Conditioning

"Some believed my players were simply in better physical condition thatn the competition. They may have been, but they also had tremendous mental and emotional conditioning. You must identify your conditioning requirements and then attain them. Without proper conditioning in all areas, you will fall short of your potential. It is impossible to attain and maintain desireable physical condition without first achieving mental and moral condition."

~ John Wooden

Rest, diet, exercise must be considered. Moderation must be practiced. Sure, that's important. It's important to run, do crunches and push-ups, run eight-count drills, and give 100% every practice and 110% every game. But it's also important to be balanced and well-rounded and self-disciplined.

You must PRACTICE self-control, alertness, risk-taking, goal-setting, cooperating, being loyal, being a friend, working and being enthusiastic. It takes work and it takes practice. If you haven't set any New Year's resolutions yet, I challenge you to resolve to exercise your mind, body and spirit. 1) Read, 2) Walk/Run/or Exercise, and 3) pray/meditate/worship/or serve at least three times a week.

And yes, if you want other kids to take cheerleading seriously as a "SPORT," that means that YOU HAVE TO take practice seriously, focus, work and get as much out of it as you can.