Even from a young age, the sports children play and the teams they join can shape them into the adults that they will become. Here, three TrueSport Ambassadors are sharing how sport has changed their lives, not just physically, but emotionally and mentally. If you’re a parent or coach of a young [...]
This last Games cycle has taught many athletes and coaches the importance of prioritizing mental health as much as we prioritize physical health in sport. And for some athletes, that may mean sitting out major competitions—as gymnast Simone Biles elected to do in the Tokyo 2020 Games—and it could even mean quitting [...]
When your young athlete eats, they're not just fueling their bodies: Their brains are also using food for fuel. And it might come as a surprise, but the brain uses around 20 percent of the body's energy, making it the hungriest organ. Fuel it appropriately, and your young athlete will be able [...]
Youth sports may seem expensive, especially if you're on a tight budget. Between team fees, extra lessons, and all the gear needed for a growing athlete, it adds up fast. And with the holidays coming, the list of sports-themed needs and wants is likely getting longer and longer. But sports don't need [...]
DALLAS (October 26, 2021) – The National Council of Youth Sports, with support from the National Fitness Foundation and the CoachSafely Foundation, has provided a $5,000 grant to USA Cheer and has committed to training its coaches and administrators. This year’s NCYS grant, in addition to important and relevant coaching education, provides additional financial relief [...]
There’s a not-so-secret epidemic happening on high school and college campuses: hazing. Although the hazing culture is condemned, sadly, it’s common.In the National Study of Student Hazing, 55 percent of college students involved in clubs, teams, and organizations experience hazing. The same study found that “for many students who step onto a college [...]
TrueSport Expert Nadia Kyba When it comes to dealing with misbehavior on your team, it can be tempting to label kids as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ and ‘bullies’ or ‘victims.’ But rarely is real life that simple, and more often than not, bullying behaviors are driven by a need that a [...]
Are you running out of time to cook dinner at night? Are you grabbing takeout because you didn’t have the ingredients for a complicated meal? Most parents of active children know the struggle of wanting young athletes to eat healthy but having little time to prep meals. That’s why we put together [...]
If you have a diverse group of student athletes, you may be wondering how to best support all of them at the same time in an increasingly complex social environment. These days, coaches are often expected to understand a huge variety of athlete experiences and use those experiences to help their athletes [...]
Teammates who regularly spend time praising, acknowledging, and appreciating each other will work better as a unit. And as the sport cliche goes, sometimes the best offense is a good defense. When coaching a team, creating a culture of appreciation is absolutely the best defense against bullying and other issues amongst teammates. [...]
When it comes to preventing cliques and bullying behaviors, it’s best to be proactive. While it’s easy to get caught up in drills, rosters, and logistics, coaches who focus on building strong team-wide relationships from the first day of practice are less likely to run into the social problems, like cliques, that [...]
Is your athlete a member of a national governing body and subject to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules? Maybe they’re bound for college sports and NCAA anti-doping rules also apply? Or maybe they are just interested in participating in high school sports? If your athlete is subject to a drug testing program [...]
Collaboration ensures kids from income-restricted families can participate and reap the rewards of cheer DALLAS (Sept 14, 2021) – USA Cheer is pleased to announce its partnership with Every Kid Sports, a national non-profit that helps income-restricted families pay registration fees to help increase access and participation in youth sports. The collaboration with USA Cheer [...]
Many parents get into coaching because they have a child in the sport. It can be a fun, rewarding experience for both of you, but as you might have realized, it can also be a challenge. As a parent and a coach, it can be difficult to establish expectations and boundaries that [...]
Deborah Gilboa, MD You likely already know that beyond the physical benefits of playing an organized sport, young athletes are also in a great position to learn valuable leadership skills through sport. While some kids may not consider themselves natural leaders, it's important for athletes to understand that they can [...]
Deborah Gilboa, MD On a team, there are athletes who naturally gravitate towards leadership roles and require little support. But those athletes aren't the only ones who can be team leaders, and a dedicated coach can help athletes hone previously dormant leadership skills. Here, TrueSport Expert Deborah Gilboa, MD, explains how to [...]
NCAA DII and DIII council approve STUNT’s addition ahead of DI consideration in 2022 DALLAS (August 10, 2021) – USA Cheer shares today that the NCAA Division II and III Councils will sponsor legislation to add STUNT as an emerging sport for women in their respective divisions. The legislation will be up for a [...]
Meal prepping is a common recommendation for busy parents who want to provide healthy meals and make weeknights smoother, especially when there’s a young athlete with a packed schedule and a big appetite in the house. But meal prepping can also be overwhelming, and most people simply don't have six hours to [...]
As a coach, you may have suggested icing a sore ankle or taking a hot bath after a grueling practice to alleviate aches and pains. But some of the age-old recommendations around ice and heat have been debunked. Ice and heat still have a place in an athlete’s recovery, though, and can [...]
Cheerleading formally joins the Olympic Movement and is now eligible for Olympic inclusion DALLAS (July 20, 2021) – USA Cheer today celebrated full International Olympic Committee recognition for the International Cheer Union. The recognition was granted by the IOC membership in a vote at the 138th IOC Session, held today in Tokyo, in [...]
USA Cheer is proud to partner with USADA’s TrueSport® to bring relevant educational content to the Cheer and STUNT community in order to promote a positive youth sport experience. We are excited to provide access to TrueSport’s experts that take coaching beyond skills and help truly develop the overall athlete by building [...]
TrueSport Expert Kristen Ziesmer on Hydration Exercising in hot and humid weather is tough on all athletes, but kids face an elevated risk of heat illness due to inexperience. Kids are more likely to continue exercising past the onset of mild heat illness either because they don’t recognize the symptoms or because [...]
TrueSport Expert Kristen Zeismer on Hydration There’s no way to know exactly how much water each of us needs to consume daily. With varying levels of activity, finding the right balance of fluid intake for young athletes can seem like a guessing game. But, it’s important to note that without a proper [...]
Coaching your child's team or coaching your child in an individual sport can be an extremely difficult task, albeit an incredibly rewarding one. It's not a position that should be taken lightly, and there are a few things to remember before you start. Here's what a group of TrueSport experts and coaches [...]
When it comes to proper hydration, calculating sweat rate is one of the easiest ways to ensure that your young athlete is drinking enough to stay hydrated during sport. And understanding sweat rate—how fast an athlete's body is sweating out fluids—is important for both performance and safety. "People's hydration needs are really [...]