Why Cheerleading Is The Perfect Team Sport For Young Girls On Their Path To Adult hood by Coach Sahil M. | Jan 1, 2020 | Blog, Stunting
If you were to ask a handful of parents why they chose to enroll their daughter into team-based sports, there’s a good chance their answers will have nothing to do with trophies, ribbons or medals.
That’s because most parents already know the truth, which is that the life lessons their child will pick up while being part of a team are pretty much priceless.
Debora Spar, a professor from Harvard Business School said it best: “Sports, and particularly team sports, tend to give women and girls things that they otherwise have a hard time getting, like resilience, grit, knowledge of teamwork, knowledge of leadership. All of these things are crucial and they all are learned probably better on a sports team than anywhere else.”
What’s even more profound is that when it comes to young women, it seems that these intangible benefits have an even bigger impact on their lives!
A study in 2015 done on 400 female executives found that:
Clearly then, the benefits a young girl can receive by being involved in a team-based sport is second to none.
But here’s the sad news…Based on data from Youth Sport Trust, The Guardian recently reported this startling statistic: “While girls recognized that being physically active is important, only 56% enjoyed taking part compared to 71% of boys. And only 45% of girls saw the relevance of PE to their lives, against 60% of boys, despite evidence demonstrating that a sporty background helps girls move up the career ladder.“
And that’s not all. In 2018, Sports and Fitness Industry Association found that only 31% of girls from the ages of 6-12 participated in sports and that they tend to give up on physical activity much sooner than their male counterparts.
So what can be done to not only help young girls get involved in team-based sports, but to stick with it?
According to Girls Active (a successful initiative which increases participation in sports among young females), they found that a girl’s peer group can have a big influence on the decisions she makes. And thus, any activity which can engage the entire peer group will help young women not only pick up sports, but stick with it for the long haul.
It’s the age-old phenomenon of “my friends are doing it, so I want to do it too!”
The question then becomes: Which activity can not only entice an entire female peer group to start playing, but keep them engaged for the long haul?
While most team sports have the potential to offer the benefits mentioned in the studies above, Allstar-Cheerleading is one of the rare few that helps intensify the trust and bond between friends right from day one!
As you can see, each child relies on their peer to ensure the sequence is successful. Best of all? Under the right coaching, something like this can be learnt in just a few classes, providing a well-earned feeling of accomplishment in a relatively short amount of time.
But what about those that strive for more? Does Allstar Cheerleading for beginners really have anything to offer the ones who get easily bored in the absence of a challenge?
What you just saw, is an example of trust between teammates taken to the most elite level. It is virtually impossible to execute a stunt sequence like that without dedication, trust, mental toughness and long term goal setting; the exact qualities all young women will need in order to become successful in their future.
Generally speaking, most clubs will happily offer a trial class of some kind. This is a great way for your daughter to get her “feet wet” with cheer, especially if she’s new and feels intimidated.
Side note: At ALL PB locations, they offer a completely FREE, no-obligation trial class to all new members. If you’d like to sign up your child simply
Obviously, just being able to participate in a trial class doesn’t provide the complete picture. That’s why listed below are a few other factors that parents should consider when picking their new cheer home (because as you can probably guess, not every gym is created equal).
If they say “yes” (and many will) ask any questions that you may have, all PB staff is USASF (United States Allstar Federation) certified. Allstar Cheerleading can be a very safe sport, but it can also be dangerous under the wrong instruction (just like any other acrobatic activity).
The one thing all great coaches have in common is that they are always looking to improve and grow. Here at PB, all of our coaches either were, or currently are, high-level athletes who have been through rigorous in-house training using the most up to date safety techniques. And to ensure that they stay on “top of their game”, our coaches visit industry conferences and clinics throughout the year.
This is a no-brainier for obvious reasons. If a club cannot provide proof of adequate insurance, we advise you run the other way!
If the gym has a viewing area, be sure to observe a few classes and see what’s going on. (When covid restrictions lift).
Do they take the time to show and/or demonstrate what they want the athletes to do? Or do they just yell corrections and essentially “talk” kids to death? Here at PB, they understand that not every child learns the same way. That’s why the staff ensures that every athlete gets to experience skill development from an audible, visual and kinesthetic perspective.
Having a great culture between athletes and parents should be a high priority for any cheer gym. This not only provides a positive & productive environment for young athletes to grow, but is a vital factor to the long-term success of the gym. That’s why we encourage you to talk to current members of the gym you’re interested in, and see what they have to say. If the culture is great, you’ll notice that everyone is on the same page and shares the same values. Here at PB, the cheer moms and dads will be more than happy to share their experience with you!
Coach Sahil M. is one of the co-owners at Cheer Core Inc. He is also the founder of TumblingCoach.com and Addicted To Tumbling Classes San Diego — two influential resources that are followed by over 50k athletes, coaches and parents World-Wide. He has a proven track record of producing elite tumblers and With his experience of training athletes all around the World, all members of his gym get to experience the most cutting-edge Tumbling Classes San Diego that results in achieving skills faster with top-notch technique. He is also the author behind the best-selling book The Cheer Diet which is available on Amazon.
If a cheer club has been around for a while, don’t be shy when it comes to asking about their previous accomplishments. We’ve put this as the last factor because while winning competitions can be a good indicator of quality, it is not the end-all-be-all. As an example, Pacific Beach places a higher value on skill development and character building over collecting trophies.
What’s interesting is that taking this approach has yielded success at plenty of competitions! Here’s a small sample of accomplishments that we are proud of:
But at the end of the day, the one thing we are most proud of is the type of people our athletes have become. Caring, hard-working, respectful and loyal. The jackets, banners, tropies and rings they received are just the cherry on top!
Want to know more about Cheerleading Classes San Diego for beginners? If you’re interested in having your daughter join cheer but don’t know where to start, be sure to check out a class or give us a call!
Alternatively, if you have questions about Cheerleading Classes San Diego and Tumbling Classes San Diego or would simply like to get in touch, Please visit our Contact Page. We would be happy to hear from you!
