It’s August! National Cheer Safety Month 2024 is Here!!
National Cheer Safety Month is a dedicated time for the cheerleading community to focus on promoting safety practices, increasing awareness about injury prevention, and fostering a safer environment for all participants. The 2024 theme, “Do Your Part,” emphasizes the shared responsibility of coaches, athletes, parents, and program administrators in ensuring the well-being of cheerleaders.
National Cheer Safety Month highlights the importance of collective action. “Do Your Part” calls on everyone involved to actively contribute to a culture of safety by following established rules, reviewing policies and procedures for athlete abuse protection, participating in safety training, and advocating for safe practices. Coaches are encouraged to maintain up-to-date certifications and provide proper instruction. Athletes are reminded to communicate openly about their health and follow safety protocols. Administrators are encouraged to provide support to their programs, and parents are urged to support safe cheerleading environments.
Through education, awareness, and a commitment to safety, National Cheer Safety Month aims to minimize risks and ensure that cheerleading remains a fun, healthy, and secure activity for all. By doing our part, we can collectively keep cheerleading and STUNT safe.
Pay attention all month long! We’ll be quizzing you at the end of the month to earn your NCSM Badge!
Aug 1 – Kickoff! Start by taking the iCheerSafe Pledge by yourself or with your team and sharing it on your social channels.
TAKE THE PLEDGE!
Join the cheer and STUNT community by pledging to DO YOUR PART by staying safe and promote safety all year long! Once you complete the pledge, share on your socials to kick off National Cheer Safety Month!
Safety Month Special!
Take an additional $5 off of the USA Cheer Cheerleading Safety Manual or the Safety Manual/High School Rules Book Combo!
One of the most important parts of any safety program is preventing injuries from happening in the first place. There are many ways to do that, as addressed in the USA Cheer Safety Manual and the accompanying USA Cheer Safety & Risk Management Course. Be sure to:
- Establish communication between athletes, coaches, and parents/caregivers.
- Have proper footwear, practicewear, surface, and environment
- Stretch properly before (dynamic) and after practice (static)
- Follow your athletic trainer’s advice and proper protocols for returning from any injury
- Work in progressions, from lower to higher, and from easier to more advanced body positions.
Coaches – As the person directly responsible for safety in your program, it’s vital to stay up-to-date on safety issues like this year’s rules changes, the current safety protocols, and the latest techniques for skill development. As you kick off your new season, be sure to implement skill progressions and spotting drills as part of your practice regimen.
Athletes – Take ownership of your skills and your role in partner stunts. If you don’t feel comfortable with a skill, feel you need to practice the leadup skills more, or aren’t sure of a grip – speak up! Stay focused while performing skills and know how to safely catch in the event a skill comes down.
Administrators – Support the safety needs of your program with coaches’ education, proper training environment, and athletic trainers. Drop in to practice and let the team know how important they are!
Parents/Caregivers – Be sure your coach is properly trained and that the program is supported with their needs. Back up the coach and their training, especially when your athlete feels like they want to go faster. Using skill progressions will help everyone in the long run!
What would you do in the event of a serious injury, someone on your team having cardiac arrest, or a tornado warning hits during an afternoon practice? As you get ready to kick off the season, make sure your team is properly prepared! No injury prevention plan is 100%, and the best time to plan for emergencies is before they happen. Let’s use this week to make sure plans are in place and practiced!
Preparedness Resources:
- USA Cheer Emergency Action Plan
- USA Cheer Concussion Resources
- Heat Illness Prevention
- First Aid, Health and Safety Course (nfhslearn.com)
- CPR & AED Training Course (nfhslearn.com)
- Sudden Cardiac Arrest Course (nfhslearn.com)
Coaches – Work with your administration and medical resources such as your school nurse or athletic trainer to develop your emergency action plan. Know where your institution’s AEDs are located and how to use them. Find out where the closes storm shelters are to practice. Once plans are in place, communicate everything to your athletes and parent, and be sure to practice your plans before you have to put them into action. Also use this week to make sure all of your athletes and parents know the signs of a concussion and the importance of sitting out until fully healed and cleared.
Athletes – Know your role in the emergency plan. Who’s your partner? Be ready to act with confidence if you have to initiate the emergency plan. Do you know the signs of a concussion? If you or one of your teammates sustains a blow that might be a concussion, bring it to the attention of the coach and make sure to follow the concussion protocols for a safe return to play.
Administrators – Support your program by making sure your coaches are properly trained and following all policies and procedures.
Parents – Know the signs of a concussion. Concussions often don’t show symptoms immediately, so you might be the first to notice something is off. Ask questions and help follow the proper protocols for a safe return.
In all sports and activities, nothing is more important than the protection and well-being of the athlete.
In addition to preventing physical injury, this includes the prevention, identification, and proper reporting of bullying, hazing, physical and emotional misconduct and sexual abuse. USA Cheer requires that all USA Cheer members complete either the coach or athlete version of the Athlete Protection Course as part of membership. In addition, a version of the course is made available for all parents and caregivers.
Athlete Protection Resources:
- USA Cheer Athlete Protection Courses
- Safe Sport Resources – USA Cheer
- NFHS Courses
Coaches – Follow the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies (MAAPP) from USA Cheer and that are outlined in the athlete protection course to help prevent abuse and misconduct in your program. These policies should be made clear to your athletes, parents, and anyone working with your program. They should all know how to help prevent abuse and misconduct through following the policies, identify when misconduct has happened, and properly report it.
Athletes – Understand that bullying and hazing are not okay, and that just because it was done to someone in the past doesn’t mean it should continue. Know that policies such as “no one-to-one contact with an adult” are in place to help protect you and all of your teammates. Learn about the signs of grooming and red flags by taking the free USA Cheer Athlete Protection course.
Administrators – Conduct background screenings on all adults who will have direct contact with your program and make sure they know and follow the policies that are in place to prevent abuse and misconduct.
Parents – Make sure your coaches and others working with the program have had background screenings and are following the policies designed to prevent abuse from happening. Take the free parent/caregiver athlete protection course from USA Cheer to know the red flags and signs of grooming, and report issues to the appropriate authorities.
Let’s Celebrate! The past 20 years have greatly improved cheerleading safety. Cheerleading ranks among the lowest in overall injury rate among 20 sports studied in the High School RIO injury study. Cheerleading catastrophic injuries are down as well, and emergency room visits and overall concussion rates are lower than many other sports. This is largely thanks to increased safety awareness and more state associations supporting cheer safety by requiring rules training and the USA Cheer Safety & Risk Management Course. Rule revisions were made by USA Cheer and the NFHS to minimize risk, and national organizations are promoting and requiring membership in professional organizations like USA Cheer!
Overall Injury Rates
Cheer ranks as one of the lowest overall injury rates among high school sports, 17 out of 20. *Reported by the High School RIO annual report.
Emergency Room Visits
For girls ages 12-18, cheerleading ranks lower than other girls’ sports.
Concussions
According to the High School RIO Injury Study, head/face concussions rates are lower for cheer than 8 other sports. Let’s continue to drop this even lower!
Click here for more information and data!
While we are proud of the accomplishments so far, we can still improve our safety record by everyone continuing to DO YOUR PART!
Coaches – Celebrate safety milestones! Has everyone completed the concussion training? Celebrate! Did a backspot just save a stunt? Celebrate! Commit to a year-round focus on safety to make this your best year ever. Stay vigilant in requiring proficiency in lower skills before progressing to more advanced skills. Make sure you learn the proper techniques for new skills allowed by rules changes. Keep your finger on the pulse of the team to prevent any bullying or hazing activities. Be proactive by creating fun and safe experiences for your team!
Athletes – You’ve made the team! Celebrate! Now bring your best self to every practice and stay focused on safety; it’s no fun cheering if you’re sidelined with an injury. Be welcoming to new team members and help stop any activity that isn’t positive and safe!
Administrators – Celebrate your coaches and their athletes’ successes in the classroom and on/off the mat. Check-in throughout the year to find out the needs of the program and help keep it a positive part of your school environment.
Parents/caregivers – Now is the time to enjoy your athlete’s successes! Let them know they did a great job and that you loved watching them cheer or play. Keep a watchful eye on their behaviors and stay aware of the signs of possible concussion, bullying, or red flags for abuse and misconduct so that they can be addressed immediately. Most of all, sit back and watch your athlete shine!
Earn Your NCSM Badge!
As we wrap up National Cheer Safety Month, stay tuned here and be sure to check our socials this week to take the quiz and earn your Cheer Safety Month Badge!
Do Your Part This Month!
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Share with your team, parents, administrators, support staff