End of Year Competitions just around the corner!

It's hard to believe, but the end of the competition season is just around the corner. Worlds is less than a month away and international national championships take place between May-June. Before you know it, this years routine will have run its course and tryouts for next season will be underway.

Most teams have competed several times by now and should be heading into the last phase of their routine building. This is a terrific time of year to make small adjustments, add difficulty and give your routine that extra polish. The expectation at this point in the season is that routines should be CLEAN... and that any quirks have been ironed out or eliminated. So if you are adding difficulty or making changes be sure that they do not affect the ability of your athletes to perform with confidence. Stunts should be strong, tumbling should be well executed with good timing and the presentation itself should be entertaining and eye pleasing.

Some things that you might want to consider when making these final changes are:

1. Consider feedback from score sheets... what have judges said about your routine?
2. If a transition is too long or boring or if a hard transition has become easy consider adding some pop and dazzle... to make it better/quicker/more appealing
3. Add more body positions or a creative mount/dismount to your stunt sequence.
4. Speed up/add difficulty to your body positions.
5. Now that your team has tumbling -- PERFECT IT! Emphasize good technique AND timing!
6. Work on your jumps! This section can ALWAYS be better. Add in multiple jumps, or tumbling - focus on timing!!
7. Maybe change a part of your music - your athletes might appreciate the change and it will help get them excited for the end of the year!
8. CLEAN! CLEAN! CLEAN! Take every count of your routine - look for weaknesses. Don't allow weaker sections to stay in!!! Don't settle for less!!

This is the time of year that you have been working towards for the last 12 months! Athletes are starting to feel pressure, parents are getting worn out and your coaches are probably counting down the days until their annual "cheer break". Try to keep things positive, and maybe even liven things up with new traditions, themed practice days or suprises!

GOOD LUCK!