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

Something I wish someone had told me before college: The transition from high school and Junior USA to collegiate cheer is real, and if this is something you truly want for yourself, you need to prepare for it. And I don’t mean skill-wise. I mean emotionally. I wish someone had told me that college wasn’t going to expose my weaknesses as an athlete nearly as much as it exposed my relationship with myself. For years, I thought being hard on myself was what made me successful. I thought confidence came after achievement. I thought the athletes who made it were the ones who never let themselves be satisfied. So I was constantly chasing the next skill, the next accomplishment, the next reason to finally feel like I was enough. The problem is that no achievement ever fixed that feeling. When I got to Alabama, I realized college cheer wasn’t just a harder version of what I had done before. It was a completely different environment. For the first time, I was truly on my own. And when you’re on your own, the way you talk to yourself matters. The pressure you put on yourself matters. The belief you have in yourself matters. Because the same voice that shows up when you’re struggling in practice is the voice that shows up when life doesn’t go your way. College exposed that for me. It showed me how much of my self-worth was tied to performance. How often I tore myself down in the name of discipline. How much energy I spent trying to prove I belonged instead of believing I belonged. At the same time, I realized the athletes who earned the most trust weren’t always the most talented. They were the most coachable. The most consistent. The athletes who could get corrected without taking it personally. The athletes who made everyone around them better. The biggest lesson college taught me wasn’t how to stunt better. It taught me that confidence isn’t something you earn after you’re good enough. It’s something you choose before you feel ready. Now, don’t misunderstand me.

Hey Base Camp — I am Coach John Pirone. I’m on the USA Premier National Coed Team, and I’m also a University of Alabama cheerleader — going into my senior year. Coach Jay brought me into this community to bring my unique perspective that most recruiting and cheer education content is missing. Not the coach's perspective. Not the highlight reel version. The real, current, and inside the program perspective of an athlete who is going through everything you are preparing for. I have been through the recruiting process. I have been through tryouts at the highest level. I have competed internationally with Team USA. I have won D1A College Nationals. I have lived the transition from high school to collegiate cheer to USA Premier firsthand And I am going to share all of it here with you — honestly, authentically, and unashamed. Here is what you can expect from my category: → What college cheer actually looks like from the inside → What the recruiting process felt like going through from nothing to everything → The difference in USA Premier tryouts and how it changed everything for me → What I wish someone had told me before I got to college → Real answers to your real questions Drop a question for me in the comments below. I will have some of the most fresh and real insight you will find, and I want to use it to help YOU! That’s my passion. See you on the floor. — Coach John Pirone University of Alabama | USA Coed Premier | Junior Coed USA