06/30/2009
National Council for Spirit Safety and Education
Debbie Bracewell, Executive Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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NCSSE - Safety Education For Cheer Coaches

The National Council for Spirit Safety and Education (NCSSE) has become the international source for quality education and certification for cheerleading coaches. This recognition has prompted a continuous growth and outreach crossing all borders by certifying over 12,000 coaches in cheerleading safety in just six years. Course manuals are now available in three languages. As a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching coaches of all levels the basics of safety as it relates to the athletic activity of cheerleading, the NCSSE continues to expand its influence internationally by offering safety certification to coaches in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and North America.

As Dr. Fred Mueller’s report, TWENTY-SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT: FALL 1982 – SPRING 2008, indicates, over the past 26 years a number of school cheerleaders have suffered catastrophic injuries or have died as a direct or indirect result of participating in cheerleading. While the spirit industry is working hard to reduce the number of injuries, it should be noted that school cheerleading is a unique athletic activity as it spans three to four seasons during a school year. Typically, cheerleaders are chosen during the spring and tryout the next spring. They practice, perform, and compete ten to twelve months a year. Comparing a ten-month activity injury rate to a three-month activity injury rate places the longer activity at a disadvantage. This is not a denial of the numbers—any catastrophic or serious injury is one too many—but it does alter the perception of the statistics.

The report also suggests guidelines for improving the safety of cheerleading at school. These guidelines are addressed in the NCSSE material.

* Cheerleaders should be trained and supervised by a qualified coach who is safety certified. This is the focus of the NCSSE. Four comprehensive courses cover all aspects of coaching—including stunting. From its inception the NCSSE has emphasized the importance of education and strongly encourages coaches to avail themselves of all quality coaching educational opportunities.
* Cheerleaders themselves should be exposed to proper training and conditioning and demonstrate mastery of the stunts. Many cheerleaders attend summer camps where they are trained in the appropriate skills, and coaches learn stunting skills at camps, state and national conferences, and through the NCSSE. The NCSSE encourages coaches to include proper conditioning, and, if not knowledgeable about conditioning, find qualified personnel to conduct the conditioning. From the beginning, the NCSSE has included stunting instructions in two of its four manuals and suggests using a Skill Check-off system which allows cheerleaders to prove their mastery of a skill before being allowed to perform it outside of practice.
* Coaches should have an emergency plan in place and know to deal with head trauma. The NCSSE coursework addresses devising emergency procedures for every place a squad practices, performs, and competes. The plans should be posted, practiced, and distributed to administrators, parents, and cheerleaders. Attention to head trauma and other serious injuries is also part of the NCSSE educational material. Coaches should know the signs of serious head trauma, know when and how to contact emergency medical personnel, and require a medical release before returning the cheerleader to practice.
* Cheerleading coaches should have some type of safety certification. Four comprehensive safety classes comprise the core curriculum of the NCSSE. Coaches should take all available workshops and coursework. Continuing education and professional development are key to keeping cheer coaches knowledgeable and safe.

Liz Rossetti, President and CEO of AmeriCheer, Inc., agrees that safety education can help reduce injuries, “With so much focus on the injuries in the spirit industry, NCSSE training offers coaches the perfect opportunity to provide a safe environment for their teams. NCSSE advances a coach’s knowledge and will continue to make cheerleading and dance even safer by providing coaches with current information on the best coaching practices.”

Lisa Saline, President of UPA agrees, “The NCSSE was developed specifically to provide safety education and training for cheerleaders and dancers. With Debbie Bracewell’s leadership and the collaboration of current NCSSE members, we have been able to certify thousands of coaches around the world.”

Dr. Mueller states, “Progress has been slow, but there has been an increased emphasis on cheerleading safety.” The spirit industry is working hard to reduce the number of injuries and to contribute to the education of cheer coaches. The NCSSE is proud to be a major component of cheerleading safety education; however, the safety organizations cannot do this alone. School administrators, gym owners, and coaches must do their part. Schools and gyms must hire qualified coaches and provide educational opportunities. Inexperienced coaches should be mentored, required to participate in safety classes written specifically for the cheer coach, and receive training in proper stunting procedures. Cheer coaches should seek training and participate in continuing coaches’ education and professional development opportunities. We all agree that any catastrophic injury is one too many. We all must make a concerted effort to continue making safety a top priority.

NCSSE is funded and supported by these companies in the cheerleading industry: AmeriCheer, British Cheerleading Association, Cheer Ltd. Inc., National Cheerleading Federation, National Spirit Alliance, and United Performing Association, Inc.

For more information please click on this link:  http://www.spiritsafety.com