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Kihei Charter Cheer Club

Madison Rawson

Senior Project
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Preface: For my senior project I am creating a cheer club with my partner Kayla Oshita. I have Commented [1]: Please share any feedback I give you
with Kayla, and please take a look at the feedback I
provided to her too.
always thought about doing a cheer club/team for Kihei Charter ever since Cariann did a cheer

team for her senior project when I was a freshman. I have always loved cheerleading since a

young age and have worked my hardest to do the best I could and succeed in cheerleading. I

have done it for years but recently stopped due to personal situations. Kayla and I came up with

this idea because we realized how fun it would be for the school and how we know many girls

that would love to do something like this. Cheerleading always have pushed me to work harder

and has always put me in a good mood and has bettered myself and I hope it does the same to the

girls that join our club/team.

Our plan for this project is to start as soon as our school opens which I do hope is sooner

than later. Once we start and recruit girls or boys to come we will start practices on Tuesdays and

Thursdays and on Mondays I will be holding an extra practice for girls who need any help. Kayla

is in charge of the fundraising and social media so we will brainstorming ideas for fundraisers

(bake sales, car washes, donations from shows) to raise money for uniforms (mostly for shirts,

bows, and shoes) and equipment for little stunts. Ms. Pepitone who is a teacher at Kihei Charter

will be our mentor for this project. I feel like this project is a necessity for Kihei Charter because

we don’t really have any sports for gymnastics or dance and cheer combines those. It’ll get

people active and hopefully make girls happy and wanting to work harder to succeed. Commented [2]: Good preface. I'm excited about this
project and wish you success!

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 Introduction

Driving Question: How can I create a fun and successful cheer club for Kihei Charter?

Project Goal: My project goal is to create this cheer club and keep it going on for years. My

goal is for every girl or boy on this club/team to be happy and to work hard in this club/team,

wanting to be successful. My goal is to set the club up for success with Kayla Oshita and to do

everything I say I will for the club. I hope to be a great leader/captain for this squad and to show

each and every person guidance throughout this year. My goal is to get all the supplies needed

for the club and for all fundraisers to be successful.

Key Content Knowledge: My project will cover everything anyone would need to know about

cheerleading. It will cover what I need to know about leading a cheer squad and how to manage

a team. Things I will need to know about is stunting, creating dances, creating music, and

leadership. I will also need to learn what types of equipment I may need for safety and uniforms

for the team. Learning and practicing everything I need to know about being a cheer captain is

key in this project. Commented [3]: I think one key piece you haven't
mentioned is to set up a meeting with Lauren Labat,
athletic director. My biggest practical concern for your
squad is safety. Before officially starting with anything
physical, we need to be sure ducks are in a row to
consider safety concerns. Mr. Stubbs also needs to be
kept in the loop and his approval needs to be sought.

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21st Century Skills: This project will cover many of the 21st Century Skills. One of the skills it

will mostly cover is Interpersonal Skills. Throughout this entire project I will be needing to work
with my cheer team to create a successful project and year for the team. I will be using

Communication Skills when I communicate with my team, my partner, Ms. Pepitone, and

anyone that I will need to communicate with to make this project successful. Self-Directional

Skills will also be used because I will have to manage the team and learn how to do everything

for this cheer team. I will be using Thinking and Problem Solving Skills whenever there is a

problem with the team and I will have to figure out solutions so everything runs smoothly. Commented [4]: This discussion could be developed
further.

Limitations: Some limitations I may have during this project are funding for uniforms and

equipment, school not opening soon enough, and people on club not committed. For uniforms

and equipment if we don’t fundraise enough money for those things it won’t be the biggest deal

but a little set back and unfortunate. If the school doesn’t open up soon or if the dates change on Commented [5]: There are several limitations not
discussed here. Also, you haven't discussed how you
will confront the limitations you have foreseen.
when it will open that will affect my timeline because I can’t start my project until the school is
First and foremost, SAFETY. Also, how far have you
gotten with Ms. Pepitone? Is she promising she will be
opened and my project won’t be started or finished in time. Also if people don’t commit to our there at every meeting? You need to have a meeting
with Mr. Stubbs and Ms. Labat, but it is my
club then it affects my project and could possibly make or break the project. understanding that when physical activity is part of a
student activity as you are proposing, you will need
qualified and committed adult supervision with you at
all times. As a former dancer myself, I LOVE your
project idea and want nothing more than to see it
succeed. But it will get halted in its tracks if safety
Methodology: I plan to turn in full documentation of my Kihei Charter Cheer Team project. I precautions are not in place.

plan to record my progress through pictures, videos, performances, and journal entries. As far as commitment, I really would consider having
try-outs and eliminating those people you don't think
will show up for the team. People's frequent
inattendance or flakiness is going to hurt all of you as a
team as choreography requires time to learn and
practice.

Three, fundraising. Be sure you are considering all

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a no-go from a safety/liability perspective.

Annotated Bibliography: If you want me to vouch for you and back you up in
meetings, please keep me in all communications with
Mr. Subbs and Ms. Labat and Ms.. Pepitone.
Name: Madison Rawson
Finally, as mentioned in your pitch, you might want to
Teacher: Ms. Terry consider a Plan B in case you can't get your ducks in a
row by the due date. Maybe you want to consider
Class: Senior Seminar organizing a single awesome routine for an assembly
performance, and/or Sara's exhibit and talent night...
Date: 3 September 2018

How can I create a fun and successful cheer team/club for Kihei Charter?

Sherman, Elisabeth. “Why Don't More People Consider Competitive Cheerleading a Sport?” The

Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 2 May 2017,

www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/05/why-dont-more-people-consider-

competitive-cheerleading-a-sport/524940/.

The main idea is about why cheer is a sport. It talks about how many people don’t see

cheer as a sport and how people treat girls and boys because they cheer. It’s about how

cheerleading is a very popular women's sport today and that someday it will be accepted as a

sport.

This is a very useful and reliable source. The author of this source, Elisabeth Sherman, is a

journalist that writes many reliable articles for many different issues. The information in this

source is biased because it is all facts. The target audience for this article is anyone that is

passionate about cheer or anyone talking about this debate of is cheer a sport.

I can use this source to backup my research driving question of Is Cheer A Sport? It talks about

what makes cheer a sport and that can help shape my main point of my research essay. I always

have thought cheer is a sport so this has just gave me more knowledge on why cheer is a sport.

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“Being a Cheerleader - Is Cheerleading a Sport?” Varsity.com, 14 Mar. 2018,

www.varsity.com/news/being-a-cheerleader-is-cheerleading-a-sport/.

The main idea of this article is about how cheerleading qualifies as a sport. It talks about

everything that people consider a sport to be and that cheerleading meets all the things that
consider a sport a sport. In the article it talks about be a cheerleader and what it’s like to not be

looked at as a athlete.

This source is a reliable and useful one that I can definitely use. Varsity Cheer wrote this article

and Varsity Cheer is one of the biggest cheer corporations in the world and talk about and deal

with cheer issues like these. Varsity Cheer would know lots about this issue knowing they are a

cheer corporation. This information is all biased because they are just explaining facts about

what people consider a sport to be. The target audience is anyone wanting to know if cheer is

considered a sport or not.

I can absolutely use this source in my research essay to backup my question of Is Cheer A Sport.

It talks about what people consider sports to be and how cheer follows all of those thing which

should consider cheer as a sport. Cheer has always been my favorite sport and I have always

considered it as a sport so this just backs up my thoughts on cheerleading.

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Romanucci & Blandin. “The Debate Surrounding Cheerleading As a Sport.” Rblaw.net, 5 Nov.

2012, rblaw.net/the-debate-surrounding-cheerleading-as-a-sport/.

The main point of this article is discussing the debate between cheerleading being classified as a

sport or not a sport. It talks about cheerleadings history, why cheer isn’t a national sport, and the
benefits of cheer being classified as a sport. It also has statistics of why cheerleading should be

nationally considered as a sport and main points on why it’s not.

This source a very reliable and useful source. This article includes statistics of how cheer has

been increasing each year since 1998 and has a bibliography at the end of the article containing

other reliable sources they used in the article. The target audience is people that want to settle the

issue of is cheerleading a sport or not.

This source would be a great source to use in my research essay. This article has valuable

information that would make my essay strong. It helps me shape the point of why cheer is a

sport. This source didn’t change the way I think about cheer.

Rawson, Rachell. Personal Source. missyrawson@ymail.com, 808-214-4158

Rachell Rawson was my cheer coach when I cheered for Kihei Dolphins. She was not only my

cheer coach but is my mother. She was a cheer coach for 3 years and knows a lot about

cheerleading and being a cheer coach. She can teach me about coaching, routines, and also good

ways to fundraise and all of this will be very helpful to my project. If I ever need help I can call

Rachell and she can give me advice and help me throughout this project.

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Los Banos, Cynthia. Personal Source. cyn.warrioreliteallstars@gmail.com, 808- 250-4739

Cynthia Los Banos or as I know her as Coach Cyn was my first coach and was my coach for 4-4

½ years. She taught me everything I know about cheerleading. She was the one that started my

love for cheering. Coach Cyn has created many cheer teams on Maui and has coached many as

well such as the Warrior Elite Allstars. She would be a very helpful and reliable source for my
project because of her experience in cheerleading. I can contact her with anything I need help

with in this project.

Wilson, Leslie. The Ultimate Guide to Cheerleading: for Cheerleaders and Coaches. Three

Rivers Press, 2003.

The main point of the book The Ultimate Guide to Cheerleading is about a mix of dedication,

strength, and talent. It's art and sport wrapped into one, and any courtside or competitive

performance is a result of practice, creativity, and a lot more practice. It has information from

routine choreography, stunts, cheers to starting your own team from scratch.

This article is very reliable and useful. It’s very useful because all the information on anything I

would need to know about cheerleading. The author, Leslie Wilson is a reliable author because

she has written many other books and was actually a cheerleader herself. The target audience is

anyone wanting to learn about cheerleading.

This source would make a great addition to my research essay. It has all the information I need to

backup my points and much more for me to use. I can also use this book in my project itself.

This book doesn’t change my opinion on cheerleading.

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Abdou, Nyier and ., directors. The Twinkles: Chasing Perfection. Top Documentary Films, 15

Aug. 2014, topdocumentaryfilms.com/twinkles-chasing-perfection/.

This source is a documentary about a cheer squad, The Twinkles. It’s about the girls that make

up the elite Twinkles team, ranging in age from 8 to 12, are the top of the youth cheerleaders in

the nation and are some of the most talented young athletes in the world. This documentary is all
about dedication and how these girls sacrifice it all and train with such determination and

tenacity, they rival the drive of most professional athletes.

This is a very reliable and useful source. This documentary shows what it means to be a

cheerleader and what they do to be the best. This is reliable because it’s about a real team that

goes through cheerleading everyday and is all facts. This would be a useful source in my essay

and project. The target audience for this documentary is for people who want to see what being a

cheerleader is like.

This source is going to be very helpful to me when I start the cheer squad. It will teach me what

it means to be a leader to a cheer squad. It will also be a good addition to my research essay. This

source has not changed my mind and has impacted me to make the best cheer squad I can this

year.

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Reed, Megan, director. Daytona Dreams: Inside the 2012 Oklahoma State Cheer Team. Vimeo,

2012, vimeo.com/channels/daytonadreams.

This source is another series/documentary of a cheer squad that works together and harder than

ever to make it to nationals. It shows everything these cheerleaders go through to accomplish

their goals. The Daytona Dreams don’t mess around when it comes to competition and this is

their journey.
This source is a reliable and useful source to my driving question. The author of this

documentary/series is a cheer coach herself so she is reliable. All the information talked about in

the series is objective knowing all the people in the series are cheerleaders or cheer experts. The

target audience is cheerleaders and people wanting to know what cheerleading squads are

actually like.

I can use the information presented in this documentary/series as learning about leading my team

and in my essay as evidence to why cheer is a sport. It helps shape my point of why cheer is a

sport by showing what cheerleaders go through to be the best team and how it’s a lot more work

than other sports. This documentary has not changed my point of view on cheerleading.

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Zoo, Jessica. Body Before Skill: Sports Performance for Cheerleading. Three Rivers Press, . 31

May 2016

The main idea of this book is all about the body. The Body Before Skills For Cheerleading book

covers almost anything you need to know about cheerleading. Body Before Skill is a reference

book for all coaches who want to dig into a deeper understanding of their sport and how to make

the most of their athlete's potential. It talks about coaching cheer as a sport, cheer coaching

development tips, cheerleading injury and prevention, strength and endurance, etc.
This source is very useful to me and is reliable. This source is useful because i’m basically

learning how to coach a cheer squad and this book is perfect for me. The author, Elise Wilson

was a coach herself and shares everything she learned while coaching plus facts she learned over

the years about cheer. The target audience is cheer coaches that need guidance.

I can use this information in my research essay to back up why cheer is a sport. I can also use

this book in my project to help me learn more about being a coach and to get a better

understanding of cheer. This book has changed my thinking about coaching my squad but has

changed my thinking in a good way.

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Chapell, Linda Rae.Coaching Cheerleading Successfully - 2nd Edition. 23 March, 2005

This book is about how to coach a cheer squad successfully. It’s so important to lead your squad

to be the most prepared, organized, enthusiastic, and cohesive group possible. Coaching

Cheerleading Successfully covers all the key elements to building and maintaining a top

supportive and competitive cheerleading program. It talks about techniques, choreographing

specific cheer components, planning and conducting practice sessions, and evaluating

performances.
This book is useful and reliable for my essay and project. This will back up many of my essays

points about why cheer is a sport and can help me with coaching. This whole book is reliable

because it all facts and was written by a cheerleader herself. The target audience for this book is

cheer coaches.

I can use this information in my coaching skills for my project and use it as information for my

essay. This will be useful in my essay by showing sharing information from the book to inform

people on why cheer is a sport. This has not changed my mind about cheer but has just given me

more knowledge on coaching.

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Resources and Activities

Resources/Materials: For this project to be successful I will need cheerleaders, practice space,

equipment (mats, etc.), and uniforms. I will also get help from my mother and mentor in seeing if

how I lead the team is working. This project doesn’t require a lot of materials or resources, just

commitment from the cheerleaders so this project can be successful.

Budget: This project isn’t really going to consist of a budget since we have very few things that

we are budgeting for. The few things we do want though are a bit expensive so we will have to

work hard to get them.

Materials Cost Total

Custom Cheer Tee Shirts $12.92x 20 $258.40

Hair Bows $5.00x 20 $100.00

Shoes $10.95x 20 $219.00

$577.40

Timeline:

September 21st: Proposal and Annotated Bibliography due

September 29th: Send out email about cheer squad to grades 7-12 informing everyone on tryouts

and any information anyone would need to know.

October 2nd: Faculty Interview with Ms. Pepitone about cheer squad

October 8th: Create fliers for cheer club

October 18th: If school is opened by then put posters around school for cheer club

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October 22nd: Hold first cheer meeting to get everything settled. Tryouts for girls to see who’s

committed and whos not committed.

October 25th: First cheer practice

November 1st: After Fall Break continue practices

November 23rd: First show at Fourth Friday

November 30th: Argument Essay Due

December 7th: Progress Presentations

December 14th: Hold another show at school

December 20th-January 1st: Winter Break

January 2nd: Start final presentation

January 3rd: Continue practices

January 12th: Show at Maui Mall

January 25th: Fourth friday show

February 8th: Big final show at school

February 15th: Practice final presentation

March 1st: Final Project Due/Presentations

March 8th: Final Reflection Due

April 26th: Fourth friday show

May: Graduation Month!!

May 11th: Celebration for cheer team for a good year and goodbyes to seniors. Also naming next

years Captain (who will take over team) Commented [6]: Would like to see more specific detail
in this timeline. What specifically happens at practice?
When and how are routines created? How is music
selected? How are uniforms or attire selected? When
and how will you select team member and what, if any,
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ahead of time in this plan.

Faculty Interview: