Doggy Cheerleaders

Another Halloween has come and gone, but it’s never too early to start shopping for next year’s costume… for your pet. Amazon.com features a selection of cute cheerleading costumes for dogs, ranging in size from extra-small to large, and all reasonably priced at under $25.

Check out this one, which features mini pompoms that slide over your dog’s paws:

My personal favorite, though, is this one that gives this dog little arms to hold the pompoms:

I can’t say how long these costumes would actually stay on before your dog started trying to pull it off, but at least it would look adorable in the meantime.

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Sportsmanship

Really? Did the coach put up a disclaimer saying that during today’s game he would not be leading by example? How do we expect our kids to demonstrate good sportsmanship on and off the field when coaches and parents are setting horrifying examples. Blood Sweat and Cheers showcases the positive side of Pop Warner sports and the importance of good role models in the lives of young athletes. So coaches, athletic directors and parents out there, order a copy of Blood Sweat and Cheers so you can show your kids how the journey of good sportsmanship will always lead to victory.

Check out the link for the rest of the story.  http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/10/19/wilmington_parent_injured_after_spat_with_pop_warner_coach/

Coach Wayne Gymnastics Center Grand Opening!

As noted in the Savannah based non-profit organization The Creative Coast, Coach Wayne is expanding his horizons with the grand opening of his first retail store and gymnastics/tumbling training center at the Savannah Mall Shopping Center in Savannah, GA.

The event will take place on Sunday, October 11, 2009 from 2-4pm, where on top of an open gym for all ages, Coach Wayne’s wife Zuzana Sekerova will be autographing Olympic postcards. Sekerova is a world famous athlete herself, being a two-time gymnast in the Olympics and a World Cup Gold medalist.

Coach Wayne Gymnastics Center will not only provide coaching to budding gymnasts and cheerleaders, but will sell exclusive apparel popular with world-class gymnastics teams as well as new merchandise, including gym wear, shoes, and equipment.

“This is a big step for us as we expand to a retail storefront in Savannah Mall from our Internet-based shop. In addition to serving over 200 inquiries daily in the tumbling, cheerleading & gymnastic communities online, we offer six ‘Coach Wayne 2 Go’ mobile training locations,” Coach Wayne has said of the endeavor.

Check out CoachWayne.com to find out more about the gymnastics and cheerleading tycoon and his new store!

A Winning Recipe.

What do cookies and cheerleading have in common? If you were thinking “Bake Sale” like I was, we’d both be wrong. A former New England Patriots’ Cheerleader’s chocolate chip cookie recipe just won her first prize at the Brooklyn Fair’s Baking Contest (Connecticut). When you say CHOCOLATE…I say CHIP…Go COOKIES!

http://ultimatecheerleaders.com/2009/10/former-patriots-cheerleader-wins-baking-contest-with-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Take the Cheer Quiz!

I just completed the “How Well Do You Know Your Cheerleading Terms” Quiz at cheerleading.about.com and I must say for a non-cheerleader, without children or nieces in a cheer program, I did quite well. I scored 11 out of 12. Not bad for a person who never tested well in school, especially on multiple-choice. Now I must admit, I did just produce a documentary about Cheerleading so I was hoping that I actually learned a thing or two about the sport. Let’s see how well you do…
http://cheerleading.about.com/od/cheerquizzes/l/bl_termsquiz.htm

Do These Songs Really Rock?

MSNBC just came out with a list of what it calls the top five “cheerleader songs that rock.” Of course there are some obvious ones on it- no list of this kind would be complete without “Hollaback Girl” or the classic “Hey Mickey.” Beyond those two, they make some interesting choices. Although it was never released as a single, they include the opening chant from Bring It On, known as “We are Cheerleaders.” I’m willing to give that one to them. Next on the list is “Be True to Your School” by the Beach Boys. While the song does include some “rah rah rah rah sis boom bahs,” which cover the cheerleading part, I’m not sure I would put it under “songs that rock.” But, everyone loves the Beach Boys, so again I’ll let it slide. But the last one is a real headscratcher. Has anyone ever gotten pumped up to “’65 Love Affair” by Paul Davis? I pride myself on my pop-culture knowledge, but I’ve never heard of this song. They seriously couldn’t find anything better to round out the list?

So the question is, what songs would you put on your list? I’m willing to bet you can do a better job than the folks at MSNBC.

If you interested, you can read the full article here.

Lifting Spirits

A Pop Warner team in California has taken the chance to lift the spirits of children at San Diego’s Rady’s Children’s Hospital to show their support. Six-year old Aidan Inman, who was hoping to join the Pop Warner flag football team this year, was diagnosed with cancer this July. Upon hearing Aidan’s story, the girls on the Temecula Valley Mighty Grizzlies cheerleading squad wanted to help. Starting with three teddy bears from Build-A-Bear for Aidan and his two sisters, they realized they could spread some cheer to more children at the hospital where Aidan is receiving chemotherapy. Each girl on the team purchased and made a stuffed bear to bring to the hospital so the children would have some extra comfort during their appointments.

Pam Cioffi wrote to The Press-Enterprise of Southern California that the girls, “have hearts of gold” and “are trying to do a little something to alleviate a child-in-need’s pain.”

To learn more about this touching story, visit The Press-Enterprise’s website.

Bring it On! The Vanessa Born Story

Even professional cheerleaders aspire to Bring It On!

Vanessa Born was a professional cheerleader for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings for three seasons, but felt there was something missing. She packed up her bags and made her way to Hollywood, where she landed a string of roles, including co-starring on Hannah Montana and CSI: NY, before coming full circle in her lead role in the fifth installment of Bring It On: Fight to the Finish. Although she may have had more experience than some of the other cast members, Vanessa recalls having to put in some grueling hours and training for the role as Gloria. In her recent interview with Kiko Martinez at Extra News – Chicago’s Leading Bilingual Newspaper, Vanessa admits, “My butt got kicked on that set a lot.”

If a professional cheerleader is feeling the burn, we’re guessing this sets the stage for the most intense story of the Bring It On saga yet! Catch Vanessa’s full interview click here.

UConn Loses its Cheerleading Squad

The University of Connecticut has decided to replace its cheerleading squad with what it is calling a “spirit squad.” Rather than showing off tumbling and acrobatic skills, the focus of the squad will be fan interaction, as they will be leading cheers and handing out buttons. The news isn’t just sad for the cheerleaders who did not make the new spirit squad, it’s also disappointing for the fans. As former cheer squad member Alanna Ferguson told the Hartford Courant, “They’re disrespecting cheerleaders in general by doing this. I know people really enjoy watching us when we do our pyramid and stunts, flipping people into air.”

You have to wonder why UConn made this decision. As an increasing number of reports come out about the dangers of cheerleading, did they act because they were worried about being sued because of an injury? Hopefully this isn’t the beginning of a disturbing trend among college athletics.

You can read the full story here.