Requirements:
Cheerleading by Rae’s Creations
Like any sport, cheerleading keeps participants active which is great for their health. Moreover, the sport incorporates elements from different types of exercise such as cardio, dance and strength training. But besides the obvious fitness element, cheerleading can be empowering for children because they will develop confidence, coordination and teamwork skills.
These skills are useful for other sports but they are also essential life skills. They will be beneficial in teaching you to work hard to achieve your goals and collaborate with others, early on in your life.
Rather than level requirements, we encourage all that are earning this to attempt each category and select cheers that are age appropriate.
Enthusiasm
When you’re in front of the crowd, you should project that you are confident and enthusiastic. It could be argued that this is even more important than being athletic and landing all of your moves. Know that it’s not the end of the world if you fall or your moves don’t look perfect, you should just get back up, smile and carry on. Showing that you can take hardships in stride and maintain a positive attitude tells the spectators that you are ready to put the effort in.
Cheerleading is not an easy sport, it’s not for everyone, so let your parents know that you like it and you are having fun.
Teamwork
Since teamwork is a huge component of cheerleading, you should make friends with the other girls on the team. They’ll feel much more confident cheering alongside someone that they feel comfortable with. Later on, you’ll be spending a lot of your spare time together, so bonding is paramount to being excited about going to practice and succeeding. The coach will also notice that you are at ease around your teammates, which can’t be a bad thing!
Group Jump Rope
One might think that a jump rope is a solo sport or active activity for kids. In reality, however, it can be used as an awesome kid’s team building activity. First, you’ll need a really large jump rope, and ideally two adults or teens. Each adult and/or teen then holds the end of each side of the jump rope. The kids then stand in the middle and jump together as the adults/teens swing the jump rope! It’s a great game because it is super simple, but also requires coordination and symmetry between two kids
Speaking Clearly and Loudly
1. Use breath control to talk in a clear, even voice. When all your air goes into one word or phrase, it results in a yell. Control how much air goes into each of your words by taking a deep breath so that you are able to deliver the rest of your chant evenly.
Using breath support like this will increase the volume of your words healthily versus straining them.
2. Breathe deeply and bellow out your words. Talking in your normal everyday voice and cheering in your cheer voice is completely different. Cheer in a lower toned voice than you usually use, this will help your voice get louder.
3. Avoid yelling cheers and chants. Yelling causes damage to vocal cords by tightening them. Notice the tension and lack thereof when you yell versus project.
To learn the difference between yelling words and projecting them, practice opening the diaphragm to the rate of your airflow. This will help you learn the difference and protect your vocals.
When you yell, you strain your vocals by causing them to tighten in an uncomfortable way. When you project, you are getting the same effect without the damage. Even though your words will be loud as you project, it will feel softer on your chords.
Preparing to Use Your Cheer Voice
1. Choose a cheer. Do cheers the team typically performs or create a cheer of your own using the school’s mascot and name. Practice by saying the cheer repeatedly to commit it to memory. Practice your chants with the moves in front of a mirror to get a better idea of how the crowd will see you.
2. Warm up and warm down your voice. Use vocal warm ups to preserve your voice’s quality and prepare it for use. Vocal warm ups should be done before vocally intensive activities, cheering being one of them.
Practice warming up your voice with tongue trills. Roll your tongue as if you are making the Spanish “r” sound. Vary the pitch up and down the scale while performing those “r” rolls.
Practice lip trills by placing your lips loosely together to release your breath in a steady stream. Releasing tension this way relieves the vocal cords.
Practice reciting your vowels (A, E, I, O, U) at different volumes. Practicing this with scales not only warms up your vocals, but it also helps with enunciation.
Exercising Your Cheer Voice
1. Enlist an adult with no cheer experience for this. Preferably someone who doesn't attend a ton of games or know the cheers super well.
Have the team go out onto the football field and stand where you'd stand during a game. Have the adult go up to the very top row of the stadium's student section and sit down with a notebook and a pen. Your coach calls a cheer. Your team responds with the called cheer. The coach will tell the adult in the stands to write down what she thinks you're saying and hands the notebook to the coach to read out loud.
The idea is that if you're not projecting, that person is generally going to think you're saying something other than what is actually being said. Or they're going to be like "I have no idea."
For example, the cheer might have a line that says: Blue. gold. white. These Cats are out of sight.
Team does that cheer. They're singing the words, they're yelling from the wrong place, not really enunciating. Or they're not loud enough at all and the person in the stands can't even hear them well enough to make out anything.
The person writes "Blue. gold. white. ????" The coach tells the team that the person at the top of the bleachers didn't even know the last line.
Hilarity ensues sometimes because that person at times fills in what they THINK is being said (because they can't understand) and it is way off.
2. When coaching a cheer camp, a coach made her team lay on their backs and yell the words to cheers. She said if it hurts, “you're not using your diaphragm”. It sounds like a good idea! She liked to do it as a "break" so the girls could lay down for a second.
3. Spread cheer and promote crowd involvement by smiling and using your cheer voice. Pronounce every word clearly through enunciation to initiate words and syllables smoothly. Wear a smile at all times and practice maintaining your poise. Team spirit must be felt the entire duration you’re cheering during games, win or lose.
Learn and discuss how tone of voice is used in cheerleading. Role play saying the same thing quietly, then energetically and finally in a cheerleader voice.
Appearance
When you decided to cheer you sign on to be an ambassador to your school or league. Keep your appearance clean, friendly, and approachable. Keep makeup light and remove jewelry.
Pre-Game
Arrive early! Cheerleaders should be at the game at least thirty minutes prior to kick off (or the time designated by your coach). Warm up all important skills before the game begins.
Arrive performance ready! If you’re supposed to show up in uniform, that includes shoes, socks, bows, etc.
National Anthem
During the national anthem, stand in proper lines. Keep your hands at your waist, behind you back, or right hand over your heart. Stand still and silent until the final note is sung.
Team/Player Introduction
Your job is to get the crowd on their feet. No matter how you celebrate the entrance of the team, remember that the focus should remain on the team/players, not on the cheerleaders.
Remember, you cheer for your own team during introductions — not against the other team.
Hospitality
Maintain good manners. Cheerleaders serve as the welcoming committee for the visiting school, or league, and their fans. Think of the visiting team as guests at an event you are hosting.
Keep your cheers positive and directed at your own team. Rooting for the other team’s failure shows poor sportsmanship.
Want to take your hospitality to the next level? Bring a cooler of bottled water to the visiting team’s cheerleaders before the game. Your captains can also invite the visiting team to light snacks at halftime.
Sideline Smarts
Keep cheers and stunts simple and easy to follow. Carry out a touchdown tradition after every score. Regardless of the score, cheerleaders happily encourage their team until the bitter end. Steer clear of “boos.” Instead, counter them; use a traditional chant to change the crowd’s focus.
Throughout the game, keep sideline conversation minimal.
Injured Player
Take a knee and stay quiet until the player (of either team) has left the field. For a prolonged injury, you may gather as a group. But, keep your focus on the player. Clap as the athlete walks off.
Know Your Role
As your school’s most visible athletes, your primary role is to build a sense of community and school spirit both on and off the playing field. Whether cheering at games, running a pep rally, organizing alumni functions or hosting visitors, always conduct yourself in a manner that brings enthusiasm to your school and unity to your community.
Discuss why the cheerleader’s attitude and appearance should be portrayed this way.
Stretching
Before you do anything else, you should start your practice with an active warm up. Warm ups will get your blood flowing and help loosen up your muscles. When you cheerlead, your body moves in a number of different directions, so you want to choose warm up routines that move in a number of different planes of motion, too.
One of the easiest ways to start a warm up routine is simply to jog around the gym for several minutes, or the track around the football field one time.
Start a slow jog around while you practice doing cheers:
At the first corner (turn) of the court (field) start Skipping:
At the next corner(turn) start Bounding:
And at the last corner (turn) start Jogging backward.
Other options include:
Jumping Jacks.
T-Jacks.
Sliding from side to side.
Doing a chorus line by bringing your right knee up and then doing a high kick then you switch to the left leg and do it again. This will help stretch those leg muscles and help you maintain your balance.
Dancing! Just put on some music and dance your heart out.
Your entire warm up should take about eight to 10 minutes to complete, and should make you feel a little tired, but loosened up.
Why is stretching so important? What can happen to our bodies if we do not stretch before exercising?
Learn A Cheer
Have someone who is a cheerleader or coach teach you some of the basic elements of cheerleading.
While you are going to learn the exact and precise movements during practice, it doesn’t hurt to have some of the basics under control. Jumping Jacks and T-Jumps are the basis for many of the routines. Have your Mom or Dad help you perfect your handstand at home which will help you land your cartwheels at practice, will make everyone feel satisfaction in a job well done.
Then pull it all together into a cheer. Practice new moves in front of your family or other members of your group.
Perform A Cheer
Learn a cheer and perform it in a public venue for your school team or league.
Craft
Dress up and take some pictures in your cheerleading outfits. Make a frame out of Popsicle sticks, or other medium, to save your special shot.
Create a spirit stick!
Cheerleading Through the Years
Talk to coaches and find out how cheerleading has changed over the years. Find out what purposes cheerleader’s serve and how cheerleading has transformed into a sport in recent years.
Famous Cheerleaders
Actress Sandra Bullock and President George W. Bush were both cheerleaders in their youth. Research other famous cheerleaders and discuss how cheerleading skills might help in your future career plans.
Share Your Knowledge
Teach a younger group some warm-up exercises and a cheer and help them perform it for their families. If your group is the youngest, teach another group of your same age.