CheerSafe.org & National Cheerleading Safety Month

In celebration of National Cheerleading Safety Month, Varsity has partnered with CheerSafe, a coalition organized by USA Cheer and the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA), to improve cheerleading safety by increasing safety awareness throughout the cheerleading community. CheerSafe and CheerSafe.org provides athletes, coaches and parents important tools, trainings and updates regarding cheerleading safety.

“Partnering with CheerSafe is a perfect match for Varsity as we strive to promote and encourage cheer safety every day,” said Nicole Lauchaire, Vice President of Corporate Marketing and Communications for Varsity. “National Cheerleading Safety Month is a great time to remind athletes, coaches and parents to promote cheerleading safety and ensure their programs follow safety rules and guidelines.”

To kick off the partnership, Varsity is promoting CheerSafe’s iCheerSafe pledge by encouraging cheerleaders to take “Safety Selfies:” photos in which they will hold #iCheerSafe signs proudly supporting their dedication to safety and inspiring other athletes to do the same. Cheerleaders are being encouraged to tweet their ‘selfies’ with the hashtag #iCheerSafe. Photos will be featured on the CheerSafe.org site and retweeted by @CheerSafe and @USACheer.

CheerSafe also encourages the following steps to improve cheer safety:

• Take the iCheerSafe Pledge to cheer safely
• Update certifications
• Review Emergency Action Plans
• Spread the word about CheerSafe.org as a cheer safety resource

“We are so proud to have Varsity support the CheerSafe coalition and iCheerSafe pledge,” said Karen Lew, director of safety for USA Cheer. “As the leader in all things cheerleading, Varsity’s commitment to safety sends a strong signal to the cheer community of the importance of this initiative and an ongoing focus on safety.”

Varsity has a longstanding commitment to cheerleading safety. Annually, more than 350,000 Varsity campers take a Safety Awareness class during summer camps to receive safety certifications. Varsity has also been the trusted safety auditor for cheerleaders performing in numerous men’s and women’s university basketball tournaments since 2006. The National Collegiate Athletic Association also formed a partnership with Varsity which dictates that all cheerleading coaches at the college level are AACCA safety certified. AACCA was founded in 1987 with initial funding from Varsity and continues to be the standard of cheerleading safety today, having certified more than 20,000 coaches in the last 27 years.

To learn more about Varsity’s commitment to cheerleading safety, please visit www.wearevarsity.com/safety. To learn more about CheerSafe and the iCheerSafe pledge, please visit www.cheersafe.org. Updates and important safety tips can also be found on the iCheerSafe Facebook (Facebook.com/icheersafe) and Twitter (@CheerSafe) throughout the month of March.

Varsity Announces Partnership With CheerSafe to Promote Cheerleading Safety

CheerSafe.org, the portal for news and information on cheerleading safety supported by USA Cheer and the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators, is debuting the #iCheerSafe campaign for National Cheerleading Safety Month for March 2014.

As part of the campaign, cheerleaders and coaches are invited to pledge their adherence to safety rules and guidelines at all times and showcase their support with the Twitter-based #iCheerSafe hashtag. The three-step campaign is simple for today’s tech savvy teens:

1. Take the iCheerSafe Pledge at www.cheersafe.org.
2. Take a picture holding a sign with the #iCheerSafe hashtag, or print and hold the certificate from the website.
3. Tweet the picture with the #iCheerSafe hashtag.

During the entire month of March, @USACheer and @CheerSafe will retweet the pictures and post them on www.cheersafe.org.

“We are excited by the enthusiasm cheerleaders and coaches have already shown for the #iCheerSafe campaign,” says Karen Lew, Director of Safety for USA Cheer. “Cheerleading safety is at the root of all we do, and this campaign will help raise awareness among the cheerleaders themselves, which is crucial to our mission.”

CheerSafe.org is the one source for all cheerleading safety information, from the latest regulations and research to the rules that every team should follow. CheerSafe’s mission is to educate parents, cheerleaders and administrators to the facts of cheerleading safety at every level – school, college and all star—and to promote and improve cheerleading safety through the involvement of a wide spectrum of organizations in the cheerleading community.

Joining the CheerSafe campaign are many of the largest organizations in the cheerleading community, including Varsity, Cheer Ltd and the magazines American Cheerleader and Inside Cheerleading.

For more information, visit cheersafe.org, or contact Sheila Noone, [email protected].

CheerSafe.org Launches Interactive ‘Safety Selfie’ Campaign for National Cheerleading Safety Month