5 Tips and Tricks for a SUCCESSFUL Competition Weekend!

Competition season is in full swing! You and your team have made it this far and it’s time to take them one step closer to your end-of-season event! It can be a nerve-wracking time for everyone and a lot of factors go into making sure competition day runs smoothly. To help with the final preparations, CHEER CRAZE has gathered a list of tips and tricks to make sure you and your team are prepared leading up to each performance.

#1: DO NOT DO ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY

You have spent months perfecting your skills in the gym and now it is time to show the world what you are capable of. Many times we can let out adrenaline take over our nerves but it is important to not change the way you do your skills. Changing the way you do your skills during a performance can result in mistakes, deductions, overcorrections, and even injuries. Stick to the muscle memories and follow along with what your body knows how to do best. 

#2: WARM UP COMPETITION STYLE

Have your coaches look up the warm-up mat times for the event. During the practices leading up to the event warm-up how you would typically for a competition, stunt mat, tumble strip, full-floor, and go full out. Replicating the face-paced environment that you will experience at the event will help you to prepare and expect what is to come at the competition. This way you can know how to pace yourself and your team can efficiently utilize the time warm-up time provided by the event.

#3 PRACTICE IN FRONT OF A CROWD

Make sure your team has at least one practice in front of a crowd. This helps get your team in a performance mindset so that when they get to the competition, they have a better idea of what to expect. Your team’s energy is the difference between a routine that stands out and just another average team. Even if a team is not doing the most difficult skills, their performance and projection can often make up for it! Be the brightest ones on that stage and capture every judge’s full attention. 

#4 CLEAN IT UP

At national events, judges see hundreds of routines per day, but a team that sticks out is the team that is clean and energetic. The best way to do that is to do run-throughs so that you can work the kinks out themselves. If you do a run-through at practice and something doesn’t happen like it should do it again right away. Coaches, by doing this, athletes are better able to understand that they need to perform at a level that allows them to hit the routine with a few deductions as possible.

#5 HAVE FUN AND LEAVE IT ALL ON THE MAT

Above anything else, make sure that you are allowing yourself to have fun. It’s a really big day, everyone gets nervous and sometimes, the nerves can get the best of you. Your days as an athlete in competitive cheer are limited so be sure to soak in every moment and have the time of your life. Leave it all on the mat. From the moment you are called out onto the mat to the moment you hit your final pose, you should feel like you left every ounce of confidence, athleticism, and energy on that floor. This way, no matter what happens, you and your team were the best you could possibly be. Encourage your teammates and as long as you gave 100%, then it’s never a loss.

The CHEER CRAZE hopes that you have an amazing end of your season and find these tips and tricks helpful. Cheer is a one-of-a-kind sport that helps you build confidence, create lifelong friendships, and leave a lasting imprint on the rest of your life. If you have any more tips and tricks feel free to comment below!