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♦ TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2006 6A lOlelMaalM Enroll your children in a program that offers quality staff and safe training practices. So your daughter wants to he a cheerleader and your son likes throwing Hips off the sofa. What do you do with the both of them? You enroll them in a facility that offers programs in both cheerleading and gymnastics. It sounds simple to call the local gymnastics studio or cheerleading gym for classes. The question ol which one is not an easy one to answer if you want them both to get the safest training from the most qualified staff. Today, there arc many chcerleading and gymnastics programs available. Some gyms offer primarily gymnastics with minimal classes for cheerleading. This usually means only tumbling and maybe some basic jumps, with safety and skill in proper stunt ing and technique falling by the wayside. Others are cheerleading gyms that primarily train cheering techniques and oiler minimal tumbling classes, which means there isn't a suitable environment in which hopeful gym nasts might train using uneven bars, vaults, and sophisticated gymnastics equipment. Since gymnastics skills are now a require ment for any cheerleading squad wishing to be competitive, the goal is to find one ol the new combination gyms that offer full pro grams in both cheerleading and gymnastics. These new combination gyms have taken the best of both worlds and combined them into one program. These gyms have qualified and certified coaches in both cheerleading and gymnastics. They ensure that all of the cheerleading staff are certified in American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors (AACCA) safety guidelines, participate in frequent continuing education classes, and arc certified in CPR and first aid. They also ensure that all of their gymnastics staff are USA Gymnastics safety certified, that all apparatus is to USA gymnastics specifications, and that the gymnastics staff • •THE NEXT GENERATION OF •• UNLOCK YOUR POTENTIAL... as** i Sal'S® V°t*4 4H* % t ■ » regularly participates in continuing education classes and is also certified in CPR and first aid. These qualifications and certifications allow for a “safety-first” environment for these young athletes. This not only allows you to get a professional program for your young athletes under the same roof, but there is also the assurance that everyone in the facility can and will work together for you and your children. This is done through monthly staff training in both sports. The cheer staff is trained and certified in accordance with USA gymnastics safety, and the gymnastics staff is crossed-trained in accordance with AACCA safety guidelines, although it is not their specialty. This cross-training allows for a full understanding of both sports by the entire coaching staff. Competitive chcerleading boasts 31,(XX) new participants this year, making it the fastest growing sport in the United States! There are approximately 3.8 million cheerleaders in the United States according to Sports Data, Inc. This is an increase from 3 million in 1990 and almost a 25-percent increase in 10 years. In addition, at least half a million cheerleaders attend cheer camps each summer in the United States and Canada. The past 10 years have seen a rise of All-Star programs, currently near 1,500 in the United States, in which kids as young as six years old begin intensive cheer programs with an emphasis on gymnastics and competition preparation. American Cheerleader magazine reports that there are currently 225 colleges that offer full and partial scholarships to cheerleaders. Gymnastics, one of the oldest sports in the Olympics, is also a fast- growing sport in America. A good gymnastics program will offer a variety of pre-school and recreational classes for both boys and girls. Competitive programs should also be offered for both boys and girls, level one through elite. Gymnastics coaches should be professional members of USA Are you ready to take your cheerleading career to the next level? | f 1 i {’4ll f L ii il-i* ■■ ] I For questions or to register Email: jonsmiley@powerhousecheerleading.com FLAT FLOOR • SPRING FLOOR PARENTS NIGHT OUT LEVELS L? I Gymnastics if they are taking teams to regional and national competitions. You should be sure that the gymnastics program is a “club program" so that the athletes can compete in national and regional competitions with other aspiring Olympic hopefuls. Organized Activity An organized activity can be beneficial in the development of a healthy self-esteem. With the decrease in physical education in the schools and security issues in our society at present, playing outside and having fun while exercising has become dif ficult. This has led to a sedentary lifestyle with children getting absorbed in computers and video games. This has also contributed to a 4(X) percent increase in type II diabetes in children ages 10-14 in the past ten years. When children are sedentary, they are also more inclined to develop self-image issues due to the lack of exercise and stimulation. They then develop poor eating habits and a feeling of inadequacy. Sports such as cheerleading and gymnastics encourage children to exercise and stay healthy and to eat a proper diet. In addition, they provide emotional support and positive feedback from teammates and coaches, while both winning and losing at competitions. This support and experience help children to prepare for the future and to have a realistic view of life and themselves. Parental Involvement Parental involvement in a child's life is essential to the values learned and later used as adults. According to The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). parental involvement and organized sports provide children with a feeling of pride, accomplishment and success, even when there is failure. These feelings and support have been shown to decrease the incidence of self-image disorders leading to fewer cases of de pression. anxiety and abuse of food. It is important that parents understand what is happening with their children, on and off the competition floor. The staff of these new combination gyms are dedicated to assisting parents in the growth process of their children by providing education in nutrition, proper eating habits and fitness. This support is provided in order to assist the parents so that they can better support their children. Without the assistance of the parents, the children will find it difficult to succeed. When choosing a cheerleading and gymnastics training facility for your young athlete, look for a combination gym that offers professional training from qualified and certified coaches in both sports, making sure that the gym has safe and well maintained equipment. Look for a gym with an in-ground foam tumbling pit for safe landings and an in-ground trampoline system to allow for safe perfection of jumps. Seek a gym with full-size competition floors (42' x 42’ foam floor for cheerleading and 42' x 42’ spring floor for gymnastics) to enable full training space and proper positioning for competitions, as well as a professionally built Tumble Trak for learning safe tumbling sequences. Finally, make sure the coaches and staff arc friendly and professional. The Top Five Things You Should Know.,. 1. Select a combination gvm that offers full programs in both cheerleading and gymnastics. 2. Be sure that the coaches are well trained, have competed in the sport they teach, are qualified, and have current certifications. 3. Select a facility with high-quality training equipment. 4. Select a gym that is concerned with the overall health and fitness of your children by offering seminars in health, fitness, diet and nutrition, and choose a gym that encourages your involvement as a parent. 5. Ask if the gym trains high-level competitive gymnastics teams and All-Star cheerleading squad teams. *•s**%,- 35a WBK <W JMB AflUfe. I ' . jp?' A HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL i\ \ 00039192