The parents from the Central Jersey All-Star Cheerleading Program are becoming as well known as their athletes. Some of you might know them from past events--they are the group in the stands with every parent clapping and cheering each time one of the six competitive CJA teams is performing. They are also the parents who yell encouragement and applaud all the other competing teams as they perform. What does it take to turn your program's parents into stars?

First of all, establish the parents as a team with its own leadership and written guidelines, which you help them develop. For example, one reason for the exemplary behavior of the CJA parents is that they have traditions that they follow. Discipline is one of the most important traditions. At CJA, the parents are not permitted to observe team practices. So, night after night, they dutifully drop off and pick up their child. They also attend mandatory monthly parent meetings, fundraising workshops, and travel-affiliated meetings, as well as the competitions. Most importantly, they know that there are rules attached to their daughter's or son's all-star program, and they respect every set of rules and every CJA coach who enforces them. There is an enormous amount of mutual respect between the Central Jersey coaches and the parents, who work together as a team with set goals.

Further, parents must be trained to see beyond their own children's needs. To illustrate, tradition dictates that right before the competition season begins, the CJA parents hold their own meeting to learn various program responsibilities. During the evening, they learn the words to the cheer portion of all the team's routines, and they go over certain "stand behavior." When the CJA parents are in the stands, one would never know who has a daughter on the senior team and who has one on the youth team. Cheers fill the arena when they perform because every parent is up on her feet for every child. They ring their bells, wave their banners, and clap as one. As one of the leaders in the parent group says, "One Team.One Heartbeat," and that phrase seems to sum up the CJA program's philosophy.

Thirdly, train your parents to lead by example. When Central Jersey's teams are competing in an event, the parents know that the girls feed off their enthusiasm. The spirit that the parents project during a performance reflects the emotions of the performers. The performers respond to the cheers and "Wows!" of the crowd by giving a better performance. When a CJA team comes off the floor, a team member will say, "Wow, the parents were great today!" Usually also, a parent will whisper to a coach, "How were we today?" The coach will respond with a smile and response, "Spectacular!"

Finally, there are many other important factors needed to run a successful program. Great coaching is a must, and then there is the well-trained, enthusiastic, dedicated athlete to consider. However, as Central Jersey demonstrates, the incredible support of their parents helps them to be who they are. Good parents are a secret ingredient to a successful program-as CJA proves, they are the "Stars in the Stands" and second to none!