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9 Team Building Exercises That Aren't Lame

Posted by Meagan on Jun 15, 2017

St Charles High School MN STATE 2017 Jazz 2-1.jpg 

We know the importance of building a strong team. But we also know that there is a lot of advice out there on team building activities that are so lame!  It's important for your team to mesh together nicely, but a new season and a new team can be intimidating both for coaches and the team members. To help with transition, we've compiled a list of 9 Team Building Ideas you can implement with your new team this fall! 

1. Assign Team Sisters 

Pair a veteran with a rookie to be their ‘team sister’.  Veterans can be their partner and sounding board for practice, exercises, goal setting, competitions, get-togethers, as well as being a role model.

Veteran "Big Sisters" can explain to their "Little Sister" how events, traditions, and other team activities work, which will help new team members feel more comfortable and included.  Example:  "On competition day, we all arrive early and have breakfast provided".  

The girls can also practice gift exchanges, which is another fun way to get the team involved in something fun together, especially around the holidays!

Olivia High School MN State High Kick  Dance Team Work.jpg

2. Schedule Special Practices or Events 

Do something special with your team, preferably 3 times a year: in the summer months to keep up team camaraderie, during holiday break, and during stressful practice weeks to take the edge off and have a little fun! Some fun activity ideas include:

  • Summer Pool Party
  • Sleepovers (At coach's house?!)
  • Bowling 
  • Movie Nights 
  • Dress Up Days 
  • Karaoke Nights 
  • Surprise pizza or ice cream after practice 
  • Sharpie Mug DIY Night
  • Team Dinner at a favorite local restaurant
  • Alumni led practices (they can share their stories!)

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3. Take Personality Quizzes

Have your team take personality quizzes and talk about results.  These can help your team learn more about each other and how they can better work together by understanding different working styles. Team members could fill these out at the beginning of the season, and you could pair up team sisters based off the results - either girls who have similar or opposite results! 

 

 

4. Form a Team Calendar 

Compile a team calendar where you can list team birthdays and other memorable days. Celebrate these momentous events on social media to make things personal and fun!  Some things to include in your calendar include:

  • Team Members & Coaching Staff Birthdays
  • Practice days
  • NO Practice Days (Days you would normally have practice, but it’s canceled)
  • Competitions
  • Parent Meetings
  • Team Bonding Events 
  • Turn-In Days (Uniforms, Payment, etc.)
  • Photoshoots
  • School Activities (Finals, Homecoming Week, etc.)
  • Clinics (Kids Clinic, Team Clinic, etc.)
  • Fundraisers
  • Graduations
  • Team Goals

 

 

Happy Birthday to #AZCC team captain, Megan! 🎉 We hope all of your birthday wishes come true! #AZCardinals | #happybirthday

A post shared by Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders (@azcardscheer) on

 

5. Set Goals

Both individual and team goals are great to motivate your team, and ALWAYS have something to work on and celebrate. Mark goals on your team calendar, and cross them off when they are finished, so the team can have a visual of how far they've come! You can set small goals week by week, and include these in your weekly recaps to your team. Look back on accomplished goals to measure your progress.

Have team goals set to get certain tricks, technique or flexibility down! For example, have everyone try to get their right, left and center splits. Once everyone has accomplished this, throw the ultimate team party as a reward!

 

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6. Make Committees

Have team members sign up for different committees to disperse workload and responsibilities, and get them working on something together! 

  • Social Media Committee
    • Host Snapchat/Instagram takeovers, update social media platforms,  and tag photos and posts! The Chaska Hawks Dance Team has an awesome and motivating team Instagram account - check out the hidden message in their feed as a fun example!   
  • Workout Committee 
    • Schedule workout classes outside of practice and for school breaks: spin, yoga, barre, or even team bike rides!
  • Banquet/End of Year Committee 
    • Celebrate your team's accomplishments over the season, and say good bye to graduating seniors!
  • Scrapbook Committee
    • Gather pictures, share them in a shared drive or cloud, and make a book for the end of the year!
  • Choreography Committee
    • Gather inspiration for competition choreography or new skills for the team to master
  • Music Committee
    • This group could find songs for performance, send the music to the team for approval, cut the music, and update playlists ( for warm ups, stretching, competition pump up, etc.)! 
  • Fundraising Committee
  • Social Committee
    • Plan team bonding events, pool parties, holiday parties, and other special events!  

 

7. Use Inspirational Quotes

Have each girl bring in their favorite inspirational quote, and get a quote inspiration board started on Pinterest.  You can use these quotes to create inspirational photo montages of team pics with quotes to post to social media throughout the year.  Free apps like Phonto or simple photo and video editors on your phone like iMovie can make this project a cinch!   

 

 

Good Luck to our Novice Team as they compete at Nationals in Rockford, IL. #readytoROCKford #nationals2017 #synchrochamps17

A post shared by ⭐Downers Grove Dazzlers⭐ (@dazzlerssynchronizedskating) on

 

8.  Create a Private Team Blog

With social blogging platforms like Tumblr, team members can all contribute to a private team blog.  Compile any funny quotes or share photos from practices, events, or competitions in one central location!  

 

9. Pick a Team Song 

Choose a team anthem or song/chant you do before each performance or at the end of each practice. This could be the same song every year for tradition, or a new one could be chosen to set the mood/intention for each season! 

 

 

It's Skol Time! #Vikings #MVC

A post shared by Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders (@mvcheerleaders) on

 

 Hopefully this list is a good compilation of fun team activities for you and your new team that aren't too  lame!  We'd love to hear what sort of team activities do you do with your teams!  Let us know in the comments below!

 

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Topics: Coaching Tips, Planning Tips, Practice

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