Maine Requires All High School Cheer Coaches to Be AACCA Certified!

The Maine Principals Association, MPA, saw the need for safety in their cheerleading programs.  The MPA wanted to ensure that every cheerleading coach had the opportunity to become certified.  As the athletic activity of cheerleading  has naturally progressed to more advanced skills, the need to keep the athletes safe becomes a greater priority.

The coaches of Maine held their yearly meeting to get coaches ready for the upcoming competition and sideline season.  75 coaches took the AACCA certification at the conference.  Many more certifications have been scheduled and coaches are lining up to learn about safety. 

One of the main catalyst for change was Denise Gelinas.  Denise has been involved in coaching and with the Maine cheer coaches association for over twenty years.  Since she held the conference, she has been implementing the AACCA  safety initiatives to keep the cheerleaders and coaches safe.  Denise also had twenty of her state judges sit through a rigorous 5 hour judging course offered by AACCA. 

Jennifer Uselton, the Coaches Education Coordinator for AACCA ran the judges course.  When asked about her experiences in Maine, Jennifer said, "It was really nice to see so many people who really care about the safety of the athletes.  The judges take their responsibilities seriously and work very hard to provide a fair competition that promotes fantastic sportsmanlike conduct.  The coaches in the state of Maine are very lucky to have so many good people, like Denise, on thier side". 

Good luck to the Maine coaches, and cheerleaders!  AACCA wishes all of you a safe, healthy and successful cheer year.