This is your open Q&A thread for anything related to college cheer recruiting. No question is too basic. No question is too advanced. If you are thinking about it — ask it here. Coach Jay and Coach John respond regularly and the best questions get featured as their own post inside this category. To ask a question use this format: Name: Grad Year: Position: Question: This thread grows into one of the most valuable recruiting resources on the internet over time. Every question asked and answered here helps not just you but every athlete who finds this community after you. Ask everything. That is what this thread is for. — Coach Jay and Coach John

I’m officially almost 2 months post-op. As I’m writing this, I’m on my flight back to Birmingham after spending the weekend coaching in Indiana. For the first time since surgery, I went the entire weekend without my scooter. Twenty-one hours of coaching. Countless conversations. Countless breakthroughs. This recovery has been one of the most humbling seasons of my life. For a while, I wondered if my biggest fear had become my reality. Coaching has never just been what I do—it’s who I am. Then something hit me this weekend… Even when life takes away one of your greatest strengths, it can never take away your purpose. I may not be flipping yet, but I was still able to coach. I was still able to pour into athletes. I was still able to help change lives. John and I watched athlete after athlete break through mental blocks that had held them back for months—some for years. The crazy part? Most of them didn’t need a new skill. They needed someone to believe in them before they believed in themselves. Sometimes a five-minute conversation can change the direction of someone’s entire career. That’s why coaching matters. That’s why leadership matters. And that’s why I’ll never let adversity write the ending to my story. If there’s one thing I hope you take away from this, it’s this: Your circumstances do not define your ceiling. Your response to them does. Every setback carries an opportunity to become someone stronger, wiser, and more resilient than you were before. This comeback isn’t just about my Achilles. It’s about proving—to myself and to everyone watching—that you can lose your footing without losing your purpose. We’re coming back. Stronger. Smarter. More grateful. See you all at the top. — Coach Jay

Coach Jay and I just got done with an AMAZING weekend working with some AMAZING teams, and on the way home I found myself thinking about something. What’s funny is that even though I’m still competing and training as an athlete, I find myself enjoying the challenges that come with coaching even more. Athletics pushes me physically. Coaching pushes me internally. Coaching has forced me to become a better communicator, a better listener, and someone who’s constantly learning how to meet athletes where they are by coaching the person—not just the skill. It challenges my patience, my leadership, and especially my ego. As athletes, we spend so much time trying to become stronger, faster, and more skilled. But coaching has reminded me that some of the biggest opportunities for growth have nothing to do with physical ability. I want to hear it from y’all! What’s something you’re actively challenging yourself to be better at?

Drop a win from this week big or small. New skill landed, a hard practice you pushed through, anything. Let's hear it.

WOW… 150+ members already. I’ve been reading through everyone’s introductions and goals, and I just wanted to say how awesome it is seeing so many athletes who genuinely want to get better. This is EXACTLY the kind of community I wish I had when I was coming up. One thing I want every athlete on here to know… I’m right there with you. I’m still cheering at Alabama. I’m still competing with the US National Team. I’m still chasing bigger goals. I’m still getting corrected. Some days my body hurts. Some days I doubt myself. Some days I have to remind myself why I started. I’m not sharing all of this because I have everything figured out. I’m sharing it because I’m living it. I’m just a few steps ahead of where a lot of you are right now, and it wasn’t that long ago that I was asking a lot of the same questions. Seriously… ask me stuff. Recruiting. College cheer. USA Premier. Confidence. Skills. Injuries. Balancing life. Whatever. If I know the answer, I’ll tell you exactly what I’ve learned. If I don’t, I’ll tell you that too. There’s a good chance I’ve gone through something similar, and if I can help make your journey a little smoother, that’s exactly why I’m here. And I’m sure I’ll learn from you too. I really believe this community has the potential to be something special. Not because of me or Coach Jay, but because of all of you who are willing to show up, learn, and help each other grow. I can’t WAIT to get to know you all. Let’s get after it. ❤️ — Coach John