I remember the day's when it was more then just Andrea and the boy's throwing their toe backs during the jump workouts...what happened?
I remember the day's when it was more then just Courtney working on her standing halfs and fulls...what happened?
I remember the day's when the gym rats came in and worked on skills they needed for their routine...what happened?
I agree with Jensen, I am happy to hear those that are landing new skills, but I remember the day's when this was an every day occurance...what happened?
Senior Maroon, you're a talented group of individuals, but I hope that soon you learn that talent isn't enough. I hope you understand that just because you're sweating, it doesn't mean you're working hard. Why wait for Nelson to push you? Why stop your self from throwing your back handspring out of a toe touch just because the person next to you is throwing a standing half? Who is to blame if you lack confidence in the air? Is it that hard to clap a little louder and set a little sharper?
Perhaps a handful of you will read this and do more at practice, throw a few more tucks and handsprings or sprint a little harder, but that's not enough. What Sr Maroon needs is to become a team. A team that as a whole wants to work harder and become better. Can a leader emerge and bring this team together? Will some of you decide you'd rather not ride coat tails and instead be a driving force of this team? Last year's Senior Advanced team started off on the wrong foot...they all became great friends and forgot for quite a long time that they needed to focus on being team mates.
You shouldnt put down the team. I think senior maroon is great, probably one of the best of cheergyms.com. I think they are a great team, and do great in there performances. Sure, I dont see them at practices, but from what I have seen of them, they are great. I dont see anyone on the team who looks like they are trying NOT to do there best. Personally, I think that people do better in a positive environment. If the team hears what you have said all of the time, it is just going to make it harder for them to do it the right way, because they are going to be focusing on what not to do, intead of the right way to do it. I like being coached, and critiqued, in a positive environment. The more you say bad things, the worse the team will get. Be helpful, don't be rude to the team. I am sure if they heard this everyday, you would have even the best kids screwing up. I am not trying to tell you that what you said is unacceptable, I am trying to tell you that you are hurting the team. When you talk to the team like this you will also break up their sportsmanship, because everyone will be trying to find the person that is messing up. All I am saying, is whatch what you say. I know you are trying to keep the team together, but you might accedentaly be tearing it appart. You could have said what you did in a nicer way. And having your name be "What happened...?", even that can tell someone that the post is going to be negative to senior maroon. Whatch what you say, and how you say it to the team. Just my piece of advice for future notice, it will work. Try it!
As a member of senior maroon, this is my view of it.
I do not think that "What Happened...?" is puttin us down. Honestly it feels like he/she is encouraging us and showing us how maybe we have been getting a little lazy. Wether or not we are the best or worst team in cheergyms.com we have set goals and Nelson has set a goal for us to be the best. And by some of these examples that he/she has given us shows us how we are not reaching those goals. And just because we might be the best or worst team does not mean that we may become lazy and not have anyone push us to the maximum, we all have and need so much improvment. Of course people are not trying to not do there best, but like i have said, their are some people that have been getting lazy and over the heads(cocky) when the season has only begun.
We may hear this every now and then from our coaches and it is GREAT. Nelson and Kat congratulate us on our accomplishments of course, but also they may yell at us, tell us how to correct ourselves, what to do or not to do, etc. I love it because they do not baby the team and they push us to our max, and im pretty sure they will do it all year right!!! haha. Oh and also i think this is from a movie, but Nelson is our coach, he doesnt have to be our friend and he is allowed to be rude, and push us and work us!!! And like i said, the bad things some people may say encourage us, even when we screw up or do great, and fyi, the best kids do screw up ask bryan and leah, just two of the 35 best people on our team.
Anywaise, I do not think that this post is hurting our team and our sportmanship. It has brought us together even more if anything. We push eachother a little more instead of waiting for Nelson or Kat to push us. Yes we look for the person that is messing up honestly. We look for that person, but we do not yell at them and hurt there feelings. We talk to them, help them out and encourage them, whether wat they are doin wrong is a bhs with bent arms, a double full with ur feet apart, not stepping into the stunt enough, or just not trying to throw the tumblin that u can when u should. And ask any member of that team, they have all screwed up! Lastly, I am glad that "What happened...?" posted this. It may be a little negative but it is also a little positive in a way. We love other peoples input for sure.
I am not saying that "concerned" is completey wrong or right. This is just my opinion on this topic. Keep up the work nelson and kat. And most important keep up the work senior maroon. Get in the gym when ever you can and work work work! See you there hopefully atleast once before the break is over. Let reach past our goals. Lets help each other get past those goals. And lets have fun like we have been all year so far (by working hard). This team will do great, threw every positive and negative thing that comes by. I love this team!!! Heres a little saying, You can work hard for 3 hours twice a week, or you can live life wondering what would of happened if i worked this much harder? Those three hours do not hurt almost as much as living threw life wondering what would of happened. Remeber that!
i agree i think that all "what happend" was trying to do was remind us of how we were at the begging of the season, when people were gaining new sills every practice. They are just trying to say that we have to push ourselves along with eachother. They know that if we want to be the best(which we do!) then we can NEVER get lazy, we have to push through everything. And i love being on a team were the coaches want you to be the the very best you can.
There's a big difference between being lazy and coming in and doing only what is asked of you.
Yes the Maroon team is talented, but by the standards set from teams across the nation, the Motions Maroon team is by far and large, an underdog. The kids are not lazy by any means, rather it seems as if many of them are coming in and doing only what is asked of them.
Perhaps this is the fault of Nelson and Katrina, maybe they should be asking more. Maybe they are underestimating the kids, thinking that many of them haev already acheived their limits. Or should the kids come in and decide for themselves that it is time to go above and beyond? Should they put their reservations behind them, step up and acheive new skills, regardless of their current skill level?
Isn't it sad that because cheerleading is still considered a female based sport, the coaches are expected to sugar coat everything? (I use the term "sport" loosely because of debates like this) I believe we do the girls a disservice by not pushing them and expecting the same effort we expect from boys.
Of course, personal attacks or demeaning comments are wrong in any youth sport dispite the gender but the real world is full of truth. Coaches need to call it like they see it to prepare our youth for their future.
Let's see what the masses think.
Are the following comments 1) fine 2) ok 3) wrong
* "I want you to do it right next time." * "I want you to do it right for once." * "You need to get off your butt and start working hard." * "If you don't get it right I'm taking you out of this routine." * "I've never seen worse motions." * "Do you ever plan on contributing to this team?" * "I can't watch you anymore. Please go to the back."
While you're answering, don't think of just a cheer team. Think about these comments from a coach on the football field or the softball diamond. Cheerleaders shouldn't be treated any different unless you believe they are just pretty girls in skirts.
* "I want you to do it right next time." - FINE * "I want you to do it right for once." - OK * "You need to get off your butt and start working hard." - FINE * "If you don't get it right I'm taking you out of this routine." - FINE * "I've never seen worse motions." - OK * "Do you ever plan on contributing to this team?" - OK * "I can't watch you anymore. Please go to the back." - OK
My answers might have been different if I wasn't think about a football coach also.
Geting back on topic of "What happened...?" posted...
I don't know about last year and the Senior Advanced Team but there is nothing wrong with being friends and teammates. Honestly, in my opinion, it makes the team stronger to have your teammates be your best friends. Yes, you have your school friends and family friends and your cheer friends, and you're right, we need to make sure to remember that we are teammates and not just friends.
But thats the beauty of it, right? Here I am at practice surrounded by 34 wonderful teammates reminding me that I need to work hard.. that I need not get lazy... that I throw that toe back... and the list goes on. Think of it as a 'good' type of peer pressure.
You're absolutely right. Just because you're sweating doesnt mean you're working hard. To me, sweating means either A) you're geting tired. B) You're getting hot. C) You have a sweating problem. or D) just A and B. So the answer is A. And you should be getting tired! If you're not tired by the end of practice then you didnt do your job.
You're also right about wanting to work hard as a whole, and not as individuals. You are only as strong as your weakest link. I may throw doubles and standing fulls but I can't do the work of someone who doesnt have a flip flop.
Something I tell myself a lot is that I CAN push it out. I CAN sprint that last 20 yards, I CAN do this routine, I CAN do these stunts over and over and over again, because my body is capable of doing it. Do it once, you can do it again. And again, and again.
We may not know how we will compete this year, but we know what we want to do, where we want to go, and what we want to be.
mE wrote: * "I want you to do it right next time." - FINE * "I want you to do it right for once." - OK * "You need to get off your butt and start working hard." - FINE * "If you don't get it right I'm taking you out of this routine." - FINE * "I've never seen worse motions." - OK * "Do you ever plan on contributing to this team?" - OK * "I can't watch you anymore. Please go to the back." - OK
arent all these things that people see out in the real world...? isnt cheerleading just like any other sport/activity preparing us for what is to come ahead? i dont think any of those questions are wrong. i do play football and basketball... i have heard all of those, by coaches, parents, people in the crowd, and other teamates, not only to myself, but to the people around me. it is just the way it goes.
but back to "what happened...?" said,
i don't think it is rude at all. in what way is it rude? it is true that more than just andrea and the boys were throwing tuck backs. it is true that more people besides courtney threw standing halfs/fulls... the list goes on. but personally i dont see it as being offensive. rather i think of it as a wake up call. After camp, the feeling came on that we only have to do what is being asked, but not more. like what bryan said, we know what we want to do this year, and where we want to go, but it is going to take work and more than just a handful of it. WE forgot that as a team. we are only as strong as our weakest link. and if we want to get where we want to be, we have to do it as a team, not only as individuals trying to get themselves better, but the person sitting down on the cheese wedge watchin everyone tumble get better.
what were to happen if instead of working your fulls for a day, you helped someone else get their backhandspring or standing tuck?
* "I want you to do it right next time." FINE * "I want you to do it right for once." FINE * "You need to get off your butt and start working hard." FINE * "If you don't get it right I'm taking you out of this routine." FINE * "I've never seen worse motions." FINE * "Do you ever plan on contributing to this team?" FINE * "I can't watch you anymore. Please go to the back." FINE
If someone told me these, I would understand that I need to get better. Motivation is the key...
Bryan wrote: * "I want you to do it right next time." FINE * "I want you to do it right for once." FINE * "You need to get off your butt and start working hard." FINE * "If you don't get it right I'm taking you out of this routine." FINE * "I've never seen worse motions." FINE * "Do you ever plan on contributing to this team?" FINE * "I can't watch you anymore. Please go to the back." FINE
I think if someone told me this, I wouldn't stay on the team. I mean " If you don't get it right I am taking you out of this routine", that sounds harsh to me. I mean what if you were trying as hard as you can, but you just can't get that one thing right, what happens then? Thats just my opinion.
I dont think any of that is harsh at all, whatever you coach puts in your routine it is something that you will be able to get by working hard. Obviosly if Nelson told me that I would be taken out of the routine if i wasnt able to through a double through double oposite of Bryan by the first competition i would be upset. However he gives us skills that we can get, but we wont ever get them if we are just going to do the minimum and never even work on what skills we need.
