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Anderson Invasion Cheer Mats - Cheerleading Competition Training

By Brett Hart Created: August, 2019 - Modified: October, 2019

Competition Cheer Mats Anderson Invasion

Kaylee Cottrell, head coach of the Anderson Invasion Cheer team of Anderson, Indiana, recently applied her prize from being named the 2018 National Cheerleading Coach of the Year to help in the purchase of a seventh cheer mat for her program.

Her choice was a black 6x42 foot cheer mat with a 1 3/8 inch thickness.

“We had six other mats that were around that size,” Cottrell said. “So obviously it was going to match the other mats the best.”

By adding that seventh mat, it got Anderson Invasion Cheer one step closer to its goal of having a full sized 9 mat competition area to practice on. Plus, by now having an odd number of mats, it makes it easier for her athletes to remember formations and spacing - particularly their association with being on a line or a space.

“It’s been working really well,” Cottrell said.

Having three different colors mats has created challenges aesthetically in the past as well. With the addition of the new black mat, Cottrell says it’s been easier to create a symmetrical pattern with a light blue lane in the middle, a black lane on either side of that, and two darker blue mats on each outside edge.

While these cheer mats are primarily used in the gym, Cottrell says they do occasionally take them with them for other events, such as camps or practice areas as competitions.

While the prize for being named the National Cheerleading Coach of the Year was quite an honor Cottrell, she said seeing the support for her grow exponentially throughout the contest was “more cool than actually winning.”

“People were talking about it at practices once it got really big, and it was definitely the talk of the town,” she said. “It brought people closer. We definitely need more organizations like (Greatmats) in this world nowadays. There’s so much negativity and competitiveness going on around the world. It’s just nice to see businesses that are willing to congratulate, support, acknowledge people that are doing something great in the world and then also doing giveaways. I thank (Greatmats) for the opportunity, and we love our mat.”