How exciting x x
It’s almost here x x
A new x season x x of com-pe-ti-tive cheer (enunciate the Ts).

As coaches are preparing material for the new season and athletes are preparing skills for tryouts, we too, should be preparing for the competition season. Though coach, athlete, and judge preparation all look drastically different, we all have a common goal…to have a successful season and to advance the sport of competitive cheer.

Challenge yourself to become a better judge this season. There are several training tools that can help you do that. First, we had the MCJA Fall Conference. If you missed Fall Conference, get in contact with a judge who attended. Discuss what he or she learned. This is beneficial both for the attendee and the judge who was unable to attend. Review the rulebook and discuss changes as well as problem areas from last year. Two brains are better than one. Were you weak in one area of scoring? Ask a veteran panel official for help. Are you confused on any of the rules? Ask a veteran safety official for help.

Watch videos from last year and practice scoring and assessing penalties. Compare your scores and penalties with a fellow judge. Videos are easily accessible on social media, YouTube, and many other Internet resources. For fun, judge a team from a different facet of cheer other than MHSAA competitive.

Instead of game night, host judging review night! Get together with officials in your area and practice, practice, practice. Keeping your training fun will make you want to train more. The more we train, the better judges we become.

If you are not constantly training, consistently reviewing your scores, and making necessary adjustments to be the best you can be, you are not doing your job. If you’re not doing your job, you are the weakest link on the judging team. Do not be the weakest link. We need to be sure we are working together, being consistent, and supporting each other, so that competitive cheer can reach its maximum potential.
The routines start with coaches, filter through the athletes, and end with an evaluation from us. Our preparation should match theirs, so that our evaluation is consistent and accurate throughout the season. Please remember that MCJA is here for any questions and concerns you may have at any time.

This is it x x
Here we go x x
It’s time x for x x the cheer show!

Good luck and have fun!

Cindy