Blog 10: Senior Project Update

1) What are you currently doing in your Independent Component?
I am currently going to practice 2 times a week (3-4 times a week during the week preceding a competition). Each practice is 2 - 3 hours, although it is more commonly 3 hours. I am going to start counting my practices as hours for Independent Component next week, when my doctor says I am fully cleared to start practicing again. Since I've been sick lately I haven't been practicing like I normally do. These last 3 weeks or so I've been taking it easy since I've been in bad health. However, this week I have been stunting and I threw my backwalkover at practice on Monday and Wednesday for the first time in over a month. I will be tracking my progress for Independent Component starting on Monday, the 10th of December.

2) The most recent piece of research I've gotten for my senior project would have to be my first cheer competition of the season. My team competed for the first time against another team and we got first place!  I've been to many All - Star cheer competitions, but I've never competed in one before, so I learned a lot from my experience of being on a team and having to go through the day as an athlete and not a spectator. Being able to review the scoresheets from the competition and see what the different aspects of our routine were scored would have to be the most resourceful thing I got out of the competition. My science fair project has to do with the scoring of tumbling and stunting sections in routines and focuses on how to maximize the score of the routine. So this competition was very useful for that aspect of my project. In addition, since my senior project is focusing specifically on stunting and tumbling, the scoresheets were very helpful since they're divided up into three sections: stunting, tumbling, and dance/formations. This competition made me realize how crucial those aspects of the routine are, and it reinforced my confidence in choosing the right aspect of the sport to focus on. The next place I will be going to in my project will be to excel at these categories of the sport, which will be easy since my routine is currently under a 'makeover' process in which our choreographer is adding more difficulty to the stunting and tumbling aspect of our routine.

3) This is a picture of my team, coaches, and I at our competition with our 1st place trophy and banner!

Update on Senior Project

MENTORSHIP:
Unfortunately I've been really sick these last couple of weeks, and I've been busy trying to catch up on all of my school work. Since I've been sick I haven't been able to practice cheer with my team or coach the youth rec teams I coach for mentorship hours. This weekend I have a competition coming up and I was luckily able to start cheering again on Monday. Since this is the weekend before a competition, and practice schedules overlap since every team in the gym has to practice every day, I will not be able to do Mentorship hours this week. However, starting next week, I'll be able to continue with my mentorship and coach my girls. :)

INDEPENDENT COMPONENT:
Again, since I've been sick I haven't been able to cheer lately, and even though I've started practicing again, my doctor still has not cleared me to tumble. My independent component is based off of me tumbling and improving in the tumbling aspect of all-star cheer, but I will not be able to start tumbling again for another week. Once I am fully cleared to practice again I will be back in the gym almost every day working hard to catch up with where I should be.

SCIENCE FAIR:
The only good thing that has come out of being sick is that I got to sit back and watch my team and other teams in the gym during practice as a spectator instead of an athlete. I got to see my teammates improve and witness our routine change due to more people gaining skills. I'm very excited to start documenting how our routine scores at competition this weekend and to compare how it is scored once it is changed again. Competition season is starting so I have to get ready to start collecting data.

Blog 5b: Science Fair Proposal

1. My topic is All-Star Cheerleading.

2. Problem: Kids will not be able to make a Level 2 All - Star Cheerleading team unless they either have Level 2 tumbling skills or are very close to achieving them.
Quote: "If you guys want to progress to a higher level team next year, you need to show us that you have the next level skills or are close to getting them. Since we've coached you, we know your guys' abilities, your strengths and weaknesses, and what skills you're capable of obtaining in a certain amount of time. Other coaches won't, and if you try out for another team next season, if you don't have a back handspring you're not going to be put on a Level 2 team."
Gonzalez, Rene. Allstar Cheer Practice. Starlite Allstars Gym, City of Industry, CA. August 2012. Lecture.

3. Hypothesis: If an All - Star Cheerleader follows a specific conditioning and stretching process, they will be able to obtain a back handspring within a month of starting training for it.

4. I am going to get 22 kids from my gym who don't have back handsprings and track their progress on a spreadsheet of specific exercises they should do to help them get their back handspring. For example, you should be able to do a handstand snap down before you learn how to do a back handspring because a handstand snap down is a skill needed to perform a back handspring. So, I will track how long it takes for each of them to obtain the skills, such as a handstand snap down, needed for a back handspring, and what they did during each practice period. In addition to tracking the progress of the kids, I'm going to be tracking my progress, as my Independent Component 2 is getting a back handspring myself. The tools I'm going to use are Excel for my spreadsheets, a calendar (days) to measure progress, a spring floor, mats, and my coach/mentor to help guide me and the rest of the kids.

5. Anatomy and Physiology

Blog 9: Working EQ and Possible Answers

(1) What is the most efficient way to excel at tumbling and stunting in All-Star Cheerleading?
(2) I am not going to revise my EQ at this time
(3) Possible answers are knowing what can be achieved for each level, the way the judges score you, how to train for certain skills, experienced coaches, stretching, strengthening, and getting over mental blocks.

Blog 8: Rough Draft of Presentation 1

Rough Draft of 10 Minute Presentation

Blog 7: Independent Component 1 Plan Approval

1.

I plan on learning tumbling skills that surpass the level of tumbling I need to be on the team I am currently on. Teams are broken down by level of difficulty and depending on what level they decide to be for the season, everything they learn is based off of what is legal under their level. I am on a level 1 team, which is very basic everything. The tumbling permitted on level 1 teams includes (but is not limited to) back walkovers, front walkovers, forward rolls, backwards rolls, back extension rolls, cartwheels, roundoffs and a combination of any of the skills for a tumbling pass. Tumbling skills that exceed level 1 include back handsprings, back tucks, aerials, front punches, front handsprings, layouts, fulls, and many more. Throughout the season the team and individuals on the team work on achieving the tumbling skills that are within their level. If someone wants to excel in tumbling and learn skills that are past their level they have to come in on their own time and work at achieving them independently. Coaches will not take valuable time away from practice to teach kids upper level skills that they aren't even going to be allowed to perform; long story short it's a waste of practice time. So, if someone wants to excel in tumbling they have to sacrifice their own time and go in on their days off to get the tumbling skills they want. This is what I'm planning to do for my Independent Component #1.

2.

Meeting my 30 hours of work requirement will be extremely easy, especially since I'm learning tumbling, and it is not something that comes easy to me. At my gym we have "Team Tumbling" days every Friday where the kids from all the teams come in to work with the coaches on their tumbling skills. If you already have the tumbling skills on your team's level down perfect then the coaches will allow you to start working on upper level skills. So in addition to learning higher level skills I'm going to have to perfect the level 1 tumbling skills I already have in order to learn new ones. Therefore tumbling time I spend in practice perfecting my level 1 tumbling will count as work hours. After perfecting my tumbling in level 1 skills I will continue to go to team tumbling on Fridays from 5:00 - 7:00, and I will come to the gym on my off days to work for 2 - 3 hours. I am very confident I will be able to fill the amount of work hours required by this component because there are so many tumbling skills beyond level 1 that there is no way I'll be able to learn all of them within 30 hours. I'll be lucky to even learn one!

3.

My working EQ is: "What is the most efficient way to excel in tumbling in All-Star cheerleading?" By learning skills that are beyond my team's level of difficulty I will be excelling in tumbling. Through gaining these skills I also hope to gain an answer to my EQ. What works best for me? Why did using this technique while doing a back handspring help me more than another technique? The answers to the questions I'm going to get from my independent study component will help me answer my ultimate question, the EQ that drives my project. By making myself excel in tumbling I'm going to be finding some answers to my working EQ.

Blog 6: Second Interview Questions

Tentative questions:

1. How long have you been involved in All - Star cheerleading?

2. Can you give a brief description of your job/role in the industry?

3. How did you come to work at the Starlite Allstars gym?

4. What specific qualifications do you have that show your experience and expertise in the sport?

5. In your opinion, what qualifies someone as an "expert" in All - Star cheerleading?

6. How long have you been coaching?

7. What have you achieved as a former All - Star cheerleader that you are most proud of?

8. What have you achieved as a coach that you are most proud of?

9. How long do you see yourself involved in All - Star cheerleading?

10. How has All - Star cheerleading affected your life?

Blog 4: Working EQ

The Pentagon:

1. Positive Statement:
So far I've been lucky to have many positive things happen as a result of what I've completed so far in my senior project. I've become a better cheerleader and coach and I've learned how to use both roles to feed off of each other and help the other blossom. I've grown close to my teammates, the girls I coach, and to my coaches, which has opened up new friendships and relationships with some of the most wonderful and inspiring people I will ever meet. On a more personal level, I've gotten more physically fit, built up confidence in myself, and opened up the expectations I previously had regarding the limits of my possibilities. I'm very proud of all the positive things that have come out of choosing All - Star cheerleading as my topic thus far.

2. EQ Content (using Interview #1):
I believe that my first interview for senior project went very well. No matter how much research you do on a topic, especially one that is a sport, it will never compare to the understanding you'll get of it from talking to an expert in the field of your topic. Jason Brandt, the person I interviewed, is someone everyone looks to approval for because his opinion is so respected. He has so much experience and knowledge in and of All - Star cheerleading that he could (and should) write a book about it. Asking him questions about the sport really gave me an in-depth look at how a person who is passionate about the sport feels and thinks about it. People in the All - Star cheerleading industry love the sport so much and are so passionate about it that they take it to a whole new level. All - Star cheerleading isn't just a sport, it's a way of life, people devote their lives to this sport and sacrifice so many things to be able to do it or participate in it somehow. The All - Star cheerleading industry isn't like a normal sport industry, it's a family, and in order to begin to understand how much people who are involved in this industry love it and do what they do because of it, you really have to understand the fact that it is like no other sport. Talking to Jason about this and having him tell me things like this not only in my interview but during my hours of practicing cheer under him and coaching cheer alongside him has really opened my eyes to how amazing All - Star cheerleading really is.

3. What has worked for me so far:
As much as I love coaching and the team I coach, it's nothing compared to how much I love being on the mat and cheering myself. There's a sense of pride unique to finally hitting a stunt after it fell 50 times beforehand or doing your backwalkover by yourself after working on it for 3 months straight. There's a sense of pride unique to every aspect of cheerleading whether it be the stunting, tumbling or dancing aspect of it. Although nothing in cheer comes easy, there are certain things you excel at. For example, my jumps are so low it's embarrassing but I'm so good at dancing I'm center dancer for the routine (which is a hard spot to keep since everyone on the team is always competing for it!). From the research I've done regarding cheerleading as a whole and aspects of it individually, I'd say the most information I could find was on stunting, tumbling, and whether or not the activity is a sport. Since talking to my coaches about it, I've decided to look more into the tumbling aspect of cheer since it intersects with other sports such as gymnastics and I'd be able to find a lot of research on it. Honestly, talking to my coaches and the owner of my gym about anything has been the best thing for me to do for my senior project. They all have such great suggestions and guidance I couldn't be doing this without their help.

4. What has not worked:
There aren't many things I've had trouble with regarding my senior project, but my biggest issue is finding good research. I'm constantly concerned that the research I'm finding isn't good enough or as helpful as other things I can be looking up. I also worry that the research I need is very scarce. It has been pretty difficult finding research for All - Star cheerleading alone that focuses intently on that aspect of cheerleading. This is why I'm going to look more into tumbling.

5. Finding Value:
A.

1. Will I be able to find sufficient research on the area of All - Star cheerleading I'm going to focus on?
2. What subject of my topic qualifies as a topic for my senior project? 
3. Will coaching still count as my mentorship hours even if my topic has nothing to do with coaching cheer? If not, what am I going to do for mentorship hours?

B. I want people to have a completely different perception of cheerleading when I'm done with my senior project. Whether it be the entire United States that walks away with a different POV on it or just the senior class at iPoly, I want to change the way people see the sport. I want people to understand how much hard work, dedication, and love goes into being an All - Star cheerleader and I want them to know it's a sport. All - Star cheerleading doesn't get the recognition and respect it should get as a sport and I'm going to change that. A good grade on the project would just be a plus.

C. Next, I would like to talk to Grace Contreras, the owner of the gym I cheer and coach at. She has over 30 years of experience in cheerleading and she is actually asked to be a judge at international All - Star cheerleading competitions. If there's anyone who knows every aspect of cheerleading  in depth it's Grace and I believe at this point in time I need to talk to someone who knows as much as she does about every aspect of the sport in order to narrow down what I want to focus my project on.

SF Blog A: Problem Statement

1) Topic: All Star Cheerleading

2) Problem: All Star Cheerleading is not considered an official sport. What I will do when I solve the problem: Hopefully get All Star Cheerleading to be established as an official sport, thus bringing more money and resources to the industry and helping it blossom. I would also like to sever any misconceptions about All Star Cheerleading there may be due to the media and entertainment.

3) Problem: Tumbling is harder for girls to learn than it is for boys. What I will do when I solve the problem: I would like to use already compiled data and research on tumbling to produce a conditioning and learning process designed specifically for girls who would like to excel in tumbling at a much faster rate than they currently do. This is so that they won't be outshined or discouraged by the rate boys grasp tumbling at in comparison to the much slower rate girls learn it.

Blog 3: Interview Preparation

1. I plan on interviewing Jason Brandt, the Director and Head Coach of the gym I cheer and coach at. He, along with a couple other coaches, are the people who do the choreography for every team at our gym. He has 14+ years of experience, is a certified coach, first-aid certified, and won 10 National Championships during his cheerleading career. I know he is going to be one of my most valuable resources this year and I would like to have my first interview with his because of that. I believe he will give me a good basis to start my project off of, especially when it comes to me determining what direction I want to go in with my senior project.

2. In addition to the five questions I have to ask, I'm going to ask these:

• What is your favorite aspect of All-Star cheerleading as a cheerleader? Why?
• What is your favorite aspect of All-Star cheerleading as a coach? Why?
• What makes All-Star cheerleading so important to you?
• What would you like more people to know about All-Star cheerleading?
• In addition to the mentorship activities I already do, are there any other things I can do that you believe would help me in my project?
• Aside from interviews, lectures, and the few nonfiction books written on cheer, what other things or places can I draw good research from?

Blog 2: Topic Choice

A.
My topic is All Star Cheerleading because cheerleading is something I have been involved in since a young age, I'm very passionate about it, and I feel that people have a lot of misconceptions about it. For a long time society has had stereotypes about cheerleaders and it hasn't been considered a serious sport. People don't understand how hard cheer really is, the amount of work you have to put into it, the blood, sweat, and tears shed over it. I'm not too sure what I'm specifically going to focus on within All Star cheerleading, but I'm leaning towards something involving choreography since it's something I enjoy learning, teaching, and it's something I excel at. I've already set up a date to talk with the head director of my gym to help me determine exactly what I want to focus my topic on.

B.
 I-Poly Citizen: This year, I'm not going to procrastinate. I've honestly gotten better at not doing it these last few years and I'm going to make sure I don't kill myself this last year and I have time to enjoy life and be a senior. I'm going to make sure all of my senior project components are done and turned in on time, that I coach once a week, go to every practice and know I'm the only person to blame if anything falls through in my project. I'm going to keep a very open mind and a positive attitude about anything that gets thrown my way in the project or in cheer while also encouraging my peers to do so. This in turn will help me to become a better citizen of the I-Poly community.

Effective Communicator: This year I'm going to be more receptive to feedback and opinions on my senior project since, like I mentioned before, cheer is a group effort. Although I can give my opinion over and over again about this and about that, cheer is looked at differently from different people, and I'm going to use my team and my coaches and the kids I coach as much as I can to give the most consensual, unbiased, fact based answers for my senior project. These are the reasons I will become a more effective learner, especially since I struggle in this area.

Effective Learner: Since cheer is a team sport and we rely on each other all of the time, much like everything we do at I-Poly, I'm going to take advantage of the fact that my senior project is a solo project and I'm going to try to personalize it as much as possible. I'm also going to gain as much knowledge as I can from my coaches not only on a team-based level but as an independent cheerleader to ensure I can relay all the aspects of the sport to the best of my ability in my project. This is how I'm going use the distinctness of cheer and my personality in my senior project to be a more effective learner. 

Effective User of Technology: I plan to look up most of my research on the internet this year. Since there aren't many nonfiction books on cheerleading, and more specifically all star cheerleading, most of my research will be either from lectures, interviews, or internet articles. There's only one or two cheer magazines I know of. Since I'm going to be on the internet so much I plan on learning how to sift through research quickly and efficiently, being able to pull stuff that's useful and leave stuff that isn't. In addition, I'm going to have to learn how to customize my blog and use excel and many other computer programs to create spreadsheets and handouts for my senior project. This will make me a more effective user of technology.

Blog 1: Summer Mentorship Component

Literal (Know):

• Mentorship Hours Log
• Contact Info: 
• Address: 13928 E. Valley Blvd, City of Industry, 91746
• Gym Office Phone: (626) 333 1145
• Grace Contreras (gym owner): (626) 391 8788

Literal (Need to Know)

1. What is the most important thing to keep in mind while coaching?
2. What's the difference between coaching a senior level (age 10 +) and a youth level (under 10) team?
3. What are the best coaching methods for cheerleading specifically?
4. Do you need to be able to perform the skills you are teaching?
5. What is the best way to "reprimand" a team when they aren't treating a coach with respect?
6. What level of respect does an athlete need to have for their coach?
7. What makes a coach a coach? What makes a good coach a good coach?
8. What are bad coaching techniques?
9. Does an athlete who coaches a sport they also play act differently than an athlete who just plays it?
10. If an athlete also coaches a sport they play do they perform better in it?

Interpretive:

I believe that the most important thing I gained from coaching was finding out that you have to put into something what you want to get out of it. There are some days where you're just having a bad day and you're mad at everything and you have all this pent up anger. It's really hard to coach little kids and put up with them messing around and not paying attention on those kinds of days without blowing a fuse or taking your anger out on them. If you want to have a good practice you have to put into it what you want to get out. Having my athletes come up to me after practice and asking what days besides practice days I'll be there so they can come in and train makes me really happy. It's really a great feeling to see the girls come in on days off and work their butts off because they want to gain a skill. It makes me proud of them to know that they have that drive because I know they'll be like that during practice. My coach always says: "I'd rather have a kid who gives 110% every practice and doesn't have amazing skills than a kid who never tries at all but can throw a standing full." The more I am there for my athletes and the more I push them and encourage them the more they're going to try, until they're trying for themselves. The best accomplishment I, personally, as a coach can have is when one of my athletes gives everything they do their all because they have the desire to do it not because I'm forcing them too.

Applied:

In order for my hours to count (since my topic is on a sport) I had to coach cheerleading. I honestly am not 100% sure what aspect of cheerleading I want to do my senior project on, but I'm definitely not as against choosing coaching as I was before. Along with coaching I'm also on a cheer team so I got to experience it from both points of view. Cheerleading is made up of the combination of different types of skills into one routine so it's really hard to focus on just one aspect of it when cheerleading as a whole is every aspect of it. I do like the dancing and choreography part of cheer a bit more than everything else but that's because it's the thing I'm the best at. I want to talk to my team coaches and my fellow coaches a bit more before I decide exactly what I'm doing my project on but this experience definitely narrowed it down to more specifics and opened up a few more doors of opportunity for topics I wasn't considering before.