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Quiz the Coach - Kids Heckle Me When I Cheer!

Reviewed by on Dec 27, 2006
Rating: 1 Star Rating

Quiz the coach helps teen and tweens with sports and fitness related issues and problems like obesity or healthy eating habits. The coach also gives great tips and advice on Cheerleading, skateboard tricks and P.E. dilemnas. - Page 2

So ya dig sports but need some help with your game? Don't understand some of the rules of football, basketball or hockey? Got a gripe about P.E. class, skateboarders, cheerleading, coaches, or anything? Why not ?

1Hey Coach,
I'm in an exclusive cheer club that just won second in the Nationals, and all of the kids at school think that we're just show offy preps. They make up chants like, "Titan Elite, we know you smell like feet!" and things like that. We try to ignore them and show school spirit, but somehow and someway, the words keep getting to me. I need help on how to completely disregard them.
danczerchick09

Hey danczerchick09

Blocking out distractions such as other kids calling you names or loud-mouthed parents is an important skill to learn for cheerleading or any other athletic activity. Strong mental skills can make the difference between being a talented athlete or an olympic gold medalist. That's why pro athletes, who have played in big games before, usually perform better in the playoffs than rookies who aren't used to playing in front of abusive fans, flashing cameras and loud crowds.

The good news is that there are things you can do to improve your mental skills. You may want to make tapes of these kids making fun of you and play them during your practices so you can concentrate on ignoring them. This technique is used by Miami's New World Symphony Orchestra. Musicians try to keep their focus while other members of the orchestra heckle them. A similar strategy was used in the 1980s by Russian coaches who would make some athletes practice while listening to tapes of jeering crowds so they would be better prepared for competitions. Before a competition or a cheering session, take some deep breathes, focus your energy on cheerleading and concentrate on all the things you need to do to have a great cheer routine. Eliminate from your mind all the distractions you can't control like kids making fun of you, bad weather or the ref's whistle.

Besides working on your concentration skills, you should also think about why so many other kids at the school think you and your fellow cheerleaders are "show offy preps." It's easy and very tempting for other kids to make fun of stuck up cheerleaders, who act like they're special and are so quick to mention that they're part of "an exclusive cheer club that finished second in the Nationals." I'm not saying you and your teammates are snobs - but it wouldn't be a bad idea to put down your pom-poms for a second and talk to these other kids who are heckling you. They may tone it down a bit once they get to know you and realize how distracting they're negative chants can be.

Do you need tips or advice on sports, fitness or health? to the Kidzworld Coach. Keep in mind peeps, the Kidzworld Coach isn't a doctor or a professional athlete or anything like that. He's just a dude who digs sports, plays 'em and knows a lot about 'em. You should always talk to your 'rents, a doctor or your school gym teacher before starting a new sport or a new exercise.

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