Coaches are truly so much more than just “instructors” — we take on a bigger role in an athlete’s life than it may seem. Part of this incredible job is to be there for our athletes in any way that we can, and sometimes that means just having the right item at just the right time.

Competitions are an athlete’s most stressful, nerve-wracking time and unfortunately, that means they forget more things than they care to admit, so it’s up to us coaches to be prepared for anything and everything.

You can already guess what those first few items consist of: hairspray for those little flyaways that just won’t stay down, an extra competition bow in case someone forgets or breaks theirs and, of course, bobby pins because, let’s be honest, you can never have enough bobby pins.

From the time coaches first meet with their athletes to when they actually take the competition floor is a longer process than most realize. Because of this, we almost always have lipstick in our bag in case our girls need a quick touch up before taking the floor.

The classic, “Hey coach, can you hold this?” then turns our competition bag into an amateur medical bag containing athletic tape, icy hot or bio freeze, and inhalers for the athletes with asthma.

Everybody knows that one of the best ways to pump your team up is by listening to their favorite songs or their own team’s music. So, whether it’s in your bag, in your hand or you’re rolling it around, every coach has a speaker with them at competitions.

Speaking of music, every coach knows to keep an extra iPhone adaptor in their bag in case the competitions sound system isn’t compatible with their phone. It’s every person’s worst nightmare to not have the music work at a competition!

For our last item, it’s important to remember that cheerleading is a sport dominated by females, so us coaches have to be prepared for any random occurrences that may take place with their female athletes. With that said, every coach (at least the female ones) must have a few feminine products on hand for any surprise visits our athletes may have.

Now, male coaches may not be the ones to carry some of these items, but I think we can all agree that at least one coach has each of these items in their bag at every competition.

10 Items Every Coach Must Have In Their Bag During A Competition Weekend

• Hairspray
• Extra Competition Bow
• Bobby Pins
• Lipstick
• Athletic Tape
• Icy Hot or Bio Freeze
• Medical Supplies
• Speaker
• iPhone Adaptor
• Feminine Products  

By Jordan Hearn