Featured

Getting Better At Tumbling

For the better part of fifteen years, I have been helping people get better at tumbling. In that time I have seen a lot of different tactics, a lot of different systems that people have used to get be

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Getting Better At Tumbling

MARCH/APRIL HS CLASSES

Are you ready to showcase your best tumbling skills at Tryouts?   Its that time again!! Highschool Cheerleading tryouts are right around the corner… Have you gotten better since your season

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MARCH/APRIL HS CLASSES

RME Rec. Teams Take First Place at Spiri

This past weekend the RME Rec. Teams competed at their first competition of their season.  The Mini Team, the Teddy Bears (8 years old and younger) and the Junior Team, the Panda Bears (14 years and

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RME Rec. Teams Take First Place at Spirit Cheer!!!

NEW RME Rec. Classes Starting January 30

Starting during RME’s next Rec. Session (January 30th – April 28th) we will be offering two NEW classes!!!  These classes are designed to help athletes prepare for their next cheerleading seaso

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NEW RME Rec. Classes Starting January 30th!!!

HUSKIES ADD TO HISTORIC RUN…

The weekend had finally arrived, and with it, the competition that Colorado Cheer Athletes have been preparing for since last year at the same time…The CHSAA Cheerleading State Championships.  

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HUSKIES ADD TO HISTORIC RUN…

Getting Better At Tumbling

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by on February 22, 2012 at 2:05 pm

For the better part of fifteen years, I have been helping people get better at tumbling. In that time I have seen a lot of different tactics, a lot of different systems that people have used to get better at tumbling. I am starting this series of articles to help you get better. There are three main aspects to tumbling:

  1. Physical – If your body is unable to physically perform a particular tumbling skill, it does not matter how much work you put in, you will be physically unable to perform your desired skill. Tumbling is a very physical activity. Many of the people that I have worked with over the years come in out of shape and unwilling to commit to the athleticism of our sport. If you cannot become more athletic, you will find your skills limited at some point. This has nothing to do with weight or body image, as is popularly reported in the media, it is simple physics. If you are not strong enough to perform a skill, it will not happen. If you are not flexible enough to withstand injury, you will get injured. This is a sport. Treat it like one.
  2. Mental – Tumbling is a very mental activity. You need to know how to perform each skill, and for many people, you need to know why as well. Every athlete has a different set of “need to know” items about each skill. As an athlete, you need to figure out what those items are, and learn them. Everyone has a different way of learning. Tumbling is no different than history, or math. If your tumbling instructor is not coaching you the way that you learn, then your chances of success are limited. If you are a coach, and you are unable to adapt your coaching techniques, then you will find your coaching success similarly limited.
  3. Emotional – Many of you have probably heard me say “You cannot tumble with emotions.” Emotions are our biggest enemy when learning a skill. If you are feeling the emotional pressure of tryouts, or if your coach is pressuring you to perform the skill (have you ever heard the phrase “I don’t know why she can’t do the skill”) – it will be next to impossible to learn new skills.

Stay tuned! We will be examining each of the three aspects in depth.
If you have any questions about tumbling, do not hesitate to ask – scott@epscheer.com

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RME Rec. Teams Take First Place at Spirit Cheer!!!

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by on February 8, 2012 at 12:53 pm

This past weekend the RME Rec. Teams competed at their first competition of their season.  The Mini Team, the Teddy Bears (8 years old and younger) and the Junior Team, the Panda Bears (14 years and younger).  They started their season in August and have practiced once a week since then to prepare for this competition. Both teams went out on the floor and gave their best performances!!  Both teams came out with FIRST place!!!  Their coaches and families could not be more proud of these athletes and can’t wait to see where their talents take them!

Gooooooo Bears!!!!!

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NEW RME Rec. Classes Starting January 30th!!!

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by on December 21, 2011 at 4:36 pm

Starting during RME’s next Rec. Session (January 30th – April 28th) we will be offering two NEW classes!!!  These classes are designed to help athletes prepare for their next cheerleading season, whether they’re planning on trying out for All Star Cheerleading or High School Cheerleading.  Below is a more specific description of each class.

High School Prep Class – Saturday 12pm-2pm – $165 for entire session This class is for any athletes in 6th grade or above interested in cheering at the High School level.  At the start of the session the class will begin working on basics (motions, cheering, jumps, dancing, tumbling, stunting).  Then the class will be split up into “teams” where each team will prepare a routine (including a music and cheer section).  At the end of the session each team will perform their routine.  This is a great way for your athlete to develop their skills as well as a way to start preparing for High School cheerleading.

All Star Pre Team Class – Monday 6pm-7:30pm – $150 for entire session This class is for any age athletes interested in cheerleading in general or interested in an All Star team.  This class is different from our Rec. Tumbling Classes as it involves all aspects of cheerleading and its main focus is not just tumbling.  At the start of the session the class will begin working on basics (motions, cheering, jumps, tumbling, stunting, dancing).  The class will then put together a routine incorporating all the pieces of an all star routine (no cheer section) and then they’ll perform the routine at the end of the session.

Below is a description and schedule for all of our other RME Rec. Tumbling Classes.  If you have any questions regarding these classes or to get signed-up for a class please either contact RME by phone at (303) 799-6920 or by e-mail at info@rmecheer.com.

Introduction to Tumbling – For athletes 7 years old and younger just beginning tumbling.  In this class, students will work on their basics; forward rolls, backward rolls, handstands, handstand forward rolls, cartwheels, round-off and bridge kick-overs

Beginning Tumbling Class - For athletes 12 years and younger at the beginning of their tumbling career.  In this class, students will work on their basics, back handsprings and round-ff back handsprings

High School Back Handspring Class - For any athletes 13 years old and older at the beginning of their tumbling career.  Focusing on getting their back handspring and round off back handspring

Intermediate Tumbling Class – For any age athlete who already has their back handspring and their round-off back handspring.  In this class, students will work on their round-off back handspring back tuck and will start working on their standing back tuck

Advanced Tumbling Class – For any age athlete who already has their round-off back handspring back tuck.  Students will work on their round-off back handspring back handspring layout and standing tuck

Elite Tumbling Class – For any age athlete who is working on more elite tumbling.  In this class, students have already mastered their standing tuck and a round-off back handspring layout and are starting to work on fulls, or already have their full and want to advance past their full to doubles, kick fulls, fulls through to fulls, ect.

* If you are currently in a Rec. Tumbling Class, please check the schedule because some class times have changed

Spring Session – January 30th – April 28th
Recreational Tumbling Monday Tuesday Thursday Saturday
Introduction to Tumbling 6:00-7:00pm
Beginning Tumbling 6:00-7:00pm 6:30-7:30pm
High School Back Handspring 6:30-7:30pm 5:00-6:00pm   or 7:00-8:00pm
Intermediate Tumbling 7:00-8:00pm 5:00-6:00pm   or 6:30-7:30pm
Advanced Tumbling 7:00-8:00pm
Elite Tumbling 6:45-8:00pm
High School Cheer Prep Class 12:00-2:00pm
All Star Pre Team Class 6:00-7:30pm
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HUSKIES ADD TO HISTORIC RUN…

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by on December 16, 2011 at 5:41 pm

The weekend had finally arrived, and with it, the competition that Colorado Cheer Athletes have been preparing for since last year at the same time…The CHSAA Cheerleading State Championships.

 

If you’ve never been a very competitive person, its hard to imagine the long hours of preparation, rehab, reworking, defeat as well as successes that go into pushing yourself to be the very best at what you do…and all the while realizing that hundreds of other athletes are doing the exact same thing in order to compete at the highest level. Hoping and praying that when it counts, everything will come together perfectly and all of the blood sweat and tears will amount to victory in the form of a first place finish…

This past weekend, not only one, but two teams out of the Elite Performance Sports training facilities did just that: With over 40 teams in each Division: the top 8 advance to Finals, and only one would be named Champion!!

The Douglas County Huskies

DYNASTY: A POWERFUL GROUP OR FAMILY THAT MAINTAINS ITS POSITION FOR A CONSIDERABLE TIME

REIGN: THE PERIOD OF RULE, DOMINANCE AND/SWAY…

These are the words that have been thrown out to describe the last 4 years of Cheerleading in Colorado when referring to the Coed program at Douglas County Highschool.

Taking a look at the results dating from 2007, when DC first burst onto the scene as State Champions, until last year, when the coed program from Castle Rock, CO. cracked the top 6 at the National level, its no wonder that few have questioned whether the stranglehold that DC has held over the Coed division would ever be relinquished.

Unlike the Chaparral Wolverines, winners in the 5A allgirl division, who had lofty expectations of a State title but knew that the competition was stiff, these DC Huskies were expected to win… the only question left was what kind of performance would they put on.

Training a Coed cheerleading team is a very trick thing: First, there is the chemistry aspect as there are no other sports team that I can think of that is made up of coed. Second, because of the way that the Coed category is scored, you are asking prepubescent boys, many of whom have yet to hit a major growth spurt, to accomplish skills that Allgirl teams are performing with 3-4 girls. Nevertheless, Douglas County has made a tradition of mastering the Coed score sheet, turning it on win it counts, and walking away time after time as State Champion.

This year, however, seemed different. After 4 consecutive years at the top, the expectation of winning seems an afterthought, but factor in the departing seniors, who were such strong leaders for so long… the freshman, who’s talent had allowed them to bypass the typical fresh/ JV squad and right of passage… And finally the long road of preparation. So the question wasn’t whether the Huskies could compete for a record 5 straight state titles, but rather what would this team look like when they got there!

The scarcity of Coed teams in Colorado meant that the Huskies had little to compare themselves to as the season progressed. Instead, the scoresheet was used to push the skills. Using the comments that judges left after each competition, the DC coaches tried as often as possible to continue to push the skill limitations of their athletes, all the while remembering that oftentimes at State the cleanest routines win.

The Continental League Competition was the first time that the Huskies managed to make it through a complete routine free of any major mistakes which brought yet another 1st place finish along with loads of confidence. The freshman class stepped up in the way that the coaching staff had expected, the upperclassman began to take leadership on and off the mat, but more importantly, the routine started to look CLEAN. A clean routine is the most that any coach can ever ask from their athletes. Clean means that not only was everything performed the way it was choreographed, but also that it was free of mistakes and most importantly…It looked Easy. And, with the level of difficulty that the Huskies had been asked to perform, this was where the Coaching staff wanted to be at this point in the season.

Keeping things in perspective the day of State, priority number one was and is always to make finals. Not taking anything for granted, the Huskies were prepared as they focused on not taking any unnecessary penalties and simply doing what they had been training for since Choreography in August. From start to finish, that particular performance may have been the best performance that COUNTY has ever put on the STATE mat. a single touchdown on tumbling cost the Huskies .5, a minor penalty that wouldn’t prove costly. The question moving forward wasn’t if they would make finals, but how far they had distanced themselves from everyone else!

If you’ve ever read a book and thought you knew exactly how it was going to end, only to get there and discover something totally different, then you’ll understand how the coaches felt as the 6 Finals teams were posted along with the scores. Douglas County was in 2nd place by 7 points…

After what seemed like a lifetime of questioning, both internally as well as aloud, the coaches were informed that there was an error in the postings, and that DC had indeed scored the high point in semi-finals. Although relieved, the scoring gaffe had had a sobering affect, as the realization that a simple mistake, warranted or not, could prevent the Huskies from attaining that elusive 5th straight trophy.

Maybe to the outsiders a 5th straight State Championship seemed inevitable, but to the coaches and athletes, nothing was taken for granted. The athletes talked to each other with every step that they took. Encouraging one another, warning of too many steps that may take them out of bounds, all the while summoning the poise and confidence that comes from setting a milestone. By all accounts, the Huskies Finals performance was…Relieving. When the final lyric was played and the applause erupted from the stands, no stunts had fallen, no one had stepped off the mat and everyone was well aware of what had just happened, the announcement was only needed to validate it.

The Huskies previous 4 year reign was typified by a scoring margin as slim as one point and as great as 3, leaving many wondering what if… What if the other teams had been a little cleaner… What if the Huskies had made the smallest mistake… There would be no what ifs Friday night, as the Huskies won in triumphant fashion, besting the next closet competitor by nearly 8 points!!

5 years, an entire hand, half a decade… no matter how you say it, the number sounds surreal in terms of Championship streaks! Here’s to COUNTY… and their impressive REIGN!

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WOLVERINES CLAW WAY TO THE TOP…

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by on December 14, 2011 at 12:36 pm

The weekend had finally arrived, and with it, the competition that Colorado Cheer Athletes have been preparing for since last year at the same time…The CHSAA Cheerleading State Championships.

If you’ve never been a very competitive person, its hard to imagine the long hours of preparation, rehab, reworking, defeat as well as successes that go into pushing yourself to be the very best at what you do…and all the while realizing that hundreds of other athletes are doing the exact same thing in order to compete at the highest level. Hoping and praying that when it counts, everything will come together perfectly and all of the blood sweat and tears will amount to victory in the form of a first place finish…

This past weekend, not only one, but two teams out of the Elite Performance Sports training facilities did just that: With over 40 teams in each Division: the top 8 advance to Finals, and only one would be named Champion!!

The Chaparral Wolverines

The Chaparral Highschool Cheerleading Program hadn’t hoisted a state championship trophy in over half a decade… and without a leader who could take the reigns and say “IVE been there, we are capable of greatness,” the young wolverines worked tirelessly to attain a perfection that none has ever experienced. Through a variety of setbacks over the past few months that saw these young ladies still searching for that elusive “perfect” routine, many were left wondering what would happen if they could put it all together for just one day. 2 minutes and 30 seconds doesn’t seem like a lot of time to most, but for cheerleaders, its a lifetime!

The opening minute of Chaparrals first State performance looked to be everything that you could for ask until the unthinkable happened. An injury forced the routine to be halted, and put the team back on the warmup mat to rework pieces and wait. I cant tell you what was going through the heads of the Wolverines at that moment, and I haven’t the slightest inkling as to what was said to give them the motivation to go back out on the competition floor again. However, one thing is certain, the Wolverines left no doubt in the minds of spectators and judges as they gave everything that they had left. And, with a few minor mistakes, the young wolverinces were rewarded with a Finals birth and another chance to accomplish their lofty goals of a State Championship!

Finals…a goal that most would settle for in the 5A All-girl Division. And with everything that this team had been through in order to get there, any finish within the top 8 would be commendable. So what was there to lose?

During the previous performance the Wolverines seemingly had the entire Coliseum on their side as they humbly walked back to the floor after  reworking parts of their routine to cover the departure of an athlete who had been injured, and they promptly rose to the occasion. But Finals were different… These were the top 8 Allgirl teams in Colorado, everyone would find their allegiances and begin to pull for their own teams. Not to mention, Chaparral’s previous performance had them heading into finals in 2nd place, looking up Grandview, a team it hadn’t beaten all year!

From the moment that the music started, something was different about this team. Even compared to the previous performance that propelled them to finals. As an athlete, you always hope that you can rise to the occasion, that when it counts the most, you can dig down deep and leave everything on the floor regardless of past experiences or anything that led to that very moment. In spite of all of the shaky performances, less than perfect practices and ill-timed injuries that transpired before Fridays last performance, the Wolverines Finals routine looked…EASY. They moved around the mat seamlessly. Stunts that they have struggled with all year went up without so much as a hiccup. The crowd was drawn in with a concentration that Ive only experienced at the national level, and by the end of the routine everyone in the building knew that these young ladies had given themselves a chance to hoist that elusive State Championship Trophy!

The Cheerleading State Championship announcement is never easy to listen to. Regardless of how well you think you performed, there are a few things to keep in mind: Penalties, which can be the death of a near perfect routine. Style, which varies from team to team and allows coaches to showcase their own teams talents. And finally, judges perception, probably the hardest aspect to prepare for. There is no telling how the judges felt about an individual routine until the scores are announced. As the the runners up were announced to be the Jaguars from Rock Canyon, all eyes were on Eaglecrest and Chaparral, as Grandview had a costly penalty that knocked them out of the top 3 finishers. And the CHSAA Class A State Champions for 2011 goes to….the Wolverines of Chaparral!

 

 

1 of 2 part series: Douglas County Reigns

 

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RME Rec. Teams Performing at Colorado High School State this Saturday, December 10th

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by on December 5, 2011 at 4:12 pm

 

The RME Rec. Teams will be performing this Saturday, December 10th at the 2011 Colorado High School State Competition at the Denver Coliseum.  They perform at 5:15pm.  There are two Rec. Teams this season, our Minis-The Teddy Bears and our Juniors-The Panda Bears.  These two teams have been practicing once a week since September and are excited to go out there and perform the skills they’ve been learning.  Please come out and support the RME Rec. Teams this Saturday!!  Hope to see you all there!

 

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Bears Go 1,2,3 at UCA Regionals

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by on November 22, 2011 at 3:33 pm

 

 

Rocky Mountain Elite had a great showing at their first official competition of the season this past weekend at the UCA Regional competition at the Denver Coliseum.  Black Bears came home with a FIRST place finish in Small Junior Level 3 out of 2 teams, Brown Bears Placed SECOND in Small Junior Level 2 out of 5 teams, and our Grizzlies Placed THIRD in Small Senior Level 2 out of 4 teams.  This was a great start to the 2011-2012 season and we can’t wait to see the success these teams will continue to have this year!  Goooo Bears!!!

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All-Star Athlete of the Week

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by on November 15, 2011 at 1:42 pm

11/15/11

Keely S.

Black Bears

 

 

 

Questions for the Athlete

  • Why do you participate in cheerleading?- I participate in cheerleading because it is a great way to have fun and be active.  I also do it because it’s my sport and it’s what makes me who I am.
  • What are 3 songs on your IPod?- Shane Dawson Double Rainbow, Party Rock Anthem, and Gummy Bear Song.
  • Favorite Tumbling Pass?- Round off Back Hand Spring Tuck Back Handspring Tuck
  • Favorite Stunt- Basket Kick Full
  • Favorite Food- Pickles
  • Favorite Celebrity- Howie Mandel
  • Favorite Subject in School- Language Arts
  • Favorite TV Show- The Nanny
  • Favorite Movie- The entire Bring It On series
  • What Activities do you participate in Outside of Cheerleading? I like to hang out with friends and I love to make items out of duct tape.

11/5/11

Allison R.

Brown Bears 

Questions for the Athlete

  • Why do you participate in cheerleading?- Because it’s a fun way to keep active!

  • What are 3 songs on your IPod?- Party Rock, Thriller, Tonight Tonight.
  • Favorite Tumbling Pass?- Standing Back Handspring
  • Favorite Stunt- Half Up Extension
  • Favorite Food- Mac and Cheese
  • Favorite Celebrity- Taylor Lautner
  • Favorite Subject in School- Health
  • Favorite TV Show- NCSI
  • Favorite Movie- Twilight
  • What Activities do you participate in Outside of Cheerleading? I like to hang out with my friends and swim in the summer.

10/24/11

Ivy

Grizzly Bears

Questions for the Athlete

  • Why do you participate in cheerleading?- Because it’s a great way to stay active and I love Cheer!
  • What are 3 songs on your IPod?- Long Hot Summer, Buzzin, and Best Love Song.
  • Favorite Tumbling Pass?- Round Off Back Handspring
  • Favorite Stunt- Pyramids
  • Favorite Food- Pickles
  • Favorite Celebrity- Chris Evans
  • Favorite Subject in School- Math
  • Favorite TV Show- Keeping up with the Kardashians
  • Favorite Movie- Rio
  • What Activities do you participate in Outside of Cheerleading? I like to just hang out with my friends.

10/13/11

Olivia

Black Bears

Questions for the Athlete

  • Why do you participate in cheerleading?- Because it is a fun way for me to show people my skills and abilities.  Also I find cheerleading to be a great way to meet new people.
  • What are 3 songs on your IPod?- All of the Lights, We Are Who We Are, Teenage Dream.
  • Favorite Tumbling Pass?- Back Hand Spring Tuck through to Tuck
  • Favorite Stunt- Full ups
  • Favorite Food- Watermelon
  • Favorite Celebrity- Mark Harmon
  • Favorite Subject in School- Math
  • Favorite TV Show- America’s Next Best Dance Crew (ABDC)
  • Favorite Movie- Transformers 2
  • What Activities do you participate in Outside of Cheerleading? I like to Swim, play Volleyball and Ski.

 

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2011-2012 RME Rec. Teams Starting Out Strong!!

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by on November 8, 2011 at 3:45 pm

The 2011-2012 RME Rec. Teams our well on their way to a successful season.  This season we have two teams.  The “Teddy Bears” are our Minis team (in their Halloween costumes) and the “Panda Bears” are our Junior Team (in the picture below, stunting).  These two teams will exhibition at local events in December and January and then their season will culminate at an All Star Competition in February where they will compete against other All Star teams from around the state.  These two teams have shown great growth as teams and as cheerleaders since their August 1st start date!  We are all proud to welcome all the new and old faces into our RME Bear family!

 

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Competition Season is Upon Us

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by on October 26, 2011 at 8:25 pm

It’s thats time of year again! The weather outside is getting colder, but practices inside the gyms are heating up. With UCA Southern Regionals coming up this weekend and UCA Mile High Regionals not far off, high school teams are perfecting their routines. All of the hard work over the summer and the beginning of the season is starting to pay off.

Athletes are focusing on perfecting their standing tumbling, with coaches pulling any skill that will coast them a “touch down” deduction in competition. Running tumbling passes are being timed perfectly to create the greatest visual appeal to the judges. Stunt sequences are being drilled to the exact count because any bobble is an unnecessary point loss.

It’s that time of year where every coach pushes there team to their full potential in hopes of taking home the coveted first place trophy. Blood, sweat and cheer is an understatement.

High school teams are not the only teams gearing up for the 2011-2012 competitions season. All-Star teams have already competed in a few, with bigger, more competitive competitions around the corner. Team placement is a thing of the past. It’s time to dig in, and prepare to bring the energy to the floor. Maybe even whip that hair back and forth.

So remember even with the stress of trying to hit the routine perfectly when the time comes, remember to practice the routine like your in competition every time. Every time the music plays, hit the motions full out, jump full out and yell the words like your the only one on the floor. Because if every practice is treated like a competition, then there is no need to stress when that clock starts.

There are only 2 minutes and 30 seconds that separate first place from last. Good luck to all of the teams entering competition season. It’s going to be a wild and memorable ride!

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