CHEERLEADING

BY: SYDNEY MILLS

“You’re at the gym lifting weights, that’s cute. Cheerleaders lift people” - Unknown

“Keep your head high, your cheer bow higher, and your confidence highest.”

DOn’t QuIT

MY CHEER BEST FRIEND

My best friend and I have been friends since grade 2. Her name is Zoey and she is the one who introduced me to cheerleading. Our high school’s team is the cheer team that we are on. Her and I always work well together and both of us have a love for cheer.

Zoey and I have travelled on all of our out of town competitions together. Cheerleading is something that can really bring the two of us together.

M Y S T U N T G R O U P

A stunt group in cheerleading consists of 4 to 5 people, a flyer, two bases, and a backspot. There are different

stunts that can be executed most of which require all 5

people. On some All-star teams choose to stick to “one man” stunts. This means only one

person is underneath the flyer.

My stunt group is one of the strongest out of our team. We work together and trust each other, therefore most stunts of ours hit consistently. As a flyer I have to put all my trust is the people who are holding me up in the air, throwing me, and catching me. With out the trust there is no doubt that our stunts will not hit.

STUNTING

My favorite stunts

• Extended Heel Stretch

• Basket Full/Basket Tosses

• Twist Cradles • Full-ups • Barrel Rolls

Stunting is a major part of cheerleading which requires a lot of strength and confidence. In order to make the stunt hit you must work together as one and communicate with each other. To be a flyer/top one of the main prerequisites is to be flexible and know your bases will catch you no matter the situation.

UNIFORMS AND PERFORMANCE

From the uniform to the bow to the smiles, everything matter and must look perfect. Cheer hair is a very traditional and popular style at competitions and practices. As for uniforms, they may come is many different styles colours and sizes. Most All-star teams have a cropped top and shorts with all sorts of designs and patterns. They will most likely have the teams name or abbreviation across the chest of the top. Cheer faces are another cheer tradition. They are more than just a simple smile, you must look very excited and full of energy.

“If you’re cheer faces make you feel stupid you’re doing it right” -Unknown

STRENGTH AND AGILITY To be a cheerleader is more than jumping

around, cheering and smiling for the crowd. It requires and excessive amount of strength and stamina. Some stereotypical sayings about cheerleading that people think are that you must be blonde, have a skinny body, have small feet and that they aren’t athletes. All of which are incorrect. Hair colour doesn’t determine if you are a cheerleader, having a thin body also doesn’t decide whether you have a spot on a cheer team. Although being healthy and in shape does give you an advantage when it comes to stunting and doing the routine.