If you're hosting a football party, games can be a great source of half-time entertainment - and keep the laughs rolling until well after the final whistle has blown. Here are a couple of ideas to entertain the guests at your football party:
"Football Charades" Football Party Game
When it comes to football party games, you can't get much better than football charades. With this variant of the classic miming game, a set of cards with football-related words on them must be prepared prior to the party. Suggestions include 'cheerleader', 'spectator', 'hotdog', 'touchdown', 'quarterback', 'goal' and 'pass'. The first contestant must choose a card and act out the word shown, with the first person to correctly guess the word being the next one to choose a card.
"Football-tossing Competition" Football Party Game
This is a classic among football party games, especially after the beer has started flowing!! Using a hoop or a basket as a target, contestants must try and throw the football into or through the target. If players succeed at their first attempt, they must move further away from the target and try again. Once a player misses the target, they are out of the football party game. Make the game more challenging (and entertaining to watch!) by making players wear a blindfold or spin around 5 times before throwing the football. The winner of this football party game is the last player left standing.
When it comes to hosting a football party, games can be the difference between a good party and a great one. Whether their team wins or loses, almost everyone is guaranteed to have a great time.
When the New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady was eight years old, he found himself in the San Francisco Giants' locker room, where he asked Chili Davis, a star for the team at the time, for an autograph. Davis refused, but said, "Maybe later, kid, maybe if you come by after the game."
So the young Brandy stuck around, and after the game he re-approached his favorite player, only to be refused again with a "No, I'm not signing autographs after the game."
The effect stuck with Brady, both in terms of the disappointment it brought him and in Brady's future outlook on autographs when he found himself in similar situations.
"I certainly was hurt," Brady told Tuff Stuff magazine. "But at the same time, I was in the guy's clubhouse and now I look at it from a different perspective than I did when I was that age. At the time, though, it seemed like such a little request."
One would expect that walking into the Patriot's locker room and asking for autographs might be a fast way to get your butt kicked, but there are certain ways you can position yourself in the autograph-giver's radar.
First, you must have something to sign. Having a player sign you arm may seem like a fun idea at the time--and they may well oblige--but it's largely a pointless act since you're going to eventually wash it off. Here's a good rule of thumb: if you're not going straight to the tattoo parlor to have a tattoo artist trace the autograph, don't bother with body signing. Always carry a good-quality pen. What's the point of handing a player something to sign if you don't give him the means to do so?
Next, know who the heck you're talking to. If you can call him by name, or say something that shows you have taken an interest in him, he's going to look at you more sympathetically than some fan with a Giant "P" painted on his beer gut.
The next important thing to remember is location, location, location. It is far easier to get a player to sign something from a front row seat than from a seat in the second balcony. If you do get a good seat and also get to the game early, you can try to talk to the players as they walk by. If you can get a guy in conversation for a while, you might just end up with a few players stopping by to chat.
Sometimes a player will star signing autographs and a crowd will quickly form. This is another reason to get there early. Fighting a crowd for signatures--or worse--being in your seat as dozens of people start crowding around you, is likely to get you more than annoyed.
If you can learn where the players enter into and out of the stadium, that's another great place to find them ready to sign, pose for photos, and shake hands. If they're not in a hurry, they're far more likely to stick around for a while.
There's also always the traditional way of getting an autograph: write away for it. Most team clubs will accept mail and forward it on to the player. When writing an athlete for an autograph, the same rules apply for any mailed autograph request:
* Always include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE).
* Enclose a photo and/or an index cards for the player to sign.
* Do not send food, money, or gifts.
* Always include a letter acknowledging the player and his accomplishments.
* Be patient.
Sending Fan Mail:
To send fan mail to a football player, simply write him at his team's address.
Most of us choose a dog for a pet because of the joy that can be shared between our dog and us. Simply stated, the dog finds a good home and attention; we find an unconditional friend and both find companionship. When we are sharing time with our four legged friend the result is pure joy between the two of us.
Usually when we are having a good time we find our dog close by and wanting to share in the joy of the moment. Our dog is an integral part of our daily lives and loves attention just as we do, whether "we" will admit it or not.
If we are sports fans, we want to somehow include our dog in the love of sports. The reasons we choose to do so are varied to say the least. Our dog is a part of our team and will never defect to the opposition because of a better offer. Our dog is always in a good mood and never complains about the score or a bad call; he or she just wants to share in the moment.
So why do we purchase sports related dog apparel and accessories? It's all about the joy of sharing a special bond with our loyal friend, because we are now a team just as in sports.
When our dog is outfitted with our favorite team's name and logo the extra attention received is always plentiful and definitely appreciated by both our friend and us. Have you ever seen anyone shun a dog because they have an opposing team's attire? Aside from the attention received, dog apparel can help keep our canine friend more comfortable during cold or inclement weather.
Our dog doesn't care if our favorite sport pertains to NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, college, NASCAR or any other sport, just as long as she or he is part of "the special team".
So what we find here is another interesting way to share a bond with mans best friend. The bond can be shared during quiet times, active times or just about any time. Our canine friend just enjoys and appreciates the attention, companionship and joy that the moment offers, regardless of the method or particular time set aside for it.
Here is to the pursuit of happiness, the happiness of pursuit, or both, depending on how the dogs look at it!
Go Team!
Author: Jim Roland
Who doesn't love watching athletes making mistakes? The media holds them up as gods and goddesses immaculate in their ways and the more fervent fans literally worship the sneakers they walk in. Some fans take sports too seriously. Other fans watch sports to catch those moments where the athletes are seriously embarrassed.
You can keep your mundane bloopers where the ball bounces of the head of the outfielder or the receiver tumbles into the opposing side's coach. The bloopers that can be truly harrowing to the athlete are the ones where flesh is shone. The sports nudity bloopers are the most embarrassing form of messing up on the field and each rare moment in which it happens takes egos down several pegs.
The events most likely to produce some sports nudity bloopers are the most physical and intense until something pops out. Men's soccer has a high probability of revealing more than the black and white checkered balls. Although a game played primarily with the feet, soccer players and not afraid to swing an elbow or grab a handful of shirt in order to seize the ball. Players soon hit the turf and start reaching around for anything on the way down, usually the shorts of the opposing player who while winning the ball pays for it in pride.
Another event infamous for its sports nudity bloopers is the one that claims to be the most manly: rodeo. The self-proclaimed cowboys tie themselves to a horse or bull for some eight seconds, get thrown off, and then have the nerve to talk trash about every other sport out there. Rodeo is the deadliest sport around because the whole idea is to survive several seconds tied to a one ton animal trying everything it can to drive a hoof through your face or a horn through your stomach. When errant horns or a horse's teeth start ripping clothes, there is no doubt that you have to be nuts to get into rodeo, but you also risk showing the world that not everything is big in Texas.
Women try hardest to maintain grace in sports by wearing sports bras and shorts. The extra support makes the inevitable slip all the more degrading when it happens. Women sweat through their pants in tennis and reveal a lot in gymnastics, but what if you want to see what's hidden behind the over-engineered, space-age material? Any sport with grappling such as mixed martial arts, judo, and wrestling have a high chance of a shirt getting pulled to the side and something popping out. If you're aiming to catch a flash, then cheerleading is where to look.
Cheerleaders are notorious for tantalizing the audience. Some teams go so far as to demand members remove their pants before hitting the field and show a bit more than spirit. You might think that wouldn't count as one of sports nudity bloopers, but I assure you those girls are coerced by peer and coach alike. Shameful and therefore funny.
College sports apparel is available on various websites today, and so interested fans can buy them from there instead of hunting for them in stores. You could be an avid basketball, baseball, cricket or hockey fan, and can be assured that you will find your team related products and apparels on the Internet. The past couple of decades has seen a sudden spurt in fans reactions to various sports and the NCAA also is part of the list. There are matches that draw huge crowds, some of whom have planned for this game weeks or months in advance. If a game is not very popular, then the college sport apparel marketed in stores is a good way of promoting the sport and grabbing attention. The team jerseys, caps, and belts are usually what fans enjoy picking up and owning. Some fans buy these before a match and come wearing the same to cheer their favorite teams. If you are looking for a hat with logo, or a collared polo T shirt with your college team colors, or maybe a jersey that sport your favorite players number, you are bound to find them all on the websites.
Some of the websites also hold apparel featuring players of yesteryears, who are today sports legends. These are rare pieces that some ardent sports fan would do anything to get their hands on, and form part of collectibles. For a person to own an apparel featuring their favorite player is something to boast about or show off to their friends. There are some in colleges who have been known to swap jerseys or caps because their loyalties have changed or they have changed colleges. This is a common scene among college sports fans, apart from their crazy zeal to go watch every match live. No matter who your favorite NCAA team is, you can search for their accessories or clothes with their logo , you will find it.
Be it the Boston college apparel, or Arkansas state university apparel, you will find the one you are looking for in different sizes and shapes. Everything from college team jackets, sweatshirts, watches, wrist bands are available for every single college team. Apart from these, fancy college hats, polo necked T shirts are also stocked. Since they are regular piece of clothing but with a team colors or patterns on them, they have a higher value and make for good gifts especially to a person who is fond of that particular team. These college sports apparels if original could be a bit on expensive side, so one should watch out for fakes and then buy. Just like in sports good, there are originals and duplicates, here too there are many companies that make almost original looking college sports apparels. So make sure to check the quality of the product and the logo etc to ensure you are not getting conned. If its online, choose your team apparel and size, make the payment for it to get delivered home.
What's your favorite sports apparel?
Oh, come on, you probably have a lucky Yankees hat or maybe an LA jersey that is your absolute favorite. Most people do. It's pretty interesting to see all of the different sports apparel that is available today. It's also interesting to see all of the different types of people wearing them. What used to be a "man thing" has grown into a universal thing that has men, women, young, old and even babies donning sports apparel of all kinds.
People from Carolina to Los Angeles and everywhere in between are buying hats, jerseys, tee shirts and even sports related accessories. It seems everyone has a favorite team that they want to support. It doesn't even necessarily have to be their local team! Take a look around some day while walking down the street or in a local shop. Notice how many people have on at least ONE item that is sports related.
It isn't just the big league teams getting the attention either. You can find NCAA apparel everywhere now days. That is especially true in places like Florida, Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado and other places that have loyal fan bases.
The NFL has a huge following and believe me, there is sports apparel for their fans too! The most popular item for the NFL fanatics seems to be the jerseys. MLB; hats and jerseys are the most popular items. Oh, and of course there are the shoes. Reebok even has sports lines. Jackets are pretty popular too. There is no getting around it, sports apparel isn't going to fade as a fad anytime soon. In fact, by this time it's not a fad at all but more the norm. Sports apparel may well become the "What was worn" of the 1990's into the 2000's.
You know, kids could get a real geography lesson by just keeping up with the different states and names they see on the sports gear worn by those around them. Seattle, Minnesota, Carolina, Chicago, New York...and the list goes on. Who knows, sports apparel can be the next big teaching tool.
Prices vary on the different sports wear that is available but all in all, it is pretty reasonable. Depending on where you shop, of course! Stores try to keep their racks and shelves stacked with the most popular and you can usually find all of the teams at specialty sportswear shops.
Game days are interesting. Everyone dons their team apparel for game day regardless of whether they are going to the game or not. You can see babies with tiny team cheerleader outfits on or grand parents with their tee shirts or caps proudly displaying their team spirit. Of course, some areas have more than one team so the population is divided. Still, team spirit is team spirit! There doesn't seem to be much conflict though, as long as you are supporting one team or another. Of course that may not be the case when we are talking about, say, Boston and New York!
Wedge Blocking is what the Single Wing offense is famous for. This may appear like the most irregular form of blocking you will experience, but once you witness it in action, you will turn into a believer. You need to realize that it will appear different to instruct and most likely appear helter-skelter at first. It will take outstanding patience and assurance as you instruct this method to the group.
It will be a slow advancement, but as soon as it has been taught the right way, it will be a crushing artillery in your arsenal. Waste no time teaching this system and start teaching this as early as day one. Your team needs to understand how important the wedge series is to the team. You will be capable of gaining a large amount of yards, and even those vital short yardage downs.
This actually is not difficult to show, but make sure that it is taught right. All lineman have to press into the lineman adjacent to him and form an solid area, wedge or upside down V.
The goal is on the snap of the ball, all blockers need to move together and step straight forward and towards the inside together. If you are using zero line splits, it will be simple to seal shoulders with the player adjacent to them. The key is that all linemen move forward together in harmony. Once your line is as close together as they can get, they now need to move together as one. The group cannot allow any defender to break into the wedge. After the wedge is in place, the squad must practice staying together as one, while moving at equal speed. The purpose of the wedge to remain as one and keeping defenders out for as long as conceivable.
The best way to introduce the wedge is for a coach to stand with a dummy over the right side guard and make the players step, seal, and complete the wedge. After this action is perfected, then have the group move as one and try to knock the coach back down the field. Every player needs to step together, as one as they remain in the wedge. I define perfection as being able to execute the play, or in this case the drill for 10 perfect repetitions.
Opponents will attempt many different techniques to try and break up your wedge. One of the more popular techniques is to dive down at your lineman's knees. The best way to counter this move is to use high knees and step on their backs. Defenders will stop diving at your knees almost instantly when you start stepping on them. Another great counter move is to run one of the wedge fake plays. Fake plays can be extremely effective because the whole defense will be "selling out" in an attempt to stop the wedge. The speedy pass routes or delayed reverses work great. Both the Double Wing and Single Wing have complete wedge series. The wedge can be a wonderful series of plays at all age groups.
In order to help players the League may soon allow visiting teams the benefit of a helmet-to-helmet wireless communication system.
In most big ballgames, noise is good, and more noise is better. Cheerleaders, mascots and noisemakers like iNFLatable bat-shaped balloons are there to create a cacophony meant to raise the home team's spirits and deflate the visiting team.
More noise is better, except in the NFL.
Why? Many increasing penalties like offensive holding and false starts, stems from noise. A survey, led by the New York Times, found that more penalties, especially those for false starts, are called in domed stadiums, which are likely to be louder.
In order to help players the League may soon allow visiting teams the benefit of a helmet-to-helmet wireless communication system. Another idea consists in placing microphones in quarterbacks' helmets and speakers in the helmets of other offensive players so that play calls and snap counts can be heard despite the crowd noise.
Quarterbacks now already have earpieces that allow them to hear coaches, But the transmission is cut with 15 seconds left on the play clock.
Noise and NFL have always had a difficult relationship. The League already ruled in that matter by introducing a noise penalty in 1989. It allows the referee, at the quarterback's request, to warn the home team that the crowd was being disruptive. The referee can then grant the home team a timeout, or even call a five-yard penalty.
Do we have women soccer fans? Are men the only soccer fans?
Women, nowadays have learned to love and enjoy soccer games. Long ago, only men were known to be soccer fans. An increase in the number of female soccer fans have been significant following the emergence of women playing the game themselves. For some time now, women have proven their worth in the field. Some of the top women soccer players are: Marta Vieira da Silva of the Brazilian National Team; Julie Foudy of the US National Team, Brandi Chastain also of the US National Team and Tiffeny Milbrett, Abby Wambach, Kristine Lilly, Cindy Parlow, Briana Scurry, Shannon MacMillian and Joy Faucett all from the US National Team. These women have been recognized world wide and they have numerous fans that follow them on their career, both men and women.
Men had been known to be die hard soccer enthusiasts but not for long. Women have become one too. Women have even resorted to forming groups who meet once in a while to discuss about upcoming tournaments and leagues. They do have their own cheers and practice performing them during their meetings. Women have become very serious in fighting for their soccer teams. Online forums have become populated by women as well. Women fans would go online and discuss happenings on the recent leagues and tournaments. They would tell who they liked best and who they hated most. Women have become soccer enthusiasts by heart.
So, if you are a girl or a woman and think that the game is just for men; think again. Women soccer fans are everywhere; why not consider joining them and enjoy the game more.
Perhaps the groups that find the need to fundraise the most are school related such as sports teams, marching bands or PTA and PTO groups. With shrinking funds from the various school systems nationwide, such groups find their funds being cut and having to look at various outside fundraising sources.
While watching the 11 o'clock news last night (June 15, 2005), I was sad to learn that most of the extra curricular activities at a local high school (Fairhaven High School, Fairhaven, MA) had to be slashed to reduce a million dollar budget deficit in the school department budget. The report focused on the funding still in place for the football team yet the cheerleader budget has been completely eliminated. Imagine football fans not being driven to a cheering frenzy due to "no money to support a cheerleader team".
But the story is far from over. The news report continued that next year, each football player would have to pay in order to play. This is not a new concept. Marching bands, for example, have been making their band members "pay to play" for years.
This is where having a profitable fundraiser comes in. Players or club members can defray a portion (or the entire amount) of "pay to play" by actively participating in fundraising. Some groups have refined their "pay to play" accounting programs so that players or group members can access their individual accounts over the internet.
The PlusFundraising website offers fundraising links to 1,000's of fundraising companies. It is "one stop shopping" containing `1,000's of ideas to generate vital funds to keep sports, music or group programs alive.
So when your neighbor's little girl comes knocking at your door asking you to buy a candy bar to help her cheerleading team or when your teenage son is asked to sell discount pizza cards for his football team, you now understand why their groups' survival depends on your $5 or $10 purchase.
PlusFundraising.com offers 1,000's of fundraising ideas.
Dallas, Texas is known as a typical southern town with a lot of southern belles and good ole boys that love their hometown and are proud to often use the term, everything is bigger in Texas. Texans love their sports and the city of Dallas has a great selection of professional sports to watch including the Dallas Cowboys football team, the Dallas Mavericks NBA team, The Dallas Stars hockey team and the FC Dallas soccer team says a Frisco lawyer. Because there are no major college sports teams in the Dallas city limits, their professional teams have huge fan bases, especially the Dallas Cowboys as football is king in Texas according to a Frisco attorney.
The Dallas Cowboys have often been referred to as "America's Team" and have won five Super Bowl championships. They currently play in the newly constructed Cowboy Stadium that was completed in 2009 and is located in Arlington which is just outside of Dallas. Because of their enormous fan loyalty, they have had the most sell out crowds out of any NFL team and were said to be the wealthiest NFL team with the largest revenue earnings by Forbes magazine. Their greatest rival is the Washington Redskins and Sports Illustrated wrote that this is one of the greatest rivals in football history. Some of the greatest past players for the Cowboys have been Roger Staubach, Michael Irvin, and Troy Aiken just to name a few. Their cheerleaders also are the most recognized and popular cheerleading squads in the NFL with their famous short shorts and white cowgirl boots.
For basketball fans, the fans can go to see the Dallas Mavericks play at Reunion Arena. They are a fairly new team as the former NBA team in the Dallas area was the Dallas Chaparrals who later become the San Antonio Spurs. The Mavericks got their start in 1980 under first head coach Dick Motta. Some of the best known players for the Mavericks have been Jay Vincent, Derek Harper and Tim Hardaway. Current player Jason Kidd has the largest fan base.
Also sharing the space at Reunion Arena is the National hockey League team of the Dallas Stars. The team started in 1967 as the Minnesota North Stars and moved to Dallas in 1993 where they modified the name to just the Stars. They have had a solid playing record earning the President's Cup two times which is given to the team with the best overall record. They also won the coveted Stanley Cup championship in 2005 against the Buffalo Sabres in front of a sell out crowd in their hometown rink.
The final professional team in Dallas is called FC Dallas and is the Major League Soccer team there. Their full name is Football Club Dallas and is based in Frisco, which is a suburb of Dallas and were formerly known as the Dallas Burn that got their start in 1996. They play in Pizza Hut Park which a newly built stadium made just for soccer and holds over 20,000 fans.
Whenever you go to a sporting event, no matter what sport or level, fans love to cheer for their favorite teams. This has been so as long as sporting events have taken place, but organized cheering (or cheerleading) dates back to 1898. Thomas Peebles brought cheering to the University of Minnesota from Princeton University, but student Johnny Campbell took it on and led the crowd in the organized cheer of "Rah, Rah, Rah! Sku-u-mar! Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah! Varsity! Varsity! Minn-e-so-tah!" His leading of the cheers at the game merited a write up in the November 12, 1898 edition of the "Ariel" stating that Campbell and the others leading the crowd in cheers would "see to it that everybody leaves the park today breathless and voiceless." Shortly after this game, an organized squad was formed at the University of Minnesota that consisted of six male students.
At the turn of the century, cheerleading as an organized activity or sport began to expand. By 1903 the first cheerleading fraternity, Gamma Sigma, was formed. In the 1920's women began to become active in cheerleading, because until about 1923 cheerleaders were only males. When women joined the ranks of cheerleaders, items like megaphones and acrobatic or gymnastic moves were added to the routines. The pom-pom (what some might consider the ultimate symbol of a cheerleader) was invented by Fred Gastoff in 1965.
The National Cheerleaders Association (or NCA) was formed in 1948 by Lawrence "Herkie" Herkimer, a former cheerleader for Southern Methodist University. He formed this association to hold clinics for cheerleaders, and the first clinic (held in 1949) consisted of 52 female participants. He also formed the Cheerleading Supply Company in 1953, which retailed skirts and sweaters for cheerleading teams and groups.
During the 1970's cheerleading gained a boost - a very glamorous boost - when the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders became a recognized group with the trademark revealing blue and white uniforms and stylish dance moves. Professional football teams weren't the only ones with cheerleading squads - other sports such as basketball, baseball and hockey caught on to the popularity of cheering and created their own cheerleading squads for themselves.
In 1978 the first Collegiate Cheerleading Championship was aired on television on CBS, as competition among cheerleading squads began to grow. In the 1980's the cable sports network ESPN began to air the National High School Cheerleading Competition. As the popularity and love of the activity grew, so did the difficulty and complexity of the routines. Along with the increase in degree of difficulty of the routines came concerns for the safety of the participants. Most cheerleading organizations have adopted universal safety standards to help ensure the safety of the participants and decrease the number of injuries sustained.
In today's society, cheerleading is a big part of the American culture. There are movies that have made the sport of cheerleading popular (such as the Bring it On series of movies). Reality television programs have featured cheerleaders ("Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Making the Team" and the WE television reality program" Cheerleader Nation"). Serious fans can find video games about cheerleading for the Nintendo and Wii entertainment systems. Many of today's most popular figures were former cheerleaders - including President George W. Bush, Madonna, Paula Abdul and Vanna White.
Cheerleading remains very popular, with thousands of young men and women attending camps and clinics to learn the latest cheerleading routines and skills. There are estimates that 97% of the people involved in organized cheerleading today are female, but at the collegiate level the participation level for men and women is equal.
Cheerleading uniforms can present a challenge when trying to keep them clean during football, basketball and soccer seasons. While they can usually be worn for one or two games, they need cleaning after lots of rigorous activity, especially when the uniforms are primarily white or have white trim. If not laundered properly, they can melt, snag, run or discolor.
Here are a few do's and don'ts to make sure your uniform makes it through the cheerleading season uninjured:
-Don't use dry-cleaners. This causes material to stiffen, fade and bubble. It also takes on a yellowish hue, which is very noticeable next to an unblemished uniform.
-The first time you launder it, wash each garment separately in a cold tub of water. Rinse thoroughly in cool water.
-Cheer and Tide laundry detergents are the most popular for colorfast clothing. Use these for regular washing to make sure colors don't bleed or fade. These detergents also gets the dirt and odors out, including rings around the wrists and collar.
-Avoid fabric softener, which sets stains and dirt, making it difficult to get the uniform clean.
-If quality detergent is unavailable, soak your uniform in cold water for at least an hour to make it wearable in between washings.
-Be sure to remove items promptly from the washing machine to avoid excess wrinkles.
-Hang up uniform pieces to dry thoroughly using a plastic or molded hanger. Clothespins and wire hangers can make creases and misshape the fabric.
-Don't put your uniform in the clothes dryer. This will round out pleats and may leave bubbles from the heat.
-Don't use a warm iron. This melts the material or leave discolored marks. If you do have excess wrinkles, you can use a stand up power steamer. Because the heat is not as high as an at home iron, it will not scorch the material.
Uniform care for stains can be tricky. Follow these guidelines for best results:
-Don't use bleach. This strips the color, leaves ugly spots and damages the fabric. White uniforms do not get whiter, they turn yellow.
-Use color-safe bleach alternative or an oxygen-based all-fabric bleach to get out tough stains.
-Soak the garments in cold water before laundering.
-Rub a little detergent into the stained area. Let it stand for a few minutes before laundering as usual.
Cheer Bows has a very important place in the game of cheerleading. You can see every cheerleader with their own custom cheer bows during cheerleading tournaments. One can't ignore the vibrant looking cheerleading ribbons because they are designed to attract people and provide them an easy means of identifying their favorite cheerleader.
Cheerleaders are very enthusiastic by nature. They are amongst the most fun loving and always smiling faces on the grounds during cheerleading tournaments. Attractive cheer bows even increases their charm and attraction in front of audiences. They form an integral part of cheerleading costumes. Even very attractive costume looks incomplete without a pair of lovely cheerleading ribbons.
Buying cheerleading ribbons are a very sensitive task performed by individual cheerleaders of cheerleading teams. During competition, all cheerleaders in a team wear same designs to maintain a uniform look. Before ordering they take several measures in contrast like looks, quality, color and style. Due to importance of cheerleading ribbons manufacturers take extra care in maintaining the style, color and quality without compromising with the fashion statement created by them.
Cheerleading is a happening game, that is aimed to increase the charm of audience for the game and if held as supporting element of other sports like baseball, soccer, or football, it acts as a means of added entertainment of audience. Here it is very important to look attractive for cheerleaders so that they can draw maximum attention of all audiences.
Cheer bows plays an important role in making cheerleaders more attractive. There are numerous manufacturers engaged in providing the most attractive ribbons to different cheerleading teams. They are producing it in different colors and styles. Nowadays flip, layout, tuck and double cupie are among popular styles. They are coming in different print styles like dots, strips, check, glitz, double glitz and even colorful plane.
One thing is sure, that cheer bows are one of the most important elements of cheerleading game. It has its importance from attraction as well as usability point of view, and one cannot deny this fact. To cater the need of attractive cheer bows and to increase their customer base all manufacturers have to implement strict rules for manufacturing vibrant and distinct styles of cheer bows.
The Havahart Wireless dog fence is the newest entry into the wireless dog fence market. The Havahart base station goes inside your house and uses WiFi to create a circular wirelessly boundary around your home. The receiver collar fits around the dogs neck and communicates with the base station. When the dog gets too far from the base station the collar beeps to warn the dog to retreat, and then corrects the dog with a static shock if the dog ignores the warning.
The Havahart does things a little differently, using a bigger antenna built into the dog collar. The base station also is a little smarter using better error correction and predictive algorithms to better keep tabs on the dog.
This different approach gives the Havahart Wireless makes a few improvements over existing wireless dog fences. First the range on the Havahart is expanded to 400 feet, more than double other systems. Second, the system is most accurate with boundary locations moving about half as much as other systems. Finally, the Havahart is more responsive than systems, warning the dog and correcting the dog in a more timely manner.
The Havahart does have a few disadvantages over other wireless fences. The collar is bigger and bulkier than most. It also has a clunky rubber collar - the downside of integrating the antenna into the collar. Note however that despite the size, the collar is a similar weight to other wireless systems. And like all wireless fences the collar can be slower to respond and less exact that a wired dog fence.
When all the craziness of World Cup keeps going, our men, husbands and boyfriends stick like glue to their TV sets. Then, what should women do during this crazy and hot summer? Stay alone and weep? Of course not! Today, World Cup is not just the privileged crazy time for men, but also a big fashion show for women. Look at those female fans in the stadium; they make efforts to show their beauty and craziness to the public. Sexy bikinis, colorful paint, distinctive goggles, and printed tight underwear create beautiful and astounding scenery in the stadium, attracting both players and spectators.
These beautiful and sexy female fans and cheerleaders have become as important to the World Cup as soccer itself. To show their love for their teams and their beauty as well, they pay especially great attention to their underwear decoration.
The most common style of underwear is one with national flag on it. It clearly shows their love and support for the team. Similarly, some fans wear underwear printed with names or signs of their country. Another popular underwear style is one that featured with football shape and color.
The hot underwear brings their owners more than enough attention and praise. Female fans play a more remarkable role than male fans. They bring extra entertainment and delight for the World Cup and audience this summer. And I finally know why the World Cup always chooses warm weather as its play time. It's the best time for beauty show!
In this fast-paced era where ever-busy parents find it really difficult to spend lot of time with children and entertain them, pets are great companions who can keep your child engaged tirelessly for long hours. Pets teach children about compassion toward other being.
Dogs have been domesticated for centuries together; hence many breeds are quite friendly with humans. However, parents should be careful while choosing the breed depending upon the age of the children. For example, large dog breeds like Mastiff or Great Dane are not suitable if you have infants or very small children at home. Similarly, very small breeds like Shitzu, Pekinese or Chihuahuas may find it difficult to cope up with hyperactive kids.
Some of the recommended dog breeds are as follows:
• Collies are suitable for almost all age groups. They are friendly and can be groomed easily.
• Golden retrievers are very gentle with children and are tolerant to all their naughty antics.
• Beagles are one of the most social breeds but they do not like to be disturbed when they have their food.
• Poodles are loving, loyal and trustworthy breeds as long as they are not mishandled.
• Newfoundland breed is suitable for children regardless of their age. These dogs are tolerant and protective about their owners.
• St. Bernard is advisable for older children due to its large size. However, they are gentle and extremely protective if well trained.
• Basset Hounds are gentle dogs who get along really well with children who know how to handle them well.
If you've been asked to write a letter to help with fundraising for a group or charity that you're involved with, you may be staring at a blank piece of paper wondering just what to write.
Here's an actual letter that was used to raise a substantial sum towards a refit of church equipment and was sent to local trusts and grant-making bodies.
It's important to keep your letter to just one page, with supporting information of no more than two pages. Include one photo if you wish and if it's relevant.
Don't resort to begging, but write an informative letter which helps the donor to understand what your projects aims and goals are.
Although this is an actual letter, names and information has been changed, for obvious reasons.
Dear Mr Bentley
I am writing to Bentley Charity Trust on behalf of Finedown Baptist Church, as your guidelines indicate that you offer support for churches.
Finedown is a rapidly growing town situated in central Flintshire. It has a thriving business centre, with some of the top financial companies in the country being based locally.
We have a thriving youth group for local young people. We have a 68 members and offer services in both the morning and evening.
The church building is used by a number of different local groups because of its good acoustics, this includes the Watley Moor singers and the Big Down band. We also host activities such as yoga, fitness club and local coffee mornings for the local community.
We refitted our entrance seven years ago. However, the entrance doors are now in need of substantial repair if we are to be able to continue using them and welcoming in the community. The estimated cost of this work is £9995.
We have already raised the sum of £7900 through our fundraising efforts but need a further £2095 to be able to carry out the necessary work.
As a Trust that is interested in supporting and preserving buildings which are of value to the local community, we would be most grateful if you could consider assisting us with this project.
Please feel free to call me on 1234 678910 if you would like any further information.
Yours faithfully,
Jen Carter
Chair of the Fundraising Committee
Do ensure that you print this on headed paper, if you have it.
It's important that it's signed by the person whose name is on the bottom of the letter, this is not the time to be in a hurry and "pp" the letter on someone elses behalf.
If you would like an acknowledgement that your application for funding has been received, add a stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope.
Only send off letter to trusts that offer funding in your area and your type of project.
Once you've sent off your applications, be patient! Most of these boards only meet every two or three months, so it may be some time until you hear whether or not you've been successful.
If you are offered a grant, always write and say thank you. Write again once the project is up and running to let them know of your progress.
When couples are trying to decide what to be for Halloween. The decision is usually left up to the female. The only problem is the female wants to be something funny and cute that says were a couple and the man well he's a man. So getting them into the costume the woman chooses for him may not be so easy.
But here are a few great ideas and ways you can get your man to wear that Halloween costume. Your best chance to get this done is to compromise a little bit and choose something that is more manly. One great idea would be for you to go as a wench and for him to be your pirate. This way you can dress in hot and sexy dress and boustie and well him . Argh what man would want to be a pirate.
Another great idea is to go as a saloon girl and him to go as a cowboy. This way you can wear cowboy shirt and jeans. Along with six shooter and manly cowboy hat and you can dress as a hot slutty saloon girl, wearing high heeled boots, a knee-high dress and a sexy slip underneath.
More great ways to show your a couple is you can go dressed up as a sexy lion, and he could be your lion tamer with a whip. You don't think that would get him excited, one the most important things When you're trying to come up for a costume ideas for couples is to remember that being cute is great, and stupid well is stupid. And you don't want to make your man feel that way .
If you prefer, there is a more traditional costumes such as Jack and Jill. You can really get into it by having both of you carry pails and writing Jack and Jill on the back of each other shirts. Jack can go with a broken crown and Jill you can wear some short shirts ant tie your shirt in front. And then really dress it up by having tons of blood pouring from Jack head, and Jill should be all bruised up from tumbling down after him.
Just remember for him nothing really too fussy, and something that fits them comfortably. If you do this. You can even use the staples such as a Playboy bunny and Hef, a French maid, and his Butler or even a Football player and a hot high school cheerleader.
As long as he feels a little manly in his costume when you're not standing right by his side you should have no problem getting them into something cute and funny. Good Luck
"No!" The sound of my own voice yelling brought me out of the nightmare. I pushed the covers off and sat on the side of the bed.
"Are you okay?" my husband asked as he rushed into the bedroom. "That dream again?"
Shivers caused goose bumps to rise on my skin. "Yes, the same dream. I can't go to sleep without dreaming about her stuffed on the floorboard of a car." The "she" I dreamed about night after night for nearly a week was our two-year-old granddaughter: stuffed on the floorboard of some car, her little face so pale, a blue ring around her mouth. I had to get her, had to save my baby. Always the dream ended when I woke in fear, trembling, crying, and filled with dread.
"Look, you notified her parents, and they will take special care. Everyone knows about your 'feelings'." Robert rubbed my back, soothing me.
Yes, everyone in the family knew about my "feelings." They knew that I sensed when something was wrong, often having dreams about "things." This time the same dream occurred over and over since Sunday night. I couldn't sleep for more than an hour or two. I needed rest. I stared at the clock.
"It's just 9:30," I mused aloud. "I slept less than thirty minutes."
"You need to sleep. You can't go on like this and keep up with your classes." Robert voiced the same thoughts I had. "Why don't you call the doctor in the morning and see if he will get you something to help you sleep?"
"You know the doctor's office closes at noon on Fridays. I can't get to the phone until after that." I sighed. "I'll just manage some way." I stood. "I may as well find something to do. I guess I could work some more on my lesson plans." I gave a humorless laugh. "I've already finished them through this semester. I've never been so organized before."
After working several hours on lesson plans for the six classes I taught, I couldn't hold my eyes open. Glancing at my watch, I noticed the time was 2:15. I made my way back to bed, where now Robert slept. I crawled in beside him, fell asleep almost immediately, and didn't dream.
I overslept and had to rush to get ready to leave for school. Robert honked the bus horn as I grabbed my bag and hurried from the house. He drove a bus, picking up students at the school where I taught and at another town before transporting them to the vocational technical school in a third town. The district allowed him to drive the bus home, and I rode with him home and back to school the next morning.
I arrived at school to find teachers talking about a girl who had gone missing the night before. Apparently she was to meet her father in the parking lot after a junior high football game, but she never showed. The superintendent walked in the teacher's lounge and handed me a slip of paper.
"I was asked to give you this as soon as you arrived. Your brother said it's very important," Mr. Tomlinson told me.
I glanced at the note, "Have you seen J.J.? She disappeared last night." Suddenly I knew who I had dreamed about. My granddaughter and J.J. resembled each other, and a photo of J.J. when she was two could be one of Macayla now. I had been concerned about the wrong little girl.
By that night, every news program, every newspaper screamed the message: Twelve-year-old Cheerleader's Body Found. A recently released sex offender had been arrested, but too late to save a bright, beautiful young girl. She had been kidnaped, tortured, molested, and strangled. Jenipher J. Gilbert died about 2:10 that Friday morning.
Sometimes I hate these "feelings" I have. I really don't want to know.
An activity to cheer at sports teams, games or any other competitive performances using dance or gymnastics as an element is called cheerleading. The participants in cheerleading activities are called cheerleaders. Cheerleading summer camps are designed to develop cheerleading skills and teaching them new techniques of cheerleading.
Cheerleading camps have a day packed with instructions and practice for their participants. Teams are termed as squads. These squads are encouraged to participate as a team and learn new cheering techniques. Practice sessions are conducted to evaluate their performances based on the training sessions. Squads are evaluated on their performance on the final day when a cheerleading competition is organized.
Campers are given written evaluations. These ratings lay stress on the achievements and areas of improvement. Two aspects are taken into consideration while evaluating. One is the leadership quality of the cheerleader to involve the crowd in the activity and the second is the technique used in cheerleading.
Cheerleading techniques include cheer chanting, tumbling and stunting. Chants are usually a repetitive process that involves group participation.
These camps are usually day camps and participants need to bring along snacks with them. If it is an all-inclusive camp then it might be a little more expensive than one that doesn?t supply as many additional services Most of these camps also do a show or presentation for the parents towards the end of the camp to exhibit the skills acquired by the cheerleaders during these camps.
Before enrolling for these camps it is necessary to see if the camps are safe. Cheerleading stunts could involve gymnastics, stunts or other such techniques. The coaches should be professionally qualified. They should be able to deal with emergencies and ensure the safety of the participants.
In America cheerleading is very popular-- especially at football and basketball matches. Cheerleading is a spectacular event off the grounds by itself. There are some squads that have become as popular as the sports stars themselves, although the cheerleaders are present to mainly motivate the team and fans.
You are a young or inexperienced youth soccer coach, and you have a bunch of excited and excitable parents who are yelling at their kids or who are simoply eager to help. What do you say to them to get them on your side? How can we enlist them to be part of a great organization? If we don't manage their expectations and focus their energy we are missing a great opportunity or worse, running th risk of drama. Drama is not good for the team!
Don't worry! All will be well! Here is a technique I have used with great success: a Coach's Letter To Parents" which establishes firmly the expectations of parents, players and coaches for the season. You can easily adapt this to suit your own needs. It has worked like a charm for me. It's gratifying to see the parents using the right language of support and encouragement for their girls and it lets me focus on the job of coaching.
Here's the letter:
Memo for: Parents of ___________Girls soccer team for _________ Subject: My coaching goals, perspectives and intent
1. I will coach the U10Gs as a volunteer. I have a lifelong love of soccer, played on a really good club team for a couple years in college and am competent in building skills and managing practices/games. I've coached many of the girls on the team already through 2 outdoor and 1 futsal (indoor) season, with excellent results as measured by our Big 5 (see below).
2. My focus for the girls are the Big 5, and it's how we as a team will keep our focus and evaluate ourselves during and after every game:
1. Play hard
2. Have fun
3. Support your team
4. Love the game
5. Respect the other team and the referees
We are winners when we do that. I will keep asking them to express what these mean to them in their own words.
3. It's very important for you to be the parents of your girls, and let me be their coach. They thrive on knowing they have your unconditional love, admiration and enthusiasm, and letting me challenge them on the technical aspects of the game. The Big 5 would be an excellent set of discussion points with your girls to reinforce what's really important for them at this age.
4. My goals are to provide a supportive environment for the girls to grow strong character through healthy competition and to develop their individual and team skills in soccer. I want them to contribute to and value the strength of their team. We know that strong, positive, social groups are an important source of moral strength for our girls in the teen years.
5. My focus on the girls as players is to give them equal time to play, and to help each girl grow her skills each practice, game and week. We measure success by our effort, our attitude and how far we have come.
6. My relationship with parents has been very good and I appreciate your help in reinforcing the lessons above through positive language and good sportsmanship.
7. I strongly encourage you to be active with your daughter in between practices. Soccer is great fun and kicking the ball around is a great way to burn some calories and enjoy playing together. If you'd like to help at practice, we can make that work too.
Sincerely,
_______.
When you were in school you likely noticed that there were a number of your female classmates who wore cheerleading clothes most of the school year. Of course, probably not for fun, but because there was always a sport in need of cheerleaders. The colors on these clothes were always brilliant and cheerful looking. You could also see the most important item on their cheerleading clothes. This was the school's team emblem.
Although there are many sports that require cheerleaders, it is almost always true that the most significant event in schools is that of football. So many of the cheerleading teams are formed to promote these young men into giving their very best at football games - both at the school field and when they travel to other schools. So to stand out from the assorted people on the field, cheerleaders can be seen wearing cheerleading uniforms.
Also, it never seized to amaze me about football cheerleaders. It often times didn't matter if it was pouring down rain or small wind storm these girls and their uniforms stood up to the test. This leads me to my next notion, that is cheerleading clothes must be rough and rugged.
These cheerleading clothes are designed to withstand lots of wear and tear. For instance the young women would be doing cheer movements like a pyramid structure. At other times they will do handstands and cartwheels. As you see these are movements that involve using the whole body. Therefore their cheerleading clothes need to be supple and lightweight. They need to also be able to withstand rain and wind.
There are many different types of cheerleading clothes that are worn by cheerleaders. These outfits can be a short pleated skirt, briefs and close fitting top, a body hugging short sleeveless dress, bright colored top and shorts. The main characteristic of these cheerleading clothes is that they are short so that the legs have copious room to perform all of the cheer movements without being restricted. Also, that the tops are form fitting. This is to elevate them getting in the way of the movements of their cheers.
The other fact that is evident in these cheerleading clothes is that the school's squad and emblem are brilliantly emblazoned on the front of the clothes. Again, this is the to support the comradery. Some of the other pieces that generally go with the outfit are the other accessories such as pom poms, hair accessories and of course, sneakers that won't clash with their schools colors. As you can see part of the attraction that cheerleading holds for young women is these clothes.
There are many places where you can get cheerleading clothes, but you must check with your schools cheer instructor if the cheer uniform will be purchased by the school or if you should go about purchasing the outfit yourself. More often then not, the school does the purchasing of the uniforms. One of the major reasons for this is to have uniformity. One of the main concerns in cheerleading clothes is that the uniforms should not only fit comfortably but they must not look like another team or school's cheer costume. The schools cheer instructor usually has a pretty good hand on all this, that is why they have here in that role.
So, a few tips to remember are; form fitting tops, short skirts and briefs. This is for the freedom to be able to perform all their cheers. Also, mothers, remember part of the appeal of cheerleading clothes is that they let your daughter express her inner feelings in a safe, positive and comfortable environment.
Indiana residents have recently received a chance in a lifetime. The Indianapolis Colts have the Vince Lombardi Trophy on tour in Indiana. Some of the Indianapolis Colts cheerleaders and some very high security are traveling along side the trophy and are signing autographs.
Waiting lines were reported to be over 2 hours long, but many people were willing to wait for this chance in a lifetime opportunity. Most people realize that they will never have this chance again, and wanted to touch it and get their pictures taken with the trophy.
The Indianapolis Colts say that the Lombardi Trophy will have 50 stops to make all over the state of Indiana and some parts of Illinois and Kentucky, before it returns home to them. The Indianapolis Colts are very pleased to have this trophy and simply want to share the experience with the whole state.
Along with the Lombardi tour, there are Colts merchandise giveaways, Blue mascot autographs, photo frames with proceeds going to the United Way and as mentioned before, Colts cheerleader autographs.
The Indianapolis Colts will allow you to take one picture with the Lombardi trophy, and more pictures from a further distance. They have told fans to please get the picture taken and move on, due to the very long lines.
This Lombardi Trophy Tour just goes to show you how much the Indianapolis Colts appreciates their fans, and their glory. Their generosity has made it possible for thousands of Colts fans to fulfill a dream, and they will not be forgotten for it.
Strength Training Is Part of the Solution
Last year there were 30,000 incidents of cheerleading injuries in the U.S. severe enough to require emergency room visits and treatment. This is six times greater than in 1980. From 1982 to the spring of 2008 the number of catastrophic injuries (including two deaths) suffered by high school cheerleaders in this country was 73. This is the highest number attributed to any female athletic activity. Number 2 was gymnastics with NINE. Furthermore the NCAA reported that in the 2005 stats their insurance arm spent 25% of its liability claims budget on cheerleading injuries while spending 57% on football. The number of football players covered by the NCAA is 10 times greater than the number of cheerleaders.
Clearly there is a problem here and concerned parents should be involved in the proposed solutions.
There is general agreement that cheerleading has developed into an activity that is quite different than it was 30 years ago. The movements are more acrobatic and gymnastic in nature with many moves borrowed from the discipline known as handbalancing. Apparently the practitioners are more athletic, more daring and there is a considerable motive to remain competitive between schools what with cheerleading competitions becoming stand alone activities.
Because cheerleading is not recognized as a school sport in most states (Florida being a notable exception), there is less oversight provided by the school districts and consequently many of the sponsors are merely roll book carriers with little expertise in coaching an athletic activity. What little training is available is meager and insufficient. Cheerleaders performing tumbling movements should be supervised by adults with experience in spotting as is a prerequisite for coaching gymnastics.
Moreover the people running cheerleading programs have been advised by the football community that requiring safety equipment would indicate an assumption of danger and hence liability should any claims go to litigation. Subsequently there is no oversight procedure requiring the use of safety mats or spring loaded surfaces for either practices, performances or competitions.
In all of the proposed solutions I've encountered, nowhere is strength training mentioned as a part of the answer. This is not surprising since the topic never comes up in the female athletes' torn ACL discussions.
Much of what the modern day cheerleaders are performing is very similar to the ancient art of hand balancing in which one person (the top mounter) performs acrobatic or gymnastic maneuvers while being supported by another person (the understander). Circuses used to regularly feature hand balancing acts and in fact, Burt Lancaster was a circus hand balancer before becoming an actor. Practitioners of this art used to perform strength training exercises to improve their performances and to minimize injuries. Why should cheerleaders be any different?
Not only will properly designed strength training improve the durability of the muscles and connective tissues that would lessen the severity of an injury, it would delay the onset of fatigue. Muscular fatigue late in a performance or competition may well be the cause of miscues and non-support on the part of the bottoms that lead to injuries.
A couple of training session a week of power snatches, power cleans, presses and squats should be enough to significantly improve the performance and durability of cheerleaders and head off some of the injuries and lessen the severity of others.
The movement to minimize the danger of cheerleading must include all of the aforementioned factors. Official oversight, acceptable standards of technical proficiency, sophisticated adult instruction and supervision, appropriate safety equipment and well designed strength and conditioning all figure into raising the bar of safety standards.
I'm convinced that parent booster groups will have to be the ones that lead the way on this one by getting involved with school district administration, providing input on supervisory personnel, funding safety equipment and campaigning for inclusion of cheerleading into the strength and conditioning program. I know that most strength and conditioning coaches are probably overloaded as is, but there is a disproportionate injury rate in this activity and providing services might provide some leverage for increasing the strength and conditioning program.
As a society we believe in solving problems through litigation, legislation, diplomacy, administration, education, good intentions, psychology, financing and pharmacology. Injuries happen to tissues and their component cells and molecules. Strength and conditioning professionals can improve the tissues.
