Category: Spirit

Memphis, Tenn., (May 31, 2012) – The College STUNT Association, under the leadership of USA Cheer, has announced this seasons All Americans. This year’s 2012 STUNT All Americans were selected by a committee of coaches from various regions along with two STUNT officials. Nominees for All American need to exhibit superior skills and techniques as…

The Summit will take place on May 4-5, 2013 at the Walt Disney World® Resort’s ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Fla. Memphis, Tenn., May 30, 2012 – Varsity All Star is pleased to announce the launch of the ultimate all levels national championship, The Summit, which will replace the International All Levels Virtual…

Varsity AllStar has recently announced The Summit, the Varsity AllStar Texas Championship, and updates to the Varsity Family Plan. The Summit The Summit is a new year end championship with the tagline Innovative, Prestigious, Highly Competitive, “World’s Caliber” Production. The Summit will be for Youth, Junior, and Senior non-Worlds divisions and held at Walt Disney…

Jay Goltz published The Top 10 Rookie Mistakes for Entrepreneurs. The article lists the mistakes often made and gives the reasoning behind why it’s on the list. I can’t say I agree with all of them wholeheartedly, but they are definitely worth reading and considering. Keeping your rent as low as possible Hiring someone you…

INDIANAPOLIS, May 15, 2012- The Cheerleading Agency and USA Sports Production are proud to announce a joint effort in presenting the Champions Cup Cheer and Dance State Nationals. The event will be held in July of 2013 and is expected to be become one of the largest cheerleading and dance competition in the United States.…

The Intuit Small Business Blog published 5 Ways to Simplify Your Business. This article lists concepts for simplifying a business and has some interesting statistics from the International Association of Business Organizing. The list for simplifying is: Get Organized Delegate Schedule Fewer Meetings Go Paperless Relax

The USASF recently released the 2012-2013 rules. These rules are dated May 18, 2012 and are the first release of the 2012-2013 rules. Changes from the 2011-2012 rules are noted below: For Youth L5 Only Tosses that involve more than 1 1/2 twist may not involve an additional skill (i.e. kick doubles are not allowed).…

Dear Presidents, The International Federation of Cheerleading (IFC), based in Tokyo, Japan, is a registered non-profit international federation, recognised as the world governing body of cheerleading by a membership of over 40 members across 5 continents. In recent years, the International Cheer Union (ICU) emerged to claim governance of the sport of cheerleading. At the…

The USASF and IASF has released the Age Grids for 2012-13. Noted Changes to the USASF version include: Youth L5 and Youth Restricted have been combined. Junior Coed is only listed for L5. Senior L1-4.2 have a minimum age of 10. Senior L5 remained at 12. International L5 divisions now have a minimum age of…

You’re the Boss published Should I Stay or Should I Go?. This article talks about making the decision to stay at work or to leave for the day and what needs to be done in order to make it easier to make this decision. If you own your own business and you have made commitments,…

May 14, 2012- Minneapolis, MN – The independents are meeting at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas for the 3rd Annual IEP National Conference on May 15th to the 17th of 2012. Any independent company that has no ownership or control by any company in the spirit industry with annual gross revenues of $5 million…

For the 2012 – 2013 season, Varsity All Star is making an adjustment to our scoring that allows coaches more wiggle room when selecting their team: For Standing Tumbling Difficulty and Running Tumbling Difficulty, ‘squad participation’ will no longer require 100% of the athletes executing a given skill. ‘Squad participation’ will now be reached when…

Slate published Males—Minimize Exaggerated or Theatrical Movements. But cheer is an activity in which it’s always been OK for boys to shimmy. The USASF’s new rules have threatened to destroy that safe space. Gadke is still waiting to see the promised revision to the guidelines, and he’s still talking with the ACLU and GLAAD. He…

The Crimson White published Cheerleaders on Team USA for International Competition. This year, the international athletic competition is once again primed to take its biggest stage. After all, 2012 is an Olympic year, but cheerleading is not among the sports that will be showcased in London this summer. This lack of recognition may be coming…

The Intuit Small Business Blog published How to Fire an Employee. The article outlines the steps necessary to terminate an employee’s job while covering yourself. Firing the employee starts with having a “solid legal basis” for taking action then taking the following steps: If the employee reports to you, do it yourself Don’t improvise Know…

I wanted to thank everyone involved in the 2012 Worlds-from the incredible athletes, coaches, and choreographers who competed and the families, friends and spectators who supported them, to the event producers who made it possible along with the judges and staff. Overall, we had an incredible event. While most feedback has been very positive, our…

You’re the Boss published A Plan for Working on (Not in) the Business. The author, Jay Goltz, goes through the parts of the business that need to be examined to enable the business to get to the next level. The top 10 things to look at are: You Hiring Standards Training Systems, Procedure, Planning and…

This is the final piece of a 5 part series on increasing competition in All*Star Cheerleading. This one will focus on my recommendations and suggestions that were sent to the USASF as part of the Rules Process for 2013-15 seasons. Move Coed Divisions on the Age Grid My first suggestion is to move Coed divisions…

Every prospective business owner should ask themselves a question before diving in. Is the View Worth the Climb? The climb is late nights working, wondering if your business is on the right track, thinking about what can be done better, and sweating the small stuff no one else seems to notice or care about. The…

Implementing the new bid giving system will be a challenge, but I believe that everyone agrees that the current system needs changing or updating. As an event producer and gym owner, my views may be different than most, but I welcome open discussion until the right system is achieved. The system as I see it…

You’re the Boss published It’s Never the Employee. “Before You Blame Your Employee, Ask Yourself Some Question” is appropriately the tagline for this article. The article talks about looking in the mirror before pointing the finger. The bottom line? It’s never the employees who are the problem. It is the training they didn’t get. It’s…

The All Star Gym Association has invited all All Star Gym Owners and Coaches to a Town Hall Meeting to be held at the Swan Hotel on April 26, 2012. More information is available on AllStarGymAssociation.org.

This article is a follow up to Starting from Scratch: Bids to Year End Championships via Points. This article will focus on a way to implement the points system as a way to qualify for Worlds. The summary is this plan would keep Paid Bids, convert Event Producers currently awarding Partial bids to awarding Paid…

Hands on training from some of the TOP Stunting and Tumbling Coaches in the Country! Learn the safety progressions for each skill at every level Who: Brandon All-Stars STAFF!!! What: Stunts and Tumbling Safety and Progressions Levels 1-5 When: June 8, 9, 10 Where: Brandon All-Stars Why: Because WE want our Sport SAFE! Cost: $50…

This article is a follow up to Starting from Scratch: Bids to Year End Championships via Points. This article will focus on how I would implement the points system without worrying about existing year end events such as Worlds, All Levels, and US Finals. I would have an end of the year championship for all…