2011 Playtex Sport Unstoppable Trip to Nationals $20,000 contest winner

12/18/2011- check out our winning video at www.go2nationals.playtexsport.com

$20,000 trip to nationals paid for by Playtex Sport!

2011 American School Spirit Award Winners

1st Place
Blackman High School- Murfreesboro, TN
At Blackman High School, the cheerleaders create a spirit of unity and togetherness. Each year they have a team goal setting conference where they set community service, school spirit, athletic, academic, and personal based goals. The impact the Blackman cheerleaders make in their community can be seen through the various service projects they volunteer their time for. 

One service project the Blackman High School cheerleaders lead was with the United Way of Rutherford Country. They helped raise over $12,000 and helped kickoff celebrations, pepped up runners in the Run United fundraising race, and celebrated with the community at the end of this successful fundraising campaign. The Blaze cheerleaders were also leaders among their school in the Rutherford County Canned Food Drive. This year, the squad donated over 1,500 cans! This equates to about two weeks of food for families in their community. 

The signature community project for the Blackman High School cheerleaders was the Blue Raider Cheer Clinic. During this week-long free cheer clinic, they introduced a diverse population of children to cheerleading. Working with their city's youth cheerleading program, the Blue Raider Youth Cheerleading Association, they offered the clinic to children who may not have been able to afford a summer clinic but were interested in cheerleading. Over fifty girls from their town participated and they hope to continue this program each year.

Academics are another strong part of being a Blackman cheerleader. With 24 squad members, they have an average GPA of 3.4. To boost importance of education in their community, they perform "academic pep rallies" at local elementary schools. Here they encourage students to read and do well in school during the fall, then return for a spring pep rally and help teachers and administrators reward students who performed well academically. 

These cheerleaders are incredible spirit raisers at Blackman High School. This fall they created a "Welcome Back Pep Rally" to begin the school year with excitement and show their Blackman pride. They also held a New Student Social to bridge the social gap of their increasingly large school. The cheerleaders played ice breakers, chatted with new students and made friends. The pep rallies at Blackman could be considered legendary. This year during football season, they had eight pep rallies including their 2nd annual "LET IT BURN" pep rally for the football game against their biggest rival. They also started a new tradition this football season with the Interlude Stadium Dance. The cheerleaders created this dance and taught it to everyone at their school and fans at games, and had over 2,000 people dancing together at one game! To raise spirit in the community, they did "hit and run" pep rallies for their most supportive businesses by showing up and having a pep rally right in the business! They played music, announced their appreciation over the intercom, and gave them a huge thank-you card. 

The Blackman cheerleaders make up the top all-around squad in the country through their community service, outstanding school athletic support, spirit raising activities, and academics. Congratulations on winning the American School Spirit Awards!

2010 American School Spirit Award

December 15, 2010

http://www.uca.varsity.com/10_assa_winners.aspx

2^nd Place
Blackman High School
Murfreesboro, TN
GPA: 3.4

“To truly understand what this team means to our school, you would only have to spend a few days here to realize it,” says Principal Gail Vick from Blackman High School. “The thing I cannot express (in writing) is not something you can state as an activity or action; it’s the feeling of unity and togetherness we have as a school that the cheerleaders have helped create.” Principal Vick said it perfectly: the Blackman High School cheerleaders truly exemplify the true spirit of cheerleading. From the astonishing amount of school spirit they spread to their stunning list of community service activities, and not to mention, their 3.4 GPA and outstanding list of academic achievements, this team is the perfect group of role models in their school and community.

In their book, they state: “We take Blackman pride to a whole other level,” and they said it well. This team’s spirit and dedication to their athletics is untouchable! Throughout the season, they show their appreciation to the most supportive businesses by surprising them with a “hit and run” pep rally. They enter the business with blazing music, signs and cheers, thanking them for their support throughout the season. As for their pep rallies, they have been called “legendary.” The highlight of the students’ week, the Blackman cheerleaders put on a serious show by encouraging all students to learn the words to the Alma Mater and even quizzing them on it; using skits, props, signs, banners, lights, and fog to get the show going; and even hosting blackout pep rallies and bonfire pep rallies. This year, a tradition was born when the cheerleaders introduced a pre-game “Pride Walk,” where they encouraged their student body and community to line the walkway from the field house to the field (over 100 yards). An ambitious goal they didn’t see possible, but with much spirit and encouragement, their goal was accomplished, and the football team never felt so loved!

Blaze Coach, Principal Discuss National Championship

By Doug Davis • This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

• February 15, 2010

     The Blackman High School Cheerleading squad won the National High School Cheerleading Championship for small varsity co-ed teams Saturday in Orlando.

Murfreesboro Post- July 17, 2009 

The Blackman football/competition cheerleaders volunteered 
for the 3rd annual rubber duck race to benefit the Rutherford 
County Child Advocacy Center.  The squad helped facilitate 
the live auction, organize supplies throughout the afternoon,
and clean up after the event was completed.  Over
8,000 rubber ducks were released into the Stones River, and floated their way to the finish line!  Nearly $30,000 was raised for the children of Rutherford County.

Football Player Chooses Cheerleading
Andrea Tatum - Varsity.com - April 2, 2009

Football or cheerleading? That’s the question long-time football player Stephen Collins faced last year when he was forced to choose between the two. Most 17-year-old guys would choose the obvious, but Stephen chose to be different, and even though his teammates, classmates, coaches, and teachers gave him a hard time for his decision, he ultimately chose cheerleading as his new favorite team.

From Mufreesboro, Tennessee, Stephen was always an athlet

e. He played baseball for five years, winning multiple championships and played basketball for his middle school team and helped to win a district, regional, and state title. But football was always his passion. When he entered Blackman High School as a freshman, his team went undefeated in the state’s toughest AAAAA football region and won the 2006 Lions Bowl, the freshmen equivalent of a state championship. As a sophomore, he started in the defensive end position and helped lead the team to their best finish in five years.

A year ago, Stephen decided to try cheerleading with two of his football teammates. His coach ignored their moonlighting on the cheerleading team for awhile, but finally refused to allow any of his players to cheer. He required that they choose one or the other. While the other two players sided with football, Stephen took on cheerleading as his full-time after school activity.

“It was hard cheering on the sidelines at my first game just feet away from the team I left,” explains Stephen. “The first pep rally was crazy – cheering on the football team instead of standing with them. Not to mention the fact that my decision was met with a lot of criticism. Some people were really disappointed in me.”

Negative reaction to Stephen’s choice came from students, teachers, and coaches. Many of them even thought he chose cheerleading as a joke. He received a lot of negative comments and even saw a lot of “spirit fingers” motioned at him in the hallways.

“They were just mad they didn’t have me on the football team anymore,” says Stephen. “As time passed, however their minds gradually changed. Now, some of those who were unsupportive will be trying out for cheerleading this spring.”

Stephen’s cheerleading coach, Courtney Gregory, is grateful for what Stephen has done for the cheerleading program. She says, “Stephen has really broken down barriers at our school in terms of male cheerleading. In the past, we have had to really go out and recruit guys to cheer for us, but this is the first year we find ourselves holding a tryout to choose between several. They see what Stephen d

oes at pep rallies and games and realize that the stereotype about male cheerleaders isn’t true.”

Aside from more guys joining the team, Courtney is moved by Stephen’s athletic power, positive tone, and the enthusiasm for learning he sets at practice each day.

“Stephen demands that we work hard and cut out all the stereotypical ‘drama’ that many squads face. He reminds us to take care of business,” Courtney explains. “His decision to cheer has been a constant reminder of why we work so hard every day to meet our goals. He wants to get better every day, and that inspires those around him to do the same.”

For Stephen, cheerleading has been a learning experience and one that proved to him he was not in as good shape as he thought he was. To a guy who thinks cheerleading is not as active and difficult as football he says, “Come and see me.”

“If a guy thought he was in really good football condition, I would throw him into a competition routine. Competition takes a whole level of endurance I hadn’t expected when I played football. I would also tell him how being a cheerleader will expose muscles he never thought he had, and that if he came to practice, he would have a different outlook on cheerleading completely. That’s what happened to me. One practice and I was hooked.”

The main focus for Stephen at this point is preparing to cheer in college. Currently a junior, he has received feedback and interest from many top teams in the college cheerleading, and he hopes he has his pick whe

n it comes to choosing a new cheerleading family.

Coach Courtney has complete faith in him. “He is a great cheerleader right now, but with another year of experience, he can be one of the best high school male cheerleaders in the country.”

“I plan to attend a Division I university and cheer for a small or large coed team,” says Stephen. “In addition, I would like to win a national championship, not only with my squad but also in partner stunting. These are two goals I have set for my future!”