It’s not unheard of for a parent to ask the coach what it is that they can do to ensure that their daughter gets a spot on the cheerleading squad. My initial answer is simple- nothing. It’s all up to her, her skills, abilities and willingness to work hard.
BUT…
There is something that parents can do to help. That is build confidence in these young ladies!
To me there is nothing more admiring than a young girl who is confident in herself, her skills, knows what she has to offer, and is not afraid to show you.
So how do you make your daughter more confident?
First you must understand what confidence is. The Websters dictionary defines it this way:
full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing
So ask yourself does your daughter fully trust herself? Does she believe in what she can do?
If not then don’t worry you can get her there!
First off positive reinforcement goes a LONG way with young people. So many young girls are looking for acceptance and approval. I can tell as a coach when I ensure that my girls are doing something correctly, instead of criticizing their every fault, we get so much farther. Let your daughter know what she is doing well and encourage her to continue to use that skill. She probably has no clue what she is great at and what needs more work. Don’t be afraid to tell her BOTH.
Push her to use her skills that aren’t that great, but have potential. Maybe she doesn’t have the highest jumps now. But let her know that she is off to a great start and with added practice at home you KNOW that she can get to where she wants to be. Don’t make her feel inadequate because she doesn’t quite have it yet, instead let her know that you are confident in her ability to learn and grow. That will help her to be confident in what she can do as well.
Encourage her to showcase what she can do in front of others. I’ve seen parents who are ok with letting their child hide in the background or taking the easy way out. I say push them to the front. Let them know that they are amazing and they should want to be seen. Let them know that YOU want to see them and they shouldn’t be afraid to step in front. There may be a very young girl who looks up to your daughter and relates to her. Your daughter should be a great example to her and she can’t do that if she is hiding in the back.
Also let them know that they are not alone. They may be scared but with you standing by their side they can overcome that fear!
Bottom line is this… She doesn’t have to be perfect at everything. What I would like to see as a coach is confidence in the skills that she does have and willingness to work on the things she does not. I don’t like to see girls who put themselves down, but instead knows that it is something that she can get with hard work and determination. Confidence is believing in yourself, no matter what level you are at.
Your Ambassador,
Julie
Julie
Julie is passionate about all things cheer and fitness and loves being able to share fitness tips and motivate others. While she enjoyed her time as a cheerleader from middle school up through college, she is finding a new love for the sport through coaching. Over the past few years Julie’s love for fitness has grown from being a hobby to being more of a passion. As a do it all rock-star, not only is Julie a coach, but also a mom of 3 very active kids. Family is very important to her and she is excited to grow closer to the cheerFIT family of ambassadors.