Special shout out to our students who are trying out for the following teams:

St. Francis

Washington High School

Gunn High School

OC High School

Sierra High

Holy Names

CSU

You have all worked hard and deserve the best! Just do what you know and do it BIG!
Good luck to you all.

Welcome to our New Members. Congrats to the newly appointed Elite Team Captains! Looking forward to seeing you all.

Missed this workshop? Don’t worry we have one more on June 23rd. Or if you interested in Allstars team, you can walk in and sign up on an open registration day! Contact us for more information http://www.rawtalents.org

Need help preparing for Dance Tryouts?

Want to know what its like to be a part of a competitive and Nationally/Internationally ranked team?

Want to participate in a co-ed Hip-Hop Team?Just want something to do on Sunday May 20th?

Youth ELITE Team

If for some reason you can’t attend but want to be considered for the upcoming season, please email cheer@rawtalents.org and we will let you know about any other upcoming dates!

2011-2012 Season Award Recap:
1st Place Regional Competitions = 4
2nd Place Regional Competitions = 2
1st Place Nationals/Internationals = 4
4th Place Nationals = 2
6th Place Nationals = 1
8th Place Nationals = 1
Receiver of Sportsmanship Award
Receiver of 4 Championship Banners
2 Invitations to Worlds, 1 partial paid bid, 1 at large bid
1 Invitation to Hawaii National Championship
1 Invitation to the Texas Grand Slam
*invitations to these events require a competitive team to score in the range of 80 or above at a variety of qualifying events

Sign up for the most affordable, fun, hard working spirited athletics award winning Cheerleading Stunt, Dance and Hip-Hop Gym in the greater bay area. Be a part of the defending champions and let’s get another invite to Worlds! This is great for Dancers & Gymnast who want to stay at their current school but want to be a part of a competitive team. Truly compliments each other!

Senior L1 Training – Jumps Time

Mini Member training with Hip-Hop Instructor and Conditioning Coach

Tiny Members working hard with Dance & Flexibility Coach

Yes, they did it again! Fremont Bay Area RAW Allstars Cheer/Dance Teams bring home 3 more Title Wins! We are so proud of all our team members. This past weekend our Cheer & Dance Teams brought home 2nd Place in Sr. Stunt, International Championship wins in Youth Pom, Senior Pom and Senior Hip Hop.

Want to join in on the fun? Come to our ELITE Team Tryouts and Team Placement workshop on May 20th in Fremont, CA. Centrally located right off of 880, 84, 237 and 680. We have members from across the greater Bay Area! RSVP required by emailing cheer@rawtalents.org

Let’s GO TEAMS!

Smile big, Big Arms, Pointed Toes and HAVE FUN!

Wanna join in on the fun?

Team placements and tryouts May 20, 2012 RSVP for  free (required, due to limited number of spaces available for tryouts) by emailing cheer@rawtalents.org. Include your name and age.

Remember, we have added a new Facebook page. Stop by and click LIKE to get the most up to date happenings for RAW Talents & Allstars

Grit wins over brains every day—but neither alone is enough for the long run.

This is why our ELITE Team is provided tutors to assist them in the classroom and coaches to assist them to achieve on the competition floor. “You must have a strong mind, in order to be a strong performer”, says Director Coach G

Join one of the ONLY Cheer Dance Programs in Fremont Bay Area that offers tutoring to its hard working team members. Open Enrollment is now. Competitive Cheer and Dance Programs are open now for enrollment or if you are a strong tumbler or dancer consider trying out for our ELITE TEAM on May 20th. Must RSVP for ELITE Tryouts by emailing cheer@rawtalents.org

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest person with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest person with the smallest mind.
Think big anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack if you help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you might get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway. 

by Dr. Kent M. Keith

Training time with Coach

Preparing for Team Practice

Jumping to a Championship Title

It happens every day, Coaches & Directors are greeted with potential new members who stop by to check out their facility. One of the first statements from the member (or parent) is typically,  “Cary has been cheering/dancing for 3 years,  if she joins should not be placed on the beginner team”.  As a coach, we always have to assess the member by having them demonstrate their “talents” before team placement can occur. Sadly, more often than not, the child is unable to perform Level 2 or higher skills as determined by the cheer & cheer dance rules. Experience is a myth, because performers (and parents) think if they have been going to a place to practice something for years, they think they are gaining experience. Experience is only real if there is progression.

The hard part is telling the parent that their child is truly a level 1 performer and does qualify for L2 or higher. This statement is often meet with great resistance, parents and children typically go through an emotional response before anything else (hey, it’s human nature to get emotional first). But some coaches and directors are perplexed by this reaction, especially those who have many years experience in the competition world, but you also have to understand that no matter how nice you deliver the message; parents are not prepared for what they are hearing from you. Let’s just take a moment to explain why gyms get this reaction from parents:

1. Imagine if you have spent the last 5 years spending an average of $500-$1000 or more on your child’s cheerleading or dance team. Her teachers tell you how great she is doing and her team even wins a competition or two. Now your finding out that in 5 years your child does not have the solid acro or gymnastics experience needed to be higher than a L1 performer
2. Parents are realizing that they last 3 years and $4000+ dollars of gymnastics classes have gained a L1 placement on her cheer squad or even worse, she didn’t make the cheer squad because she doesn’t have the skills

Most parents do not understand that cheerleading should encompass everything, from dance; stunt; acro; gymnastics; projection; technique and more. If you don’t understand this, you won’t understand why your child did not make their Jr. High or High School squad after cheering for 5-10 years with youth leagues and other gyms.  This is not a blast on youth leagues, many of them actually follow policies set forth by organizations like ACA or other regulation organizations.  And the reality is, not all kids who join cheer, dance or gymnastics are looking to have a competitive edge or to become technically sound. For those kids, this whole post will not matter to you. But to those parents and children who want to get the most for the money and time, who want to have a competitive edge and excel properly, who want to have the full athletic experience possible, please read on.

Reality check! If you have spent more than 3 FULL season’s with any cheer program and can’t land a solid back handspring, move on and STOP WASTING YOUR MONEY! In a solid program, if you are a fully able bodied person, you will be landing a solid back handspring after just 2 full seasons.  There is just no excuse to spend thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours driving back and forth to practice/games, etc, if your child is not progressing. A dance program that can’t have your child doing solid double pirouettes after 2 years is not worth your time and money. So many times, teachers will say to parents “It’s not about progression but perfection, once they perfect this single we will move onto doubles”. The question you should ask is “Why is it taking 15 months to teach a child a double turn?”. An experienced coach who understands how to teach a child will be able to answer that question with a detailed and logical explanation, but if you had a coach like that it wouldn’t take 15 months to teach a student such a skill.

Yes, perfection before progression is very important to prevent injury. But parents should never  accept NO progression. It’s your time and your money. Now remember, coaches are not miracle workers, so do not expect to bring your child to a gym this week and having them doing Level 3 stunts in 5 months. It’s probably not going to happen.  Parents should expect, no matter what sport the child is doing, some consistent progression. In cheer,  if you child has perfected thigh-stand stunts, they should move up to halves, fulls then tosses.  But if you a child has been doing cheer for 3 years as a flyer and can’t hit a solid scorpion, IT’S TIME TO MOVE ON!

Someone recently asked “Well, what if my child just doesn’t excel at anything, can I really expect the coach to do something about that?”. The answer is YES, a true coach/teacher is going to be creative with kids who don’t seem to excel. Every child excels at their own pace, but there should be a pace! As a coach, if I am working with a student and he is not moving forward in progress, I get really creative to help find something that clicks to help the child excel.  If after many tries I see no progress, then its time to sit and talk to the parent about what’s happening on the dance floor or mats.  This allows the parent, coach and performer to decide if it’s a good fit for them, if they want to continue to pay for the program and try to fight through what they are “stuck” on (BTW, this conversation would happen within 2-3 weeks of no progression). At our training facility, we WOULD NEVER have a parent or child invests time if they weren’t progressing. Why? Well because we are not here to waste your money, were here to teach your child. So if we become concerned that there is no progression, we are going to speak to you as quickly as possible.  In the last 3 years, our Director has had this conversation with only 3 parents and each time the parents have fully appreciated the honesty.

“Well I don’t know cheer and I don’t know what progression is and what’s not”, a parent recently told us. That is a very valid statement; if you are not from the competitive cheer or dance circuit you may not know what progression or lack thereof. So here are a few things to look out for:

1. Cheerleading teams that do not tumble. If your just looking for a fun thing to spend your money on and your child does not show desire to work on the technique of cheer, you will be ok. But if your child is looking to eventually join their high school  or college team, then you need to find a team that includes tumbling into their program
2. Gymnastics schools that have coaches who have not been competitive cheerleaders/dancers.  Gymnastics competition rules and levels are very different from cheer. Judges see it all the time, a cheer/dance team hits the competition stage and they are AMAZING tumblers but lack the cheer technique and dance skills required for a competition. It doesn’t have to be a gymnastics school, a cheer gym is just as good as long as they have coaches with tumbling training abilities.
3. Dance schools, a solid leap and double turn should be perfect no later than year 2. If not, please move on!
4. Stunts: after two full seasons a flyer should be able to go to Full Extension, hit a solid scorpion in no less than 2 full seasons. Bases should know how to spot on all sides and be able to put a fulls up from any side. If this is not happening, then find a new program.

As performers and parents it is very important to understand that cheer & dance is progressive learning and good attendance is mandatory. If you miss practices, even just once a month, your progression is going to be very limited. You cannot blame a program for failed progression if your child is not in the training facility at least 90% of their training days and hours. It is important for both, parents and performers, to know what to expect from their programs. Once you know these, you will be proud to know that the next time your performer walks into an audition that they will be at the level that reflects the time and money invested in their trade.

Marley said “The definition of the word cheer means to bring happiness, joy, comfort..” We fully endorse all this and would like to add Inspiration to what being a cheerleader means.

Miss Gibson continues to say “Most importantly it brings encouragement. If you’re struggling with anything in life – all it takes is some encouragement and comfort from others to raise your spirits. As cheerleaders, you let people know that no matter what the odds in any situation, you SHOULDN’T GIVE UP!”

“My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition. ”

“Students are making it hard for us to diversify our student base,” said one recruiter. He continued to say “Too many student athletes are not pushing themselves to be the best they can be, they seem content to be just ‘one of the guys (girls’). They just stopped trying to stand out in unique ways”. Truth is as an educator and coach I knew exactly what he was saying, I have seen it over and over again, kids dummying down their abilities so they don’t excel past a friend. But since most of the other coaches in the room seemed to be confused by that statement the recruiter made, I asked for an example. He proceed to tell us about this athlete who had been playing soccer for over 12 years. She carried an average 3.5 GPA, stayed out of trouble and made sure to make nice with teachers and classmates. She even did a few stints of public service to beef of the college resume. So what was his issue with her? Well, the reality was, ANY STUDENT trying to get into college was doing exactly what she was doing – playing a sport, good grades and community advocate. There was nothing that made her special. After 15 applications and 5 recruiters, she ended her school year with NO scholarship, no offer to join a college soccer team (which she said was her life’s goal). Meanwhile, her other teammates were awarded scholarships; grants and walk on spots onto the team.  What did her other teammates have that she didn’t, they all had that something “special”. While student A (the person used in this example) was out doing the basic college stuff, her teammates were out perfecting their specialized soccer tricks like The Roulette, taking extra AP classes to beef up the academics, taking ballet classes to increase flexibility and agility. These other teammates understood that although a 3.0+ GPA may sound good to most people, in the world of academic and sports competition, it’s pretty mediocre. Now, student A did get accepted into a few colleges but none of them offered her a spot on a soccer team and that was her goal.

But how does this apply to Cheerleading or Dance? It’s important for team members and parents alike to understand that being part of a team is so much more than showing up to practice each week. The truth is, anyone can show up to practice and pay a competition or uniform fee, if this is all a person does when on a team – most coaches, team members and colleges consider this “mediocrity”. It’s those who practice when they are not in the gym or on the field. Those who stretch mark and work their routines daily to be the best they can be when with the team.  Team members who come to practice each time fully knowing their routines and showing they are progressing, those are the ones whom have broken the cycle of mediocrity. All the recruiters agreed on one thing at this meeting, “mediocrity has become the norm across the board of today’s youth”. Who is to blame? Some blame the parents, some blame the students, blame the teachers or blame them all.

Truth is, anyone who lets you slide through life without expecting you to grow (mentally or physically) is to blame, and yes that includes you.  Everyone has to make a choice, everyday you chose to be ok or the best you can be (at any given thing). There is no substitution for practice, if you don’t practice for a challenging spelling test you will most likely fail, if you don’t practice a routine you will fail. Students are not sent to school or to the gym to fail, so teachers and coaches must enforce learning, dedication and commitment. Sadly, in most schools, most sporting leagues and many other youth programs, the focus is not advancement of the youth, the focus is money. How many paying kids can they get in their doors or on their fields and its time parents and students alike stop accepting this as a way of life. If you have been in gymnastics for 5 years and you still can’t do a solid backhandspring (and you’re a healthy person with no physical restrictions), you need to find a new gym. If you have been cheering for 3 years and don’t have a solid tumbling pass, heel stretch and amazing showmanship, its time to move on. Been with the same tutor for 2 years and still learning at the same level, MOVE ON! Let these teachers and coaches know that mediocrity is NOT acceptable, that you demand more for yourself as an athlete and as a parent you want to see growth. You want to know you are paying for skill training not “play time”.

In the end, the meeting was very informative.  Some coaches are very “Dance Moms” style and have blow out fights with mom’s, dad’s and kids and are faced with parents who end up hating their schools. But these very coaches/teachers say they wouldn’t have it any other way, they see it as a way to “weed out the weak”.  Other’s seemed grateful the discuss took the turn it did because they are struggling with the same issue of kids coming to their programs ill-prepared and not having done their “homework”. The recruiters wanted to make one message very clear to all of us “if you want your students to come to our colleges, you better teach them that medirocrity is 200% unexceptable and will lady your students with no collegescholarship offers”. These recruiters sent a strong message, its up to today’s parent and educator to teach that “medicroity” should not and should have never been a part of the norm. Encourage yourself, your students, your child to push to be the best they can be, go beyond the call of duty and be fully committed to their school and/or team. These students are certain to excel in school, sport and life!

At the end one of the recruiters handed out this speech written by a high schooler:

By O. Douglas, Salutatorian

Apathy is rampant among many young people today. Students are often not willing to work hard to attain success. Mediocrity has become the norm for many of my generation. Many students feel success is owed to them and that it is society’s role to provide it. This false belief has led to complacency.

This apathy can be addressed by schools. If students are given the opportunity to learn in an environment where they are challenged, they will aim higher. Supportive teachers and dedicated administrators help foster a positive environment . My experience in a small learning community has taught me to overcome mediocrity. I have been challenged and supported academically by my teachers. Providing additional help whenever needed, they make themselves readily available to students so that they can be better prepared for college.

As a child of a single parent, I have my mother as a guide . Her sacrifices and values have served as a positive beacon. While I could have easily become a statistic, her example directed me away from negative influences. Others, who have not had the guidance I have had, may not have felt as compelled to succeed . Some young people feel they can do just enough to get by and still be successful. Many don’t see the importance of education, and thus don’t make it a priority.

These issues are the responsibility of the entire community. Teens are constantly bombarded by images of greed and selfishness. More positive role models are needed . There are many positive leaders in the Atlanta community, but they aren’t as obvious to students as the negative figures.

It is incumbent upon all of us to do our part and change the present to better the future.

So how do you get your name on the “Team List” after a long and nerve racking tryout?

Every year we train youth of all ages to be the best they can be at their Cheerleading or Dance Team tryout’s and for over 15years our Director has had a 100% success rate. Every member she has privately trains always makes their team. For the last few years, she has been working hard to teach all our gym trainers her secret to her success.

One of the key lessons she preaches every single day is “Tryout’s are a mental game”. Yes, it’s a physical job (grades and teacher referrals tend to be a factor too) but after all those things are in line it really comes down to a Mental Game.  Remember just like you, there are plenty of classmates with great grades, wonderful referrals and a pretty good back tuck. So, what makes you stand out?

Standing out in a positive light is a make or break at most cheer and dance auditions. It’s about having that WOW factor. No, the wow factor is not who has the prettiest hair, best teeth or flashiest tryout attire. The WOW factor is your “Mental Game Face”.  Do you scatter to the corner when last year’s team members come into the tryout circle, or do you hope right in the middle of the crowd with a big smile, high kicks and helping hand to those who are struggling? When the most “popular” girl in school is standing next to you, do you hold back your smile and let her shine?

Truth is those “last season” team members get it; they already know it’s a mental game. That’s why they walk in with a high level of confidence, tons of smiles and enough spirit to wrap around the globe at least 10 times. That “popular” girl gets it too, she knows if she walks in the room with a smile, a “I have what it takes” attitude (but be careful too much of this attitude will backfire on you, it’s about finding the balance), she is already sending the message to the coaches and the judges “I have school spirit and I am team ready”.

When you enter the tryout training session, you have to do so with a big smile and a highly positive attitude (even if your arch enemy is standing right next to you). Steer clear of participating in the rumor mill and glaring eyes. Ok, so maybe you’re not catching onto that 8 count as fast as some of the other girls. Don’t get stressed. Relax, stay calm and stay focused. With practice, it will all come together.  The biggest mistake you can make is comparing yourself to others, you are not trying out for them you are trying out for you and only the judges can determine if you’re the right fit for the team.  Don’t lose focus by watching and comparing yourselves to others.

Don’t get worked up in “I have to make this team” mode. You will stress yourself out so much you might even forget the tryout dance or cheer.  Yes, we know you want to make the team, but just like American Idol there are going to be a lot of really good performers and the judges have to choose who is the best fit for the team. Sometimes the best fit isn’t the one with the best back tuck or the most amazing smile. Sometimes it’s the person who proved that they train well during tryouts, sometimes it’s something else. Remember you can do everything right and in the end you don’t make the squad. Don’t worry; it happens to the best of us. Even our Director knows that her 100% success rate will eventually come to a halt. But she has done such as good job of examining every team her students are trying out for. She not only examines the tryout forms, but she also watches the teams perform, talks to the coaches and finds out as much data as she can. Why? Because she understands that even with the perfect tryout cheer you may not make the team, you have to have the whole package (according to the team coach), so she makes sure that she preps her students for the physical and mental requirements of the team tryouts and so far it has really paid off. But for those preparing to try out for dance or cheer, just do these following steps and you will be happy you did:

-          Train now, don’t wait until a week before tryouts to hit the gym. Remember most teams like to compete or at least be able to compete so you need the basics (flexibility and some pretty amazing jumps).  Sign up for a tryout training program

-          Work on those smiles, day and night find a way to keep a smile on your face so that by the time tryouts come around smiling will be like breathing – you won’t even have to think about it

-          Watch team video’s, pay close attention to the skills of those already on the team and work your strong skill sets

-          Make sure you REALLY have all the requirements to even apply to be on the team. Most schools require cheerleaders/dancers to have a GPA of 2.5 or higher, at least 2 or 3 positive teacher referrals, attendance requirements, community service requirements and more. KNOW WHAT THE REQUIREMENTS ARE. You don’t want to go through the process and find out that you’re not even qualified ‘on paper’

Good luck to you all and get your game face on and we hope your find your name on the “team list”!

FOX411 – It’s back! The sequins, the screaming, the drama and oh yes, the dance moves. Starting this Tuesday, ‘Dance Moms’ is coming back for its second season on Lifetime. 

The show’s breakout star, tyrannical dance instructor Abby Lee Miller, who runs her eponymous dance studio in Pittsburgh, spoke to Fox411.com about her teaching techniques, her haters and what she thinks of those stage mothers.

Abby Lee Miller: I hope it’s the dancers, the children. I hope it’s not the moms. (Laughs).

FOX411: What do you say to people who say you’re too tough on the kids and shouldn’t scream at them so much?

Miller: I say you should have seen me 20 years ago when I was really mean.

FOX411: So you’re nice now?

Miller: Oh my God; my alumni can’t believe how much I’ve mellowed! First of all, kids are not little, Mackenzie is around 7. Think about how many movies Shirley Temple made by the time she was 7. They are artists, they are athletes, this is their craft, and this is what they do. If they’re old enough to learn a 2 minute, 30 second routine and retain, then they’re old enough to hear what’s wrong with it.

FOX411: Do you think children are too coddled nowadays?

Miller: Yes. They play blame the victim. I think parents today enable their children to fail. Years ago you had to actually work for something. When dance competitions first started, there was a first, second and third prize, everybody else went home with nothing. Nowadays kids get a trophy for being born. It’s ridiculous. Everybody gets gold or silver or a bronze and it goes on and on and on. It’s like they’re trying to pacify everybody instead of making the kids work to be the best. And you know what? You’re not going to always be the best. There’s somebody else out there, somebody who’s working harder or improves quicker, whatever, and they’re going to win. I don’t think it’s an asset to win all the time. I think it’s good to lose, it builds character. I mean, I want to win all the time because I have enough character! (Laughs).

FOX411: Some blogs say some not-so-nice things about your weight. Is that hurtful?

Miller: On my Facebook I get maybe one ugly, sordid, uneducated comment talking about that compared to the 350 positive ones I get saying, ‘I wish I had you as a teacher,’ or dance teachers saying, ‘God you say everything I wish I could say.’ If anybody knows anything about teaching, then they’ll know it has nothing to do with what size or shape you are. That’s why my kids do well in auditions. It’s almost like they have an advantage. I can talk them through it. I can walk them through it. I can teach them to know it and they’re going to know it for the rest of their lives. Lots of school teachers are teaching things that the school kids memorize and the next day they get an A on a test. Ask them two weeks later one of the questions and they can’t answer it. They didn’t learn it, they memorized it to get an A. That’s not the way I teach.

FOX411: Are you shocked by some of the mothers’ behavior?

Miller: I’m absolutely shocked, and I don’t understand why the kids don’t turn to their mothers and say, ‘You are embarrassing me. Shut up.’ I don’t get it.

FOX411: It’s their parent. They have control.

Miller: That’s the issue, you just said it. The mothers can’t handle that the kids care more about what Abby thinks than what they think. The kids want my approval, they don’t want the mother’s approval and they’re jealous.

FOX411: They want your approval because you’re tough.

Miller: Absolutely. And I say to them all the time, ‘Your mother is the one whose shoulder you’re supposed to cry on. I’m the one that’s supposed to make you cry.’

Many times we get young males and females who stop by the gym for a trial training session, typically (at least 70%) they end their season with comments like “Wow, I didn’t know that move required so much strength” or “I thought stunting was going to be easy”.  Reality set’s in that Allstar Teams are just like any other team sport, t these are teams that rely on each and every member to bring 110% to the floor all the time, it requires daily strength training and cardio conditioning.  But with all the hard work comes great rewards.  So, how can you become an invaluable member to any team?

The answer is very simple, PRACTICE. Practice in the morning, afternoon, evening, on your way to school on your way home, whenever you have a moment – take that moment and practice. Gaining mastery of cheer/dance techniques will help you build a higher level of confidence & skills that will translate into success in other arenas of life as well, in addition to helping you bring your cheer/dance to the next level.

We recently had a team member approach one of our coaches and say “Wow, Carren’s toe touches are amazing. I wish I could have toe touches just like here”, the coach kindly responded “Well, I agree her toe touches are pretty amazing, but did you know she joined the team just 1 week before you. Do you want to know here secret?”. The team member quickly said “OH YES”. The Coach smiled, looked over at the team and said “Carren has been doing her Toe Touch Drills everyday at home since her 1^st practice.”. The team member smiled, blushed and said “Oh, I think I need to practice more”.

This situation repeats itself nearly every year with students and team members in gyms across the nation.  It’s time to stop sitting in AWWW of that person who hits a double toe touch after landing a backhandspring, it’s time to realize that you are just as great and that with determination and dedication you too will soon be hitting those backhandspring ending with double toe touches with the same ease in which you walk.

“Confidence doesn’t come out of nowhere. It’s a result of something… hours and days and weeks and years of constant work and dedication.” - Roger Staubach

1. Flexibility and strength are essential to ALL SPORTS!. Did you know that as you sit there reading this article you could be sitting in a split stretch, stretching your arms and engaging your core? While (or in between) Facebooking or searching the web, you can do a few stretches: arms, neck, etc. Grab a 3lb (or bigger) and do a few arm curls.
2. Always catch the latest episode of 90210 or GLEE? In between commercials is the perfect time to work those hip flexors, try a few V-ups. Sit in your split stretches, do a few kick drills and even run through your routines. The average commercial break spans 2-5 minutes. You will be amazed on how much practice you get in if you workout during each and ever commercial break.
3. If you are like so many kids, you are stuck in the car very often with a parent. Between visiting your grandparents and grocery shopping, you may spend up to 5 hours a week in the car. That’s 5 hours of opportunity to practice. We have team members who put their competition music on their ipod and each time they are in the car, they put the headset on and run through the routine with “mock” arm movements. Some will close their eyes and visualize the whole routine and how it syncs with the music. Give this a try, it really works.

Well, we have given you just a few tips on how to  become an invaluable team member through practice and dedication. Remember there is NO SUBSTITUTION for hard work, dedication and believing that you are just as great as those Champions you watch on tv. All you need to do is UNLEASH THE CHAMPION IN YOU!

Based on 9,000 online votes from fans across the globe, the New England Sports Network named the Jills the best cheerleading squad in the NFL.  Beating out the legendary Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.

RAW ALLSTARS wants to congratulate all the NFL Cheerleaders out there for being in the running, we know those tryouts can be cruel and usual punishment sometimes and your hard work never goes unrecognized.

About RAW ALLSTARS: RAW ALLSTARS is an ALLSTAR Cheer & Dance gym located in the Greater Bay Area. Our coaches have helped train/prepare cheerleaders/dancers for ALLSTAR competitions, team tryouts for Jr. High, High School, College and even professional teams (coaches Alumni have made the Raiderettes in the past). RAW ALLSTARS offeres a variety of teams as well as classes, specializing in Small Team Divisions. For more information visit
http://rawtalents.org/bayareacheeranddance.html

Check out today’s highlited Class and when you come in to enroll bring CODE:WPRAW with you for a 10% discount when you enroll!

CHEER & POM BOOT CAMP: Tuesday at 6:15pm or Thursday at 5:15pm Try out season is fast approaching and in this competitive world of cheer and dance, you need to be the very best you can be! Coaches at RAW ALLSTARS has 100% success rate! All Boot Camp Students who have trained for 8 weeks or more have made the team of their choice or better!

For those who don’t know a scorpion is an extended cheerleading stunt that requires well practiced flexibility (primarly in the back and leg) and ability to remain balanced on one leg.  The stunt can be performed on the ground or in a partner stunt with 1 to 4 bases. A flyer should be able to hold a Scorpion on the ground before trying to perform it in a partner stunt.

SEE ALSO: Flyin’ High, A Toe Touch Guide

Although every gym/coach is a little different, as a coach here is how we have coached members over the years to build a strong scorpion. Please keep in mind, these type of stunts require daily stretching, so you must be fully dedicated before you make the decision to work on your scorpion.

You will need to stretch your back, but since you are probably already into to cheer or getting ready to join a team, we are sure you are already doing some type of back stretch since you need a strong bridge to make most teams). We encourage members in our flexbility class to do traditional yoga poses such as the pigeon and the upward dog.

Next we stretch our legs using a series of band assisted stretches.

After these stretches are complete average (30-40 minutes but if you are limited in time even 10 minutes a day can make a big differance), you can use your band for the scorpion pose stretch. Take your band and secure to your left foot. Sorry guys, if you have been doing this on your right foot, but most coaches are going to want you to base on your right foot and hold your left foot, so start working on basing on your right foot. Truth is, to make yourself a stronger value to your team, practice on both legs to maximize flexibility. Once the band is secure, you can begin pulling your foot into scorpion position. If you need help balancing, find a partner to base you or use a wall to base against until you can balance on your own.

Once you can hold this pose for 10-20 seconds, you are ready to fly doing the scorpion!

Remember cheer tryouts is fast approaching and if you need help preparing we have programs that can help you!

CHEERS!

Coaches blasting other teams on Facebook and Twitter. Parents placing false reviews on other leagues websites in an effort to draw attention to their own leagues. Its sad, we have watched it from a far, but recently we just learned that a competitive AllStar Gym had one of their coaches apply for a job we had in our gym. Their goal, to figure out why we had gained so many new members and how many kids and we had and how we got them.

Funny thing is, when the “prospective” coach came in for an interview, we knew something wasn’t right! But, because I am a person who believes in giving everyone the “benefit of the doubt”, we proceeded with the interview. In the meantime the other two Directors and a coach sat in the background watching and talking from a far, they all agreed something wasn’t right with this candidate.

The candidate was nice, but because I was a little unsure of what her angle was, I made sure to give as much vague or outdated information as possible. We spoke about our gym philosophy (but just from a commonsense prospective) and a few other things. She asked us where do we get our music, I said “we make our own” (not mentioning that details of how that really comes together), she asked how many members do we have and how many teams we have. I gave numbers for only the teams the coaching position she was interviewing for would deal with, being sure not to include the other teams. There were other specific questions about our coaching staff that made me concerned that she wasn’t really there for the job.

After all was said and done, the “candidate” left and the other staff members quickly approached me and said “NO, she is not going to be here”. I told them to give her the benefit of the doubt, and some expressed concerned she was with the competition. Sadly, days later, I received an email proving that the “candidate” was in fact sent in by another gym to see “what we were doing over here to grow so fast”. I was not surprised, but a little flattered. I mean, we are a small team gym just trying to create athletes and this well established facility saw us as enough of a threat to their gym that they had to send someone in to see what they could take from our gym.

Truth is, I have no anger and feel like as a gym we should not retaliate as we are not that type of training facility. We had a Directors meeting and decided we continue to move forward. The truth is a member needs to make their choices based on what fits best for them and we will never resort to tactics of “spying” or trying to “take down” another gym to keep our membership high. We are just not that type of organization. We wish the gym that sent the “candidate” over nothing but the best. And if you gained anything from us that will help your gym grow, well YOUR WELCOME!

Cheers!