NTLP is so proud of Alumn Celexsy Stout Adame.

My second “break” in Cheer Coach & Advisor Magazine! My Article made the cover this time (4 Ways to Have a Full-Out Season)

The original link – Read it today!

Celexsy also mentioned NTLP in her article.

First, start with a good teambuilding activity to kick off the season. Some cheer programs have combined practices with all of their youth teams prior to the season starting. This helps bond the entire program and individual teams as well. There are a variety of activities that can be done – search icebreakers online or set Expectations and Agreements as a team. This activity, borrowed from the National Teen Leadership Program (www.ntlp.org), is golden. It enables the team members to be part of the goal-setting process and you can bring this document back to them when they seem to be falling away from their goal. Expectations are merely a brainstorm of what the girls want to get out of the season. As they go around in a circle multiple times, have them take turns calling out something they want to get out of the season. Ensure someone is there to record these answers. You’ll hear things like “To have fun,” “To get first place at competition,” “Build a friendship among team members” or “Improve my jumps.” Take this list and recite it. They will see there is a big list to accomplish.

The second part to this activity is to do a similar brainstorm on Agreements for the season. Agreements are the things necessary in order for the Expectations to be met. Encourage them by stating “Practice outside of practice,” “Come to practice on time,” “Respect the coach” or “Don’t whine.” You’ll be amazed at the list they come up with. Now have them sign these Expectations and Agreements and be sure to show it to them periodically throughout, and especially at the end, of the cheer season. “Goal setting is about committing to a goal and working to improve it, so that it can be achieved.”

Great Job Celexsy, we can’t wait to see what’s to come!

NTLP alumni vies for 1 Million Dollars on the
game show, Minute to Win It (MTWI)!

For those of you not familiar with the process on how to get on Minute to Win It, one does not stand at a TV studio door dressed as a chicken in hopes of getting on the show. (Although having a pair of sparkly shoes might just do the trick.) This is a story of initiative, gumption, perseverance, nerves of steel and perhaps, most importantly, self-confidence.

Michele  attended our 1999 program at St. Mary’s College and again in 2000 at Pacific Lutheran in Washington. After completing high school and entering college, she joined the ranks of our elite staff in 2009 and 2010.  Her journey to be a contestant started nearly a year go when she submitted a video tape of herself playing MTWI games to the show’s producers. She lived in Michigan at the time, but moved to Kansas that summer.  In October, she got a call asking if she would like to come to an audition….in Michigan, that next weekend.  She said “I live in Kansas.”  They said “well, you can come to Michigan, Florida or New York, but that’s all the auditions that are left for this year.”  Michele decided to make the 12-hour drive to Michigan.

That Saturday, Michele arrived at the audition door dressed a little like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. (No one else in the line was dressed up like anything). Spotted by a Minute to Win It official, she was asked about her sparkly shoes. She told them about her 12-hr drive.  Impressed, she was invited inside.  After completing games for the producers, she was told she should come back the next day, Sunday, and bring three friends.  “My friends are in Kansas”, she told them, “and my only friend in Michigan is working at an Orphanage in India.” They said, “You need to have three friends. You can come tomorrow, but no guarantees.”

That night, Michele downloaded pictures of her friends from Facebook, found an open copy shop and made 8×10 color copies of her friend’s faces. Pictures in hand, she arrived at the studios on Sunday ready to participate.  Impressed with her creativity, they let her compete.  They said “We’ll call you.”  At 4:00pm Michigan time, Michele drove the 12 hours back to Kansas, arriving in time for Monday classes.

December. MTWI calls and tells Michele they are considering her for the show, but they would like her to submit tapes of 3 of her friends playing the games. They give her 4 days.  Her friends comply and she submits the tapes on time. “We’ll call you” they said.

January.  MTWI calls on Monday.  “We’d like you and your friend Lindsey to come to MTWI Boot Camp this week. You need to be here Wednesday and we’ll provide the airfare.” Michele hurriedly emails all of her teachers asking for the week off from classes.  All but one comply.

For two days Michele and Lindsey attend MTWI Boot Camp where they practice over 60 different games for the show.  They are there with 14 other couples who were all selected in a similar fashion.  Everyone is good. No one knows who will make it on the show.

On Sunday they are told they have been selected for a taping, which will occur on either Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. They are also told that depending on how everyone does, there is a possibility that they might NOT tape at all if others in front of them do well and take up too much time. How depressing would that be?

Luckily, Michele and Lindsey do get to try their hand at the 10 games for 1 Million dollars, and if you saw the show then you know they made it into a two-hour special where they earned a cool $250,000.

So many of us “wish” we could be on a game show winning thousands of dollars.  “How lucky they are”, we might think to ourselves.  But truly, luck, had very little to do with it. Michele had a goal in mind that she never lost site of. She waited months, drove thousands of miles, practiced her skills and never lost her determination to reach her goal, even when the results, at best, would be very uncertain.  She approached everything with a cheerful determination to succeed, and in true NTLP fashion, succeed she did!  Let her be a lesson to you!

Congratulations Michele!

NTLP’s alumni and Group Leader, Michele is on Minute to Win It Wednesday, Feb. 9th. Watch it and support our fellow NTLPer! We are so proud of her!

Wednesday, Feb 9, on NBC!

Lauren Nygard

Years attended NTLP: 2001 and 2002 at University of Texas, Austin, TX, 2003 at Chapman University (staff), 2004 at UCLA (staff), 2005 at Loyola Marymount (staff), 2006 at Sacramento State (staff), 2010 at Chapman University (staff)

High school: Keystone School in San Antonio, Texas, Class of 2002

College: Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas: Bachelor of Environmental Design (2006). New School of Architecture & Design, San Diego: Master of Architecture (2008).

What is your current occupation?

I work for the Navy as part of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) based in San Diego. Currently, I have been working on cost estimates for upcoming projects as well as project development.

Tell us about your experience with NTLP. What did you learn at the program that you still remember and use?

NTLP helped me learn about how to interact with others. Participating in the diversity workshop back in 2001 really opened my eyes and made me realize how different everyone’s backgrounds can be, yet how similarly we emotionally respond to situations.

Were there any speakers who had a big influence on you?

Josh Shipp and Scott Greenberg were two of my favorites. Both have great stories and powerful messages!

In addition to your job with the Navy, you also own a photography business, specializing in wedding and portrait photography. How did you get started doing that?

I have always been interested in photography. After I graduated with my Masters in 2008, I moved to Washington, D.C., where I worked for a private architecture firm. The next spring, my husband was sent to Oklahoma to attend five months of training. During that time, I started playing around with my camera more and attended a series of photo workshops and classes. I asked a few of my friends to let me practice my portrait skills on them, and was really excited to capture such fun moments. Fast-forward several months and I found myself back in California, where I met up with some fabulous photographers from whom I continue to learn a lot. One of them asked me to photograph a wedding with her, and the rest is history! I now spend my nights and weekends shooting as much as I can, and I love every minute of it! You can check out some my work at laurennygard.com.