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 [...]
Supplement Series: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 Have you evaluated your diet, met with a physician, and fine-tuned your training program only to find that you really do need to use a supplement? Now it’s time to decide which supplements might actually [...]
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 [...]
Supplement Series: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 At some point, almost every athlete has wondered if they need to use supplements to perform at their best, whether it’s vitamins for general wellness, whey protein for muscle growth, or a B6 pill for [...]
Supplement Series: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 Many athletes believe they need dietary supplements to perform at their best, but what do you think? Is this trust deserved? While it’s true that some supplements can be helpful in some circumstances, often, the [...]
Supplement Series: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 Now that you know supplements are regulated post-market, you’re probably aware that all supplements are not created equal. Some are manufactured in safe environments with high quality control standards and then tested and certified by [...]
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 [...]
For young teenagers, diet culture is hard to avoid. Whether they hear about a new fad from friends or read about a new diet trend in a health magazine, there's often pressure to have some kind of stance on food. And while some diet trends like intermittent fasting might be safe and [...]
For young athletes, maintaining a positive body image is difficult at the best of times, but when a competitive team atmosphere is added into the mix, that positivity can become even harder. No matter how much you talk about the importance of pulling together as a team, your athletes are going to [...]
DALLAS (June 22, 2021) – Move United, the national leader in community adaptive sports, has recognized USA Cheer as an Inclusion Champion. As an Inclusion Champion, USA Cheer has demonstrated the organization’s support for an inclusive conversation in youth sports, particularly in relation to youth with disabilities. Move United uses the power of sport to [...]
Coaches: 7 Things to Know About Disordered Eating Disordered eating covers a large amount of dieting and exercising behaviors—and while it may not be as severe as a full-blown eating disorder, it can seriously affect a young athlete's health in the short and long term. Here, TrueSport Expert and licensed clinical psychologist [...]
When a competitive athlete leaves sport, permanently or briefly to recover from an injury or pursue another activity, it's normal to feel a mixture of emotions. Even if the athlete is choosing to take a break from sport, issues surrounding body image, nutrition, and exercise outside of regimented practice can still come [...]
USA Cheer and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) have released the high school rules changes for the 2021-22 school year. Following the virtual NFHS rules meeting, of which USA Cheer is a voting member, changes were made to reduce injury risk with braced connections and to clarify previous rule interpretations. [...]
One of the many outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic was that young athletes had to become resilient. No matter how much we may want to shield children from the harsh realities of cancelled seasons, lockdowns, and quarantines, every child experienced some kind of loss or hardship during the pandemic. But board-certified family [...]
Helping your young athlete understand the difference between an uncomfortable situation and an unsafe situation can be incredibly difficult. "We have to protect our children from danger,” explains board-certified family physician and TrueSport Expert Deborah Gilboa, MD, but we shouldn’t necessarily protect them from discomfort. A specialist in youth development and resilience, Gilboa wants parents [...]
Plant-based meat products have become ultra-popular in recent years, with many of the standard fast food places now offering a vegan meat option. Thanks to brands like Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat, chains like Burger King and White Castle can cater towards a meatless audience. Unfortunately, not every plant-based patty is going [...]
When it comes to diet trends, it's nearly impossible to keep up. One minute, juicing is the latest and greatest, and the next time you pick up a magazine, there's a whole new food group to avoid. It can be easy for adults and young athletes alike to assume that the diet [...]