AACCA Opens First Ever Online Cheerleading Safety Course

The American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA) has opened the first ever online cheerleading safety course. After several months of development, the course is now available online, now making safety courses more accessible and consistent.
The AACCA Cheerleading Safety Course has been available since the 1990’s through a group of AACCA instructors, and over 20,000 coaches have been trained using that method. But according to Jim Lord, Executive Director of AACCA, there were still a couple of areas where the course could be updated. Lord says having the course available online makes taking the safety course easier.

“With the AACCA course being a requirement for many state high school associations, we felt it was important to make sure all coaches could access the training at any time instead of having to wait for a course to be scheduled in their area,” explains Lord. “In the past, coaches might have had to drive several hours to get to the five-hour course, then turn around and drive home or incur the expense of a hotel stay in order to get safety trained.” In addition to the state requirements, the course also qualifies for the NCAA requirement that college cheerleaders must be under the supervision of a safety-trained personnel when practicing.

Coaches can register for the course through the National Federation of State High Schools and complete the course at their convenience. If the course is stopped at any point, it will pick back up where the coach left off when he or she logs back on. The course includes exam questions with wrong answers driving the coach back to the proper section of the course to review the relevant material. Audio and video presentations of skill progressions and proper spotting techniques are shown throughout the course as well.

“With the technical advantages of the internet, we are able to include additional resources, such as a downloadable version of our Emergency Action Plan.” says Lord.

In addition to the training and convenience coaches will get from the course, they will also be qualified for Continuing Education Units through the United States Sports Academy or college credit through the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

The on-site training will still be available for coaches who prefer in-person training. For more information, coaches and administrators can visit the “Courses” section of the AACCA website.