Ok, I’m saying it. I hate sandbagging. I don’t believe in it, and it bothers me when I see it. If you are not sure what it is, let me define it for you. It’s the use of higher-level cheerleaders in lower-level teams for the purpose of winning. It is a huge reality in all star cheerleading to see level 5 athletes on a level 2 routine or something like that, and I just do not agree with it.

I started really becoming a good coach when I took over Gardner High School cheer, located in central Massachusetts. The thing about high school is that you must take the athletes you have and figure out how to win with who you have on your roster. There is no such thing as sandbagging because there is no leveling of skills involved. I will admit that it took me a few years to get Gardner cheer from where it was to a nationally ranked team, but those lessons are why I am opposed to sandbagging. I always just had to be able to figure it out.

I also disagree with it because it takes those hardworking level 2 kids and pushes them to the back. It’s giving this unstated message of “you are not good enough”. Why not teach them to be stronger, to work harder, to set goals and attain them instead?

At my gym, Supernatural All Stars, our kids are put on a level that is attainable for them. We assign homework that supports the training that goes on in the gym. We have a continual dialogue with our athletes on where they are with the goals, how to work through a setback, and how to set the next goal once their current one has been achieved. Our kids earn every single point we get. Does it mean we always win? We do not always win banners – true story. But I’d say that we are winning something so much more valuable than that.

Until later,
Coach Jill