Showcase Spotlight: JuST Cheer!
As family and friends filed into the bleachers, the young cheerleaders of Fairfield, NJ-based JuST Cheer All Stars waited patiently for their turn on the rented spring floor in the clean space of the local high school gymnasium. Outside the gym, the chilly December air permeated the hallway, where a handful of vendors had set up tables and were ready to sell everything from ribbons and JuST Cheer logo tees to pizza, sodas and snacks. The schedule for the day’s event was tight: “First Tinys, then Minis and levels building up to the fives,” says Karen Potucek, co-owner and president of JuST Cheer All Stars, noting that, for many of the athletes, it was their first time performing in front of a crowd.
Despite the jittery cheerleaders sitting cross-legged around the perimeter, this wasn’t a competition—it was simply JuST Cheer’s pre-season showcase. “We’d been doing showcases in one form or another for the past few years,” says Sean Sova, coach and co-owner. “But this was the first time we did one for the whole program in one day, and it was a great success.”
Showcases have all the elements of competition: a cheering crowd, nervous athletes and the desire to do well. It’s also a tool many gyms employ for marketing their facility and their athletes—not just locally, but also online. (For instance, Charlotte All-Stars showcase videos can be viewed on YouTube, and Woodlands Elite streams theirs on CheerLIVE.net.) According to Sova, the benefits are far-reaching, from engaging current athletes to recruiting new talent. “Our cheerleaders invite friends, some from other all-star programs or recreational cheer teams,” says Sova, adding that the showcase helps pique curiosity among these potential clients.
But putting on a showcase is a “considerable” effort, says Potucek. Because their gym doesn’t have bleachers, she and Sova had to make arrangements to use the high school gymnasium. It’s also expensive: JuST Cheer’s outlay included rental of a spring floor for $3,000 and the space for $2,000. To recoup costs, they charged admission of five dollars per head and sold food and gear on-site.
“We broke even,” Potucek says, but notes they could have saved money had they used the spring floor in their gym. Other money-saving initiatives require creativity and planning. For instance, Potucek says they’ve forged unique partnerships in the past, such as asking the high school hockey team for help. “JuST Cheer donated $300 to the team for their assistance,” she says. “That can help make a showcase relatively cheap.”
The use of social media also keeps costs down. “Social media has increased in our gym over the past few years,” says Sova, “and it has been invaluable.” For last year’s showcase, she and Sova sent out “Come See Us” information using Twitter and Facebook and asked parents and kids to do the same. Post-showcase, videos of the day’s event were viewable on YouTube and also distributed via email. “This is extremely helpful in improving routines and preparing [athletes] for upcoming practices,” says Sova. He adds that having the ability to watch showcase video afterward has been “the single most important tool we have to help correct poor technique.”
Showcasing is often also beneficial for family and friends. For many, it is the first time they can see their children perform because travel time and distance for competition can be a challenge for some parents. It also sets the kids up for competing: they experience the feeling of performing and become more comfortable in front of a crowd. “There are accolades, too, which builds confidence,” says Potucek. “I’ve had parents tell me there is no [more] ‘talking them off a cliff’ when it’s time to compete.”
The event is also open to the public. “We do get people from other gyms,” says Potucek. “They want to see what we’re doing or see their friends.” Yet Potucek and Sova agree this is not a negative: it serves to generate interest in JuST Cheer’s program. “We do get a couple of kids out of it,” adds Potucek, whether it is recreational program children looking to step it up as an all-star or cheerleaders from other gyms that like what they see. “They think it was fun and want to join,” he adds
Yet the main motivator for JuST Cheer is to “get the kids on the floor and get them experience,” says Potucek. Sova agrees, adding, “especially those athletes new to all-star cheerleading.”
–Cathleen Calkins