In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down one of the most common frustrations in all star cheer: how to get more commitment, dedication, and buy-in from your athletes. After 22 years of coaching, Dan shares what actually works to build teams that show up, work hard, and care about standards—without pretending you can magically guarantee perfect attendance or perfect attitudes. You’ll learn how to build identity first so performance follows, create team values and shared language, and use rituals that make athletes feel like they belong. Dan also explains how to focus on growth over outcomes, praise effort and progress, normalize mistakes in practice, and create structured autonomy so athletes feel ownership without coaches losing control. This episode also covers the leadership side: building strong coach-athlete relationships, checking in emotionally, correcting wisely, and creating a practice environment athletes don’t want to miss. If you’re a cheer gym owner, coach, or program director who wants better effort, stronger culture, and more consistent attendance, this is your blueprint to build dedicated teams the right way.

If you want your cheer gym to be unrecognizable in 2026 (in the best way), this episode is your wake-up call. In this high-energy episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton lays out the real steps it takes to transform a cheer gym business—no fluff, no motivation without execution. He talks about why most owners “nod their head” and never follow through, and what it actually looks like to commit to growth when it gets uncomfortable. Dan breaks down the core drivers of real change for cheer gym owners: Set measurable 2026 goals and track them consistently Systemize everything so you stop being the bottleneck Level up your staff so your capabilities multiply Learn to use AI as a tool that saves time and increases output Master your calendar with time blocking and batching Replace bad habits with better ones so your energy and focus match your goals If you run a cheer gym, tumbling program, or youth sports facility and you want more enrollment, better systems, stronger staff, and a calmer business in 2026, start here.

Tryouts are closer than you think—and if parents don’t trust your team placements, the day after tryouts can turn into emails, angry calls, and families threatening to quit. In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down how to build trust in your placement decisions before tryouts even happen by tightening your systems and educating parents early. Dan shares how his gym went from dreading team announcement day to having only a handful of post-placement conversations—by clarifying expectations, creating a skills rubric (low/medium/high range), and changing the tryout process so coaches evaluate athletes over time instead of a quick snapshot. In this episode, you’ll learn how to: Create a clear tumbling + execution rubric so parents understand what “level-ready” really means Use level evaluations + 2–3 weeks of level practices to place teams with more confidence and accuracy Educate families on stunting roles, team needs, and why placements aren’t only about tumbling Reduce entitlement and confusion by explaining your methodology upfront Protect your time by preventing placement blowups before they start If you’re a cheer gym owner, director, or coach, this episode gives you a practical placement system that builds parent buy-in, improves team quality, and makes tryout season calmer for everyone.