What to do when a girl is out...
A girl gets sick, hurt, suspended, goes on a family trip, etc.  What do you do with your rounds???

This happens to every team every season.  Its not fun, but we all have to go through it at some point.  You need to be prepared for the worst and have a plan...
  • It is your responsibility as the coach to adapt to these changes and make it work.  Do not skip round three or worse skip the competition.  This is a sport and you need to coach it as such.  The sisters have never heard of a football team choosing not to compete because their quarterback got hurt.  Football coaches have a plan and a back up in case there is a problem; cheerleading coaches should do the same.
  • If you have girls not in rounds, they should be spending practice time learning the different "parts" of each of your cheers.  They may not be your first choice to go in, but if a girl gets sick the morning of a competition and can't compete, you have girls ready to go in.
  • If you do not have extra girls (or you do and they are not ready) you can go down in numbers.  Eliminate the back/side positions in round one & two formations and eliminate your weakest stunt group in round three.  Your rounds may not look as good as they did before your crisis, but you are teaching your team an important lesson in perseverence.
  • Be creative with round three.  If you have a girl  (or two) that is a good tumbler, she/they could stay in the round and do several tumbling passes and help your vocals to be strong.
  • Remember, you can NOT compete with a "hole" unless the injury occurred AFTER the start of competition in round one.  You must notify the judges immediately if you are going to compete with a hole in this situation or your team will be assessed a penalty.
  • Most importantly, stay positive!  Your team is going to follow your lead.  If you have a we can pull together and get through this attitude, your team will, too.  Who knows, maybe you will like some of the changes that occur to your rounds and they will make your cheers even better!
  • Email us if you need additional advice or help.