CHAPTER 6
Training Tactics
Day 1
After school, Monica and I went to my house. We headed into the living room. Then we heard a SCREAM.
Nick ran in. He took a flying leap and then he belly-flopped onto the sofa.
“Does he have to be here?” Monica asked.
The answer to that question is always, “Yes.”
1. Nick’s mom goes somewhere almost every day.
2. My mom is a good neighbor.
3. Nick stays at our house.
4. Mom pays me $2.00 an hour to watch him.
5. I can’t get out of it. (Not for any reason. Not even if I’m sick or have a ton of homework or chores or something really important to do like help my best friend become a cheerleader even if I don’t think she should.)
Watching Nick wasn’t easy. He didn’t listen. He yelled. He was constantly lying. And he liked being bad. There was only one way to make him behave. Bribery.
“Sit still and be quiet, Nick,” I said. “Then you can watch a DVD with us.”
“What DVD?” Nick asked. “Viper Man and the Doom Buggy? Space Rat Race?”
Monica frowned. “I thought we were going to practice,” she said.
“First we have to learn what to do,” I said. “I got a cheerleading DVD at the library.”
“Girl stuff! No way!” Nick yelled. He jumped up and down on the sofa. “I want to watch Viper Man!”
“Do you want some cookies and milk?” I asked.
Nick stopped jumping and asked, “Is it chocolate milk?”
“Sure,” I said. “Whatever.”
Nick sat down.
I got milk and cookies for everyone.
Then we watched the DVD. Monica and I took notes.
The DVD started with a cheer. Six girls shook their pom-poms. They smiled. They jumped and chanted with GUSTO.
Gusto means energy and enthusiasm. It’s the perfect word for cheerleading. And Nick.
Nick waved his arms and yelled, “I can do that! Two! Four! Six!”
I stuffed a cookie in his mouth.
Day 2
The next day after school, I went to Monica’s house. She was wearing a short white skirt. She even had pom-poms. “This is my mom’s old tennis outfit,” Monica explained. “Dad gave me the pom-poms. I practiced using them last night.”
“Great! Show me a cheer,” I said.
Monica moved her arms up in a V. Then down in a V. Then into her chest and out to the side three times.
She finished with a hop. It wasn’t high enough to be a jump.
She did the moves twice and chanted while she moved.
“Go Green! Go Gold!
Cougars, Cougars, fast and bold!
Go Gold! Go Green!
Go, Cougars! Go team!”
Monica stopped to catch her breath. “How was that?” she asked.
“Not bad,” I lied.
Monica had done everything wrong.
1. Sloppy movements
2. Quiet words
3. Stiff shoulders
“But you want to be the BEST, right?” I added. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. I wanted to help her as much as I could.
“Right,” Monica agreed.
“Good,” I said, smiling. “You have to say the words clearly. And punch your arm and leg movements. Don’t drag them.”
“Like this?” Monica asked. She raised her arms. She moved one leg to the side and bent her knee. That move was called a lunge.
“Better,” I lied again. It didn’t look at all like the lunges wed seen on the DVD. “Try moving your arms and legs at the same time,” I suggested.
Monica lunged again. That time, she almost had it.
“Yeah!” I shouted. “That was great. Did you do the exercises on the DVD? That will make your muscles stronger.”
“I’d rather do the fun stuff,” Monica said. She tried a split jump. It’s called a Spread eagle. She fell down when she landed, so it was more like a turkey tumble.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “You’ll get it.”
Monica promised to do the exercises and practice in front of a mirror.
Day 3
The next day, I had to watch Nick after school. So Monica came to my house. I kept Nick busy with a plate of cookies while Monica and I talked in the treehouse.
I had set up a few large pieces of poster board. They were reminders for Monica.
“What are those?” Monica asked.
“Cheerleader charts,” I said. “To remind us what makes someone a good cheerleader.”
Chart One: The Three Parts of Cheerleading
1. Gymnastics
2. Tumbling
3. Dance
Chart Two: The Four Cheer Groups
1. Movements
2. Jumps
3. Stunts
4. Chants
Chart Three: A Cheerleader Must Have:
1. Strength
2. Spirit
3. Smiles
“Stunts?” Monica asked nervously.” “I can’t do stunts.”
Nick put down his plate of cookies. “I can. Watch!” he yelled. He did a somersault. He hit me with his feet.
“Let’s go outside so Nick has more room,” I suggested. The grass would be SOFTER and SAFER for Monica, too.
Nick went down the ladder first. He somersaulted across the lawn. Then he did a somersault backward.
“Can you do that?” he asked Monica. “Try this.” He did a handstand.
“I can flip, too,” he told her.
I grabbed Nick’s shirt. “Stop showing off, Nick,” I told him. “We’re supposed to be training Monica.”
“Can I help?” Nick asked. “Can I train Monica too?”
Monica rolled her eyes. Then she shrugged. “Sure,” she said. Then she looked at me and added, “But I still can’t do STUNTS.”
Monica looked scared. That was a good thing. She wouldn’t try anything dangerous. “We used to do cartwheels,” I reminded her.
Monica smiled and said, “Oh, yeah!” She took a deep breath. She ran two steps and JUMPED. She put one hand down and then the other.
Monica’s arms and legs were supposed to go up and over, like spokes in a wheel. Instead, her legs were bent, not straight. And they stuck out instead of up. She lost her balance on the landing and fell over.
“That was awful!” Nick exclaimed.
“No, it wasn’t,” I said. I glared at him, but Nick is glare-proof.
“She looked like a dizzy toad,” Nick said.
“Nick!” I snapped. “That’s not nice.”
“But it’s true,” Monica said quietly. “I can’t be a cheerleader if I can’t do stunts.”
“Yes, you can,” I said. “You take riding lessons. You know how to pay attention to what the horse is doing, what you’re doing, and what the other riders are doing.”
“So?” Monica asked. She looked puzzled.
“So you can be a spotter,” I said.
“What’s that?” Monica asked.
“Only some of the cheerleaders do the stunts,” I explained. “They’re called flyers. Then there are bases. Bases catch and hold the flyers. They need a Spotter to count, watch the flyer, and help catch her. You can do three things at once.”
“That works!” Monica said, smiling. “I bet I can do a better cartwheel, too. I’ll just have to work harder.”
” I want more cookies,” Nick said.
Day 4
On Saturday, I brought my dad’s video camera to Monica’s house.
Monica only had two more days to get ready. I pushed harder.
Here’s what happened.
Monica: “Don’t record me. I’ll get nervous and mess up more.”
Me: “You’ll be nervous at the tryouts, too. This will help you get over it.”
What I thought: The camera would show Monica her mistakes. Then she’d know what to fix.
Monica: “I’m sick of smiling. It’s so fake.”
Me: “You have to look happy, or you won’t get picked.”
What I thought: Nobody likes a cranky cheerleader.
Monica: “My legs hurt, and my arms feel like they’re going to fall off. Even my face hurts.”
Me: “Good! The exercises are working.”
What I thought: You’re the one who wanted this. Stop complaining!
Monica: “I am so tired! Can’t we take a break?”
Me: “You have to cheer for a whole game. Ten more jumping jacks!”
What I thought: Losers rest. Winners work.
Monica: “Why are you being so mean, Claudia?”
Me: “Because Gina will be meaner.”
What I thought: I hope we’re still friends when this is over.
Day 5
I invited Monica to my house on Sunday.
“No practice today,” I said. “Let’s watch the video I made yesterday.”
“But tryouts start tomorrow,” Monica said. She sat down on the couch.
“That’s why you should REST and RELAX,” I explained.
I picked up the remote and sat down next to her.
“Wait for me!” Nick yelled, running into the room. He squeezed between Monica and me on the sofa. “Okay. You can start now,” he said.
I clicked PLAY.
Monica’s stretching exercises looked good. Then she did a lunge.
It was hard to hold that position. Monica’s smile twisted into a frown after a few seconds.
“Monica turned into a monster,” Nick said.
Monica covered her eyes. “This is awful,” she said.
“You have to watch,” I said. “You need to pay attention, so you won’t make the same mistakes at the tryouts.”
Monica peeked through her fingers.
On the tape, Monica twirled. Her feet slipped out from under her. She squealed. Then she fell on the grass.
Nick laughed.
“It’s like watching America’s Funniest Home Videos,” Monica said.
Nick laughed again. “Yeah!” he said. “Only you’re FUNNIER.”
“It’s not that bad, Monica,” I said. I was still watching the video. “Look! You did that jump perfectly.”
“But my face is all scrunched up,” Monica pointed out.
She sighed. “I’ll never be a good cheerleader,” she said. “I should quit before I make a total fool of myself.”
“No way,” I said.
Everyone at school already knew that Monica was planning to try out. It would be too humiliating if she quit now.
“Funny people are the best part,” Nick said.
“Of what?” Monica asked.
“Everything!” Nick exclaimed.
I shook my head and ignored Nick.
“You’ve worked too hard to give up,” I told Monica. “And your cheers are getting a lot better.”
“Really?” Monica asked hopefully.
Nick and I both nodded.
“Just do your best,” I said.
“And don’t go like this,” Nick added. He scrunched up his face.