery, glittery, etc.) But do NOT use bold colors! Anything too dark/rich (unless you have a deeper or darker skin tone) looks horrible.
7. I know a girl that wears literally 3 vertical stripes on her eyes of the 3 darkest colors she can find. And she is super pale. It looks kinda crazy. So stay away from that!
8. If you decide to wear eyeliner do not EVER put it in the corner of your eyes or inside the lids of your eyes!!! There are a lot of "Online Tips" that say to do this but it is a good way to get a bacterial infection. And trust me they are painful!
9. Apply Mascara!!! It makes your eyes pop!
10. And last but not least...NO LIP LINER/LIPSTICK!!! It is not 1998. Remember Britney Spears in "Hit Me Baby One More Time" ? She was a pretty girl, but the liner was a little over-kill...And by a little I mean a lot! So stay away from those and lean towards lip gloss. It looks the prettiest for teens. It is simple, but shiny and pretty.
Good luck! I hope this helps you achieve your new makeup look!
-Cheerfully,
Alyssa
Friday, November 12, 2010
Cheerleading an Olympic Sport...
Top Ten Reasons Why Cheerleading Should be an Olympic Sport...
- All other Olympic sports could have their own official cheerleaders.
- It could definitely be a coed sport.
- There would never be a shortage of judges. Most men would kill for this job.
- Language shouldn't be a problem; how many ways can you say "Go, Team, Go?"
- There would never be a need to drug test; cheerleaders are always smiling.
- Rich countries wouldn't have an advantage; how many uniforms does a squad need?
- It's easier to spell than gymnastics.
- It could go either way, Winter or Summer.
- No special equipment is needed, just give them some ground.
- Pom Poms are cheaper than pole vaults.
What do you think about this? I mean, if ping-pong can be named an official sport, don't you think Cheerleaders deserve a spot too? There is obviously a lot of athletic ability involved and skill, so why do you think it's not a sport? Give us your thoughts in the comment section below! :)
Sunday, November 7, 2010
10 Important Basketball Cheer Try-out tips to Remember!!!
A few girls have been facebooking me asking me for tips for Basketball Cheer Try-outs. So I decided it was the perfect opportunity to make a post!!! :)
Here are just a few things to remember for your tryouts! :)
1. Make sure you attend ALL of the workshops and meeting before the tryout day. This will help you get your routine's down solid and the coaches always evaluate the girls during this time so they can kind of get an idea of who they want on their team.
2. Make sure you are always standing in the front when learning a routine or cheer or whatever it is you are being taught. You have to act super confident because they will see that, and all the girls that rush and hide in the back will never be noticed by the coaches. You want them to watch you. Even if you are scared, you have to make yourself think you are the best there. They can tell when a girl is super confident!
3. Keep every motion you do tight! This is the MOST important thing you can do! (As well as smiling...)
If you look sloppy, they will automatically rule you out and you will not even be considered in most cases. You HAVE to be sharp! Remember to squeeze all your muscles at once! It begins with squeezing your thigh's and fists as tightly as possible!
4. Be loud! You are a cheerleader! So prove it! This was hard for me to pick up on because when I first started I was super shy. But you HAVE to use your diaphragm and yell as loud as possible!!!
...BUT NEVER SCREAM! I have heard one too many girls scream and screech while cheering and it sounds terrible! You cannot even understand what they are saying! You have to use your diaphragm to make quick, punchy sounds. You can't use your voice to scream. Coaches HATE it.
5. Wear the right clothing to tryouts. Do not wear SUPER short shorts, with tank-tops that show cleavage or bra-straps. You want to look clean, and like you are presenting the school. So wear shorts (and don't roll them), and t-shirt and a cute bow. *If you do wear a tank top, make sure you are wearing a bra that does not show!*
6.ALWAYS WEAR SCHOOL COLORS!!! They hate nothing more than a girl wearing another schools shirt just because it says "Cheer" on it, or whatever. You must wear things in spirit of the school you want to cheer for!
Click on this link for a video how-to for help with jumps and kicks!!!
How to Do Jumps
8. The same applies for jumps! Keep your legs straight! And NEVER hunch your back! The most important thing with jumps is to keep your back up. Look straight ahead and never down! They want to see your pretty face! :)
9.Smile, Smile and SMILE:)
10. Ask the coach questions, or make small talk with her/him. They will begin to take interest in you. But do NOT become over-bearing or snobby. You want them to like you! So act sweet (but not over-kill) and just happy! Be yourself! :)
P.S-They LOVE when you ask questions! But don't ask too many, or it may get annoying or seem like you have NO clue what you are doing.
Well, good luck to all of you! I hope you guys make it! But remember, if you don't, it is not the end of the world. Even though you may be devastated and it may seem like it is, you will get over it. It is there loss. So take your time off to improve, and come back full on impressing them next year!
Comment and tell us how you do!!! :) And remember to post some pics as well on facebook or the blog! :)
GOOD LUCK!!!
Friday, November 5, 2010
It's Basketball Season!!!!!!! :)
Here are some tips you will need to remember while starting out the new winter season!
1. Make sure you review all your cheers for the bball season. It can make an embarrassing situation if you are saying "Score that touch-down" instead of 'basket' because you forgot to change out the words after being so used to using football terms!
2. Remember to do a tunnel for the guys! Have a cheer planned out and maybe even make a poster for them to run through. This can commonly be forgotten during basketball season because of all the hype that was made over football. Don't forget these guys too!
3. Again, these poor guys can be forgotten! Make sure everyone on the cheer team has a locker buddy and go have the team decorate the boys' lockers! It's fun and a great way to let the guys know you care about them too! Maybe even try to talk to them and open up new conversation! :)
4. Because of the tight, indoor spacing in the basketball gyms, you will be right next to the crowd! So do a LOT more crowd involved cheers, dances, and songs so they can be included! It is much more personal with the crowd during basketball than football because the lack of space. So use it to your advantage and pump up the crowd! :)
5. You have a lot more room while performing dances/cheers during half-time or whatever. So make sure you use the room you have! Maybe try to have everyone spread out across the gym in a cool formation like a big X, or a star, or something different! Basketball season is a great time to use a lot of new creativity in your performances!
6. Stunting can be REALLY fun during basketball season! You have more room and a better ability to execute your stunts! Try to perfect them and make them really unique! You want to impress your crowd and give cheerleaders a good name at your school. Get really good tumblers to perform, and have girls stunting. The students get really interested in stunts and tumbling because most of them can't do them at all! Plus they just look REALLY cool! :)
*Tip:* -Use your pom-poms uniquely! Try to spell out your mascot, or something like "WHS" (or whatever your school is). In 7th grade I was the Jaguars and we spelled "JAGS" out with out black and silver poms. It looked REALLY cool!
Just be super creative with this! And if you are not the one making decisions for your team, maybe suggest these to your coach or to your captain! :) Good luck this season!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Cute Craft!
Here is one idea...
This is all you need:
-Candle
-Some gems, sequins, etc.
-Glitter
-And glue
(*Most of you probably already have most of this at home anyways)
Take some glitter and decorate your candle. Maybe you like sequins, or button or gems! (Personally I think buttons can look super cute!!!) But use whatever you want! Now you have a cute, fun and cheap accessory that you can personalize to your room!
It's that simple!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Halloween Time!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Keep warm this Winter for basketball season! :)
Check out this cute headband! | Its only $5! (@ GTM) |
Cute $5 Beanie! I LOVE this hat! And It's warm! :) ( at GTM) |
This jacket is $37! I think it's adorable! (at GTM) |
I think this is my favorite skirt ever! It's so cute! $19.99 @ Soffe's. |
Keep warm and comfy in these cute yoga pants! $21.99 @ Soffe |
I LOVE this soffe pleated skirt! $12.99! |
I found all of this cute apparel at GTM Sportswear.com and Soffe! Check it out they have really good prices and cute stuff! It's perfect for keeping warm for the Winter and during basketball season! (What's great is almost all of these can be changed to your school colors!) |
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Not enough free time? Me too. 30 minute or less workout plans...
- Working on your splits...
- Do a slight jog/run for about 5 minutes. If you do not have enough space it's okay to jog in place. (Just make sure you feel your muscles warming up!)
- Sit in a straddle on the floor, legs spread apart, and stretch for 30 seconds on your right, middle and left sides.
- Then stand up, take your foot and pull it behind your back (towards your butt, or higher near your head if you are flexible enough), and stretch that for about 30 seconds. Then repeat on the other side. You should feel your muscles in your thighs being pulled just a little bit.
- Now you will need someone to help you with this...But it is crucial in order to get your splits! Stand against a wall and have someone hold your leg as you pull it towards your head. Once you get where you cannot stretch any further, start pushing your leg as hard as you can down toward the ground while your partner goes against you. Do it for about 20 seconds and then take your leg down, shake it out, put the same leg back up and you will be able to go farther up this time. Then repeat. Do this about 3-4 times each leg. I promise this is probably the number one way to get your splits.
- This is also one of the most important as well. (I would say this and #4 are tied for first place). Sit on the ground as close to a wall as possible and straddle the wall. Lay your back flat against the ground and sit like this for about 3-5 minutes. Gravity will slowly be pulling your legs towards the ground so your splits should come VERY fast! After you've done this about 3-5 minutes, shake out your legs and then do it again as soon as you feel ready to. (Your legs will be warmed up. Waiting any longer than 10 minutes will make your muscles cool down again) Try to do this at least 3 times.
- And last but not least, stretch your splits. Even if you can't go down far, you need to work those muscles. Do them at least 4-6 times (with small breaks in between) and try to hold them as long as possible. Preferably at least 30 seconds each.
- Working on your scorpion...
- Do a slight jog/run for about 5 minutes. If you do not have enough space it's okay to jog in place. (Just make sure you feel your muscles warming up!)
- Sit in a straddle on the floor, legs spread apart, and stretch for 30 seconds on your right, middle and left sides.
- Then stand up, take your foot and pull it behind your back (towards your butt, or higher near your head if you are flexible enough), and stretch that for about 30 seconds. Then repeat on the other side. Do it about 5 times altogether. You should feel your muscles in your thighs being pulled just a little bit. ***THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT STRETCHES FOR YOUR SCORPION!!!***
- Do bridges. Get on your back and push up to a bridge. (You need lots of back flexibility for scorpions). Do this for 15 seconds each and do it at least 3 times.
- Make sure you are stretching your arms. You need to be flexible there too. You are reaching behind your head to grab your foot. Have one hand touch your shoulder blade and use your other arm to pull your elbow as far back as possible with out hurting yourself.
- Then do "fish hooks". Lay on the ground with your stomach on the floor. Now with your arms, push your upper body off the ground and look as far back behind yourself as possible. The goal is to stretch you back by keeping your legs out flat on the ground behind you, and curving your back backwards.
~(This is a fish hook, but you should have your head looking at your toes)~
My only advice after those steps is to do numbers 2, 3 and 4 (and possibly 5 if you want to) again. They are the most important to keep working on after being warmed up.
I also highly recommend stretching your splits as well!!!
- Good luck! And please comment if you need help with any other areas in Cheerleading so I can put a post up! :) Thanks!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Want to check into College Cheerleading Scholarships?
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Cheerleading Not A Sport????
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoX6GVh58L8
Need routine music!?!?! Check out these...
Dynamite
If I Had You
Cheer Cosmetics! :)
You may be into High School, or competitive cheer...It doesn't matter! If you need make up for those cheer comps, games, appearances or any other events, (glittery or not) check out JAM cosmetics. They have a huge variety of make up to choose from! So pick out some fun colors and good luck! :)
They also have how-to videos that shows you how to apply make up. They have it for Cheer, Dance (Jazz, Ballet, Hip-Hop,etc.) and for the male performers too! :)
Their site also has accessories like blush brushes, fake eyelashes, etc.
Here is the link!
http://www.jamcosmetics.net/
Gain Flexibility No Matter What Level You Are At! :)
Flexibility has ALWAYS been my weak point. I have absolutely NO natural flexibility. If I don't stretch for even a few days after months of stretching on a daily basis, then for some weird reason my flexibility is completely shot.
So this is to help any of you that are at any level of flexibility and need help!
Follow my personal workout plan! If it's working for me then I can guarantee it will for you too.
First grab some water and music to keep your adrenaline going. Now you are ready to begin!
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6. Now try and go into your splits and push it without over-doing it. You could hurt yourself or get too sore which means you wont be able to stretch for a long time.
7. Do wall stretches, (It's NOT a wall sit). Go to a wall and sit down. Put your feet up on the wall and scoot yourself as close to the wall as possible. Then spread your legs out into a V as far out as they will go. Hold this for several minutes. You can bring your legs together or curl in a ball if it starts hurting to much. Then keep doing it when you feel you can. This is a VERY important stretch that will get you much, much closer to your splits.
It looks like this, but then you put your feet out in a V shape!
8. Now go to the floor and stretch your splits again... See how much farther you are!?!
Don't stress out if you don't see much improvement. Keep doing this for a few days and you'll see results! I promise!!! :)
Team Building Ideas:)
http://www.varsity.com/event/1150/team_building_cheerleading.aspx
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Teen Cheerleader Tackles Theft at Mall
http://www.kirotv.com/news/24422145/detail.html
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Hey Cheerleaders!!!
Please come and subscribe to my blog! :) I hope you guys really like it and visit often!
Awesome Cheer Article! :)
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/_stories/2002-04-26-cheerleading-cover.htm
Cheer On!
~Alyssa:)
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Cheerleading Contest! :)
So here is my challenge to you cheerleaders!
...I want you guys to post at least ONE of these things onto my Cheer Craze blog:
1. Share a cheer related story!
2. Write a cheer (make it original! I don't want old cheers everybody knows already!)
3. Post cheer pictures! It can be you and your friends in uniforms, at a competition, at a football game, etc. !
4. ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT! :)
I just want this to be fun and creative! I will choose a winner at the end after I have reviewed all the entries! :) Have fun and be unique with this! :)
Cheerfully,
~Alyssa :)
Friday, October 8, 2010
Cheer Craze!!!
Well, as you probably have figured out, this is a brand new blog!!! So please be patient with me! I am trying to get things organized so this will be an amazing blog! So keep checking periodically for new posts! If it's not up as soon as I'm hoping it will be I am VERY sorry! But PLEASE keep checking! I really think this page could be a hit!
Okay, so I am just wondering... How do you feel about cheerleading? If you have been cheering for a while tell us what state you live in or what your mascot is, a cheer experience you've had or SOMETHING! :) I really don't care what you say! Just make sure it's appropriate! You may say ANYTHING you want about Cheerleading:) Just PLEASE comment:)
So I know this isn't the most exciting post or blog...YET. But please get this page active! I need some participants! Haha:)
Well, I hope you have an awesome day!
Cheer On!
~Alyssa:)