The Cheer Mom Podcast

Carl is a single dad who dove right into the cheer world. When his daughter developed a passion for cheer, Carl learned hair, makeup, and got involved right away. He talks about the learning curve, his observations of our sport, and when he knew it was time to switch gyms. Follow Carl on Instagram Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection an...

You've probably seen them at a competition or all over social media: Dad Fury has taken the cheer world by storm  Chad and Andrew represent this amazing group in today's episode. They talked with me a bit about how they started, and what their mission is. Give these guys a high five if you see them at a nearby competition. Maybe they'll inspire dads from your gym to follow suit and be a hype squad...

Original Air Date: Nov. 1, 2022 You asked, and we listened. By popular demand, it's an episode all about college cheer! And I got to talk to one of the best in the industry: The head coach of Texas Tech cheer, Bruce Bills. Coach Bruce has been involved with this program for TWENTY. YEARS. He led the Tech coed team to their first large coed D1 Championship. He's been named coach of the year by the...

Today we are talking with a very special cheer dad. His name is Steven and we talk about how he and his fellow cheer dads started a movement in their gym, and how that is now spreading to other programs. You may have seen groups out there where the dads are the hype squad - they die their beards (the glitter ones are the best), they wear bright colors, matching jackets, they roll in with their rol...

Cheer has taken Samantha Ryan all over the world, and has catapulted her into becoming a beloved role model in the industry. She has participated on teams at every level, and is currently in her second year as a Navarro Cheerleader.  Samantha talks with me about her young days in cheer, cheer hairstyles, and even the 'competition morning attitude.' She gets vulnerable too, and opens up about topic...

It's high school cheer tryout season, and Hannah Stockman, former coach of a National Champion Varsity team, talks with me all about how cheer athletes - AND their parents - can be best prepared for tryouts!     Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cheer practice is unique to any other sport because if one athlete is missing, the whole team suffers. Attendance is super important, and cheer gyms are cracking down on their policies. But when is it okay to miss? When is it okay NOT to miss? Let's discuss. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In part 2 of my fun with Dan and Jason, we talk about the score sheet: everything from what "Hit Zero" means, all the way to the nuances of the point system, drivers, and what can make or break a cheer routine.  Dan addresses just why cheer is so expensive, from a business perspective; what drives costs up and what drives our tuition. I hope it's as enlightening to you as it has been to me, as I'v...

I am joined by Jason Larkins, host of the Let's Talk Cheer Podcast, and Dan Cotton, host of The Cheer Biz Podcast, and we answer your questions from our own perspectives. Listen to Dan's Podcast Listen to Jason's Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Let's answer some of the questions I have been getting lately!  Is NCA changing locations next year?  What's the difference between Worlds & All-Star Worlds? Can D2 teams compete at Worlds? Is it possible to not get a Summit bid? All of these answered and more.   Episode Mentions: Email Kristen at hi@thecheermomblog.com  with questions and comments Join The Cheer Mom Hive on Facebook! https://www....

Today I'm interrupting our regularly scheduled programming to talk a little bit about the score sheet, and how your team's score sheet can be negatively impacted before your athlete even hits the mat.    Episode Mentions: End-of-Season Gifts with The Cheer Collection https://thecheercollection.com/ USASF Cheer Rules https://usasfmain.s3.amazonaws.com/Worlds/docs/19-20/Cheer/usasf_worlds_cheer_rule...

All right. There are a lot of overwhelming, confusing things about cheerleading. That's probably why most of you are here listening to the podcast, why you follow the Cheer Mom blog on social media, why you've read any one of my blog posts or emails. Because the majority of us walk into our first cheer competition our athlete's first cheer practice and we go, "Whoa... what is this?"  And in some w...

Today's episode is going to answer a few of the common questions that are asked in all of the Facebook groups. "How do I support my athlete at home? My athlete wants to improve their skills. What do we need to be working on with them at home to make that happen? What's the best tumbling mat? What is the best Airtraq? What kind of exercises should they be doing?" etc. If you are not part of the Che...

Today's episode we're here to talk about college cheer from the perspective of an actual college athlete. But not in a way that you might think. Cheerleading in college is something that I think a lot of times as parents look to as a status symbol.  And it is especially now, seeing your cheerleader make a college team can mean all kinds of opportunities. Like an incredible game day experience that...

When we say NCA, for a lot of you that could mean different things. But usually when people say NCA they are talking about NCA super nationals in Dallas, Texas. Usually the end of February or the first weekend of March. It is one of the biggest cheer competitions in the world, even surpassing the Summit. It surpasses Worlds in terms of attendance, and in some cases even hype. I've been getting a l...

TGLC will always have a special place in my heart, but there is another team that has caught my attention this season and we have to talk about them. No, it is not another world's team. It is the medium youth level one Kitty Katz from Cheer Athletics Plano. I am a fan. I am obsessed. It's the whole institution that is Kitty Katz, including one of their coaches, Coach Cam. Do not overlook level one...

The most recent news about the arrest of Coach Monica's son: what we know and what we don't know. My thoughts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode I talk about all the things in cheer competitions I think need to change. And I also may have thrown in a handful of pet peeves in there too. But nonetheless! Things like food shortages, wait times, bathroom makeup parties, and clapping to the (wrong) beat of the music. We all want our experience at these competitions to be great and memorable, so here are a few things I think coul...

I had the honor of talking with not just a fellow, Kristen, not just a fellow cheer mom, but a cheer mom named Kristen, who is also one of the team moms for my favorite team, TGLC, a back-to-back World Champion.   TGLC dominates every competition that they're in. Everyone wants to know what TGLC theme is going to be, what their uniform is going to look like. Every athlete wants to take pictures wi...

Happy 2024, and welcome BACK to the Cheer Mom Podcast! Today I am talking about the three times that cheerleading made me cry. And not just like a dabby dab, like, oh just happy or emotional cry. I mean, like, gooley cry. Picture red nose, tears flowing, sobbing to the point of dehydration kind of cry. The kind of cry where mucus and all of the things coming out of every orifice of your face, kind...

You guys...we have reached more than 100,000 downloads of The Cheer Mom Podcast! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support, for sharing the episodes, and continuing to listen.  This month we're throwing it back to our most popular episodes so far. Today's episode was one of the debut episodes of the show, and it happens to be the most shared episode! Debbie Love is known as the "Tumbl...

The story continues, as Coach Monica Aldama calls out USA Cheer. The lawsuit against her has been dropped for months, but she had some things to say about the process with one of the governing bodies of cheer. I'm covering it and inserting my opinions with what I believe are some over-arching problems in the industry. Link to Emily Baker's Podcast mentioned in the episode: https://www.youtube.com/...

Have you noticed that the Worlds teams at your gym get a little more attention or excitement from the coaches? Why is that? I'm talking about it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

One of the questions I get asked most is about making cheer mom friends and coping with "those" cheer moms. I'm talking about my own journey with anxiety, trying to make friends, and what I learned along the way.   Join the Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/cheermomhive Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data...

Competition morning is a day that most cheer moms dread. Do you and your cheerleader fight like cats and dogs on competition day? The yelling, the hair pulling, the crying...and that's just in the parking lot while you're looking for a spot!  If you and your cheerleader find yourselves stressed and constantly arguing on competition morning, I'm going through some strategies that might help.   Join...