Cheerleading 101!

Want to get the 101 on what being a cheerleader is all about?! Well, there are many aspects of cheerleading that many people are unaware of. Each team that is competing is expected to create a routine that is no longer than 2 minutes and thirty seconds. In this routine all of the following are required, stunts, jumps, tumbling, a dance, a cheer, and a pyramid. However, that is not even half of what cheerleading consists of. For stunts, there must be a single legged stunt and a pyramid, which is a mount where the flyers are always touching. The skill chosen for the flyers to conquer are up to the team members themselves, and they are scored based on how well the stick the stunt they choose to perform. As far as jumps goes, in order to receive the maximum amount of points a triple jump sequence is required, which means three jumps are hit right in a row without stopping in between.  Tumbling is always good to have because it helps bring in the extra points and adds pep to the routine. Tumbling can consist of something as simple as a forward roll, or range to something as difficult as a back hand spring or a back tuck. The dance segment of the routine can be whatever style of dance and for any amount of time. The girls are judged and scored on how sharp and difficult their movements and motions are. Basically the same thing goes for the cheer. They are scored on how tight the hit each motion and how in sync they are as a team. Projecting your voice is also very important during the cheer portion of the routine because you want to be as loud as you can possibly be and just blow the crowd away. On top of all that is required, each girl has to be sure to walk tightly to each formation and make sure that everything they are doing is neat and precise. They also have to make sure that they constantly have a smile on their face and are adding spunk in order to spice things up and make themselves interesting to watch. Cheerleading is a sport that requires many different skills and techniques.