I always wanted to have better jumps
When I was a high school and college cheerleader I desparately wanted to have better jumps. I could do a Herkie pretty decently, but I totally envied my teammates who could do a toe touch. I got better in college, but still they hyperextended legs and pointed toes were elusive. No matter how much I stretched my legs on the counter or had my sister push my leg up, I just didn’t improve. This sadly carried over to my basket tosses, which I mean, were so fun to fly! But really didn’t look pretty.
In Physical Therapy school I learned about exercise to help improve dysfunction. After school I got more interested in fitness training and fell in love with strength training too. I started coaching 6 years after I had stopped cheering.
My cheer teams had much better jumps than I did, but we still only got average scores when we competed. I cringed when a cheerleader would land with her chest down and knees touching. I knew we needed to strengthen and encouraged ongoing stretching at home. We would do a little in practice but it only made a little difference in our tumbling and jumps.
When I left coaching and went back to school, I thought i was done with cheerleading. Part of my grad degree involved learning about how the brain controls movement and how we learn from failure. In continuing my education I learned how stretching alone does not improve flexibility. I learned that mobility is a bigger driver for better function than any of the above. Suddenly, my brain went back to my cheerleaders and how I could help that cheerleader who still struggled with pretty jumps and sticking her landings.
It was at this time that I started my own business with a long term plan to open a fitness center that would have programs to help cheerleaders improve their mobility, strength and fitness. I was excited to incorporate a movement screen that identified what my clients were missing and to be able to give them individual exercises designed specifically for them. I couldn’t wait!
And then… owning a facility costs money..and equipment…and you have to have the space..and you have to build it and be there all the time. As does working with clients 1:1 and in an office. After a couple years, I realized my dream to do this just was not going to happen.
When I returned to working full-time, I talked with my supervisors about doing presentations for cheerleaders. We were just in the process of coordinating them with local high schools when Covid hit. Now, not only was my dream of owning a fitness company gone, so was my dream of working with cheerleaders from a physical therapy standpoint. When everything came to a standstill in March 2020, it felt like a huge hit to the gut. I also started to realize how much the athletes were losing. No competitions. No spring tryouts. No camps. And no conditioning.
I kept up my movement studies when Covid hit. I mean, what better time to learn than when you’re stuck at home? After a few months, I actually heard my mentors: do what you love and teach it online. What?! I had done some telehealth visits and saw incredible results. Could I possibly do something similar to actually build my cheer fitness community online?
This is when I knew I could do it. I knew I had a way to reach more cheerleaders to help them improve their jumps and tumbling. Not by traditional static stretches that didn’t make lasting improvement. But by incorporating appropriate mobility and neurological work to help their body learn the right way to move.
I have worked with hundreds of athletes and helped them achieve their movement goals. It’s amazing to see the light that goes off in their eyes when they achieve a movement they haven’t been able to do before. I can’t wait to share this transformation with cheerleaders across the world. I actually am seeing my vision of a cheer fitness community come to life. Even better, I will finally be able to teach cheerleaders, parents and coaches how to effectively and safely, improve those jumps and get more height on tumbling.