Author: Andre

Memphis, Tenn., (June 24, 2014) – Varsity Spirit and Cheer Ltd. Inc. are pleased to announce that they have merged, effective immediately. Varsity Spirit, the leader in cheerleading and dance team education, events and apparel, was founded in 1974 in Memphis, TN. Their national events have been televised since 1980, and are currently broadcast on…

Morehead State University published 19-Time National Champion Cheerleading Coach Passes Away, regarding retired cheerleading coach and Dean of Students, Myron Doan. Doan was the driving force behind MSU’s transition into a powerhouse in cheerleading and setting the standard in that competition. He was one of the winningest cheerleading coaches in the U.S., and allowed MSU…

Greg Hoy published My Employees Reviewed Me, and I Kind of Suck on Medium. Hoy talks about the discoveries made when he included himself in evaluations. Well, the results are in, and you know what? Mine kind of suck. They weren’t off-the-charts horrible (there were a few “best boss ever” comments that gave me a…

Entrepreneur published 5 Ways to Coach Your Employees to The Top of Their Game, commenting on the similarities between a good coach and business leader. One of the most important goals for a coach or entrepreneur is to develop “A” players who are really productive. In football this goes beyond the quarterback and running back…

The Monterey Herald published Cheerleading has Changed Through the Years, contributing to the Is Cheerleading a Sport? conversation. Pretty girls with shapely legs and exuberant boys with megaphones (remember those?) have evolved into tight-knit teams, performing athletic maneuvers that require serious training and conditioning, exposing them to risks never dreamed of by the raccoon-cap-and-saddle-shoes crowd.…

USASF Regional Meetings kick off this weekend in Chicago. In fact, by the time this publishes I should be enjoying a deep dish pizza with Kenny Feeley as we go over the Level 6 Credentialing program. The classes I most look forward to, other than the ones I’m teaching, are the rules and scoring classes…

The June 18th show featured Andre, Lark, and Lisa discussing the American Medical Association announcement, competing for a school and All*Star program, considerations for athletes being members of teams in a foreign country, and reasons some athletes are retiring early.

My Fox Philly published Special Needs Cheerleading Squad Wins 5th National Title, discussing the 5 time NCA champs, Empire Elite. “Just seeing those transformations and how far all of them have come not only as athletes, but as people is really, really cool,” said David. “You always leave practice with a smile on your face…

To kick off the first Regional Meeting week of the summer, the USASF posted the 2014-15 Dance Rules, Divisions and Categories, and Glossary. All are available on USASF.net (hover your mouse over Safety – Dance and select the specific documents for download) and in the Spirit Company Dropbox. Online registration for the Midwest Regional Meeting…

Business Insider published What 12 Super-Successful People Wish They Knew At 22. Maybe you wish you could rewrite your past. Or perhaps you’re content with the decisions you made at that time in your life. Either way, there are probably a few things you wish you knew then that you know now.

Intuit’s Small Business Blog published Do You Have a Hobby or a Business?, touching on how the IRS determines how to classify the effort. As far as the federal government is concerned, a hobby is not a profitable endeavor. If a potter spends all day crafting bowls and vases, gives most of the inventory away,…

Varsity All Star is pleased to introduce The Dance Summit Championship, a prestigious event for all star dance teams. The Dance Summit will take place on May 2-3, 2015 at a park within the Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando, FL. In its inaugural year, 205 dance bids will be offered in the Mini, Youth,…

Summer is slow until the regional meetings get in full swing so there isn’t much to observe or much news to talk about. Since there isn’t much to talk about I’ll briefly talk about the wedding I attended last weekend. It was a wedding between a male that’s a former college cheerleader and current all…

The June 11th show featured hosts Adam, Andre, Lark, Lisa, King, and Shane. Topics included Champions League moving to Los Angeles, All Star Games, Majors, International teams participating in invite-only events, and Shane taking a position with Aloha Productions.

USA Today published AMA Officially Designates Cheerleading a Sport, stating the American Medical Associations new position on our activity. The nation’s largest doctors’ group adopted that as policy Monday at its annual meeting in Chicago. AMA members say cheerleading is as rigorous as many other activities that high schools and the NCAA consider sports. Adding…

The New York Post published Not About the Benjamins: Suits Missing Point of Cheerleading, referencing the recent lawsuits involving NFL cheerleaders. Sports franchises have no incentive to make cheerleading high-paying. It’s basic supply and demand: Hundreds show up at auditions for a handful of coveted spots, despite low pay. The teams could probably fill their…

Simon Sinek presented Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe as a TED Talk, discussing a feeling leaders invoke in people.

Wired published Google’s Larry Page on Why Moon Shots Matter, discussing why he believes it’s important to have ambitious goals. That’s why Page expects his employees to create products and services that are 10 times better than the competition. That means he isn’t satisfied with discovering a couple of hidden efficiencies or tweaking code to…

The NCATA published Mulkey Named Baylor Head Coach. Felecia Mulkey, after guiding the Oregon Ducks to four consecutive National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA) national championships in five seasons as the Ducks’ head coach, has accepted the head coaching job at Baylor University, athletic director Ian McCaw announced Tuesday.

It’s now June. New teams have been chosen, practices have begun, and parts of routines are being put together. It’s also the time of the year that a lot of information regarding the upcoming season is being shared at conferences, regional meetings, in private conversations, and in public forums such as Fierce Board, Facebook, and…