5 Ways to Maintain a Strong Team

Keeping a team together takes a lot of strength,effort, time and love, both physically and emotionally. Here are some ways to help your team be the best they can be!

Dare to Cheer. Cheer is a daring sport. A cheerleader spends a great deal of time with his or her team. Practices can be five days a week for two to three hours. That’s a lot of time! Whether the team is small or large, it is important to respect one another. Team building is as important, if not more important, as any other aspect of cheer. When there is a divide between team members, it can be difficult to prosper. You may not have to like every member in your organization, but they are your teammates. Working together is the key to becoming successful and improving overall sportsmanship and athleticism.

Save the Drama for Your Performance. When spending large amounts of time with any one group, it is inevitable that disagreements are going to happen. Avoid the drama. It’s entirely unnecessary! Leave it at home. It only causes delays to achieving what you want to be. You’ll never get there by turning your back on your team, putting another cheerleader down, or by not showing dedication at practices and events. If your team is divided, because of skills, drama or a combination of the two, remember the essential foundation for a team: respect

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All Eyes on You.  Whether you think so or not, there are members of your organization that look up to you, and are watching your every move.That includes your attitude and how you treat your teammates. Remember where you were when you started. Even if you were great and have extensive background in cheer, there was someone who showed you the moves and ultimately helped to shape you into the cheerleader you are today. Be that person for those who may not yet be on your level. If you want to be the best, it starts with building the rest.  Respect those who are just starting out. It’s a chance to create something great! Never make anyone feel as though they don’t belong. They are there for the same reasons you are. To become great. To compete. To be the best. Help them get there! Your team is only as strong as its weakest link.

Build Your Team Up Using Positive Reinforcement. Learn from one another to build both your strengths and weaknesses. Pulling together and learning from each other is a great way to help build bonds and maintain a steady stream of constant hard work. One of the ways that Carmine Silano helped his team grow was to form a huge team circle, and each person or group would go in the middle of the practice and perform the skill that they worked on that day until it was executed perfectly. The rest of the team would cheer, yell, scream and encourage the performing individual or group to hit their skills. It was one of the most effective team-camaraderie drills he used.

Participate in Activities with Each Other Outside of Cheer. Whether it’s a movie night, going to dinner or a sleep over, spending time having fun together is important to build your team’s relationship with one another. Getting to know your teammates on a more personal level will allow you to understand them more. You’ll find out things you may not have known about someone. You may even meet your new best friend!