[IISnakE]

Okay Folks... let's have a positive healthy discussion of the key elements of cheer leading. What, in your opinion, is the most important aspect of cheer leading in a game situation?

Stunting
Crowd Rapport
Gymnastics
Great Smiles & Eye contact
Sidelines Dance Routines
Jumps
Great Motions
Organization (this would be where the girls know what they are doing and do it without having to be coached... like order of cheers and so forth for pre-game, floor cheers, short timeouts etc.)

Feel Free to combo items, if you feel so moved. I hope this thread can help any young cheer leaders out there! Please also add some reasons or extend your answers... in other words tell us why you have chosen a specific item (s)! I look forward to the responses!

[*SC*Cards*FaNaTiC*]

I like everything you put. My favorite would have to be gymnastics. I think it looks so good if during a timeout most of the girls on a team start tumbling across the court. I also think good crowd interaction and "band" interaction is important. I am firm believer that a team should have a dance for every song the band plays. Most of all, I think a team needs excitement. Nobody likes a boring cheerleader. It's totally an oxymoron.

[Beetle01]

looks

[IISnakE]

LOL.... well, yeah... there's that... but girls don't exactly think of that one to list...LOL... so I take it you are a gentleman. Besides "looks"... what gets your attention as far as cheer leaders are concerned?

[IISnakE]

I like everything you put. My favorite would have to be gymnastics. I think it looks so good if during a timeout most of the girls on a team start tumbling across the court. I also think good crowd interaction and "band" interaction is important. I am firm believer that a team should have a dance for every song the band plays. Most of all, I think a team needs excitement. Nobody likes a boring cheerleader. It's totally an oxymoron.

I totally agree with enlisting the particiaption of the "band". I have noticed that the "band" concept has changed somewhat... it's now more "thumpin' & twangin'"... with electric basses and guitars. The brass sections are few and far between, but I have been to schools during each season who actually still have traditional high school band sounds... the 16th regional tournament always has some great bands... but I digress...
I'd love to see Superintendents call in their band directors, cheer coaches, and pep club leaders to enlist their help in working together to present a united performance! It is done in other regions around the 15th. I agree that cheer squads should have a routine to every song ... and while we're on it... it's time to toss the "jam box" approach to sideline dance routines for goodness sakes and have your music burned to cd for play on your sound system. Coordinate live music and canned music with pep club and cheer leaders... this approach is actually called "doing it the way it's supposed to be done... orrrr doing what you're being paid to do". If coaches or leaders do what they are supposed to do... nine chances out of ten, the kids will be the benefactors and everyone's happy and proud to be a part!

[*Central_Cheer_Chick]

All of the options have an important part, but I'd say THE most important from this list would be:

Crowd involvement and Organization

As I have stated before, as cheerleaders our main priority is to lead cheers and support our teams. Yes it is nice to be able to do that AND have all those elite skills, but before you worry about competition you need to foucs on the basics, or else you'll fall apart in the long run.

To lead cheers, you need to get the crowd involved. That is your job as a cheerleader. You have to make the crowd want to get up and yell with you. You have to have that energy about you and be excited about what is going on. Signs and megaphones always get the crowd's attention. Along with great synchronization (jumps or stunts at a key point in a cheer), but that also falls under organization.

Organization is very key. I absolutely hate it when squads just stand around. Cheers should be constantly going (unless of injury, etc). And you also want to know what is going on in the game. Cause you might feel a little silly if you are yelling 'offense' during defense. (happened several times) Knowing what floor cheer you are doing at what time is important too. It is so sloppy when squads just look around at each other and the coaches and have no idea what is going on! That is why practice is very important.

[EKY Sportster]

All of the options have an important part, but I'd say THE most important from this list would be:

Crowd involvement and Organization

As I have stated before, as cheerleaders our main priority is to lead cheers and support our teams. Yes it is nice to be able to do that AND have all those elite skills, but before you worry about competition you need to foucs on the basics, or else you'll fall apart in the long run.

To lead cheers, you need to get the crowd involved. That is your job as a cheerleader. You have to make the crowd want to get up and yell with you. You have to have that energy about you and be excited about what is going on. Signs and megaphones always get the crowd's attention. Along with great synchronization (jumps or stunts at a key point in a cheer), but that also falls under organization.

Organization is very key. I absolutely hate it when squads just stand around. Cheers should be constantly going (unless of injury, etc). And you also want to know what is going on in the game. Cause you might feel a little silly if you are yelling 'offense' during defense. (happened several times) Knowing what floor cheer you are doing at what time is important too. It is so sloppy when squads just look around at each other and the coaches and have no idea what is going on! That is why practice is very important.

I agree with you! You have to have crowd involvement and organization. Stunting would be my last choice. It is nice if the squad is good and does it well, but the first priority at games is to get the crowd involved in the game and not just to go out to center court and perform a routine as if it were a cheerleading competition. I like the band/sound system/cheerleader coordination idea that was mentioned too. I think the megaphone is a big crowd booster but isn't used much by most squads.

But there are two things I hate about the current cheerleading situation: (1) seeing cheerleaders standing around looking unfocused and acting as if they could care less if they were even there; and (2) not attending the away games!!!

[*Central_Cheer_Chick]

I completely agree!

[IISnakE]

I agree with you! You have to have crowd involvement and organization. Stunting would be my last choice. It is nice if the squad is good and does it well, but the first priority at games is to get the crowd involved in the game and not just to go out to center court and perform a routine as if it were a cheerleading competition. I like the band/sound system/cheerleader coordination idea that was mentioned too. I think the megaphone is a big crowd booster but isn't used much by most squads.

But there are two things I hate about the current cheerleading situation: (1) seeing cheerleaders standing around looking unfocused and acting as if they could care less if they were even there; and (2) not attending the away games!!!

Well, check you out... over here in the cheer threads! :p
I am happy to see you here and couldn't agree more! It BLOWS my mind to see cheer leaders just standing around, talking to each other in lineup, talking with friends in the crowd, chatting up the coach (who knows better) and that most massive taboo is eating and drinking in the lineup and leaning against the wall.... if they're that bored/get off the floor, if they're hungry/have a lite meal before the game, if they're social life is more important/hit the bleachers.
As for not attending away games... most schools have title 9 obligations and choose to cheer home games for girls and boys while foregoing the away games for both. I do believe attending District games, that are "away", is a good & necessary thing.
I too, enjoy the use of megaphones and believe I have seen a few still in use @ games. I really believe that cooperation among Pep Club Leaders & Cheer Coaches added to Band Directors and Sound Techs would produce an amazing spirit raising effect @ games and make the experience fun and memorable for all involved! There again... there's always the "enema" for some crowds.

[catsfan072]

In being a good cheer squad all things are needed. In just cheering an effective game, I would definitely have to say organization. Without organization you just look awful standing around looking confused. That's why I always loved cheering for Prestonsburg. Pre-game had a set routine for everything, every girl had set cheers to start, stunt cheers were assigned to certain girls, and were spaced out so everyone would know when to do them, and wouldn't get confusd on what was going on. Floor cheers were also the same way; there was a specific order so no one got confused. As for crowd involvment, I think it's very necessary but sometimes the crowd just doesn't help out no matter how good the cheerleaders are. As long as cheerleaders are peppy and look happy with what they're doing then the crowd doesn't matter.

I think the worst thing KHSAA did was make the rule cheerleaders can't tumble across the line during games. However, most squads still do when they aren't being judged. Our fans always told us their favorite part of the game sometimes was when we had tumbling wars with other squads, lol.

[catsfan072]

Also about away games.. that burns me up too. I can understand some games, because on school nights some games are pretty far away. I think cheering district games and important regional games, or just any game that is going to be a good game is a must. With Title IX squads have to cheer for girls and boys both, and sometimes girls don't want to cheer back to back games but honestly if you don't it's pure laziness because it's only going to build up your stamina. Nothing made me more mad then when girls on my squad would say they didn't want to cheer both games, which made us cheer just for girls, instead of boys. Cheering against other cheerleaders is the fun part, if you don't ever cheer away games then you never get to experience that!

[IISnakE]

Here's the deal on the title 9 issue thingy... If you have two cheer squads within your schoool and they are of equal talent and ability, then one can cheer girls and one can cheer boys. Now.... don't say it can't be done... Pikeville Maroon and Pikeville White are doing it. Soooo if your school has a decent middle school or JV squad and a decent varsity squad, you might just be able to qualify for equal status! Talk about great experience for the younger gals!
I loved cheering away games as much as home games... getting to see what other squads are doing is alot of fun! We also had a great time in the van! Back in the day, the coaches didn't want the cheer leaders eating @ the same restaurant... so we'd eat next door!LOL!!!

[IISnakE]

An update.. according to the KHSAA Pikeville had their audit and now both squads are cheering for boys as well as girls! (the maroon and white squads are cheering for the boys and the girls teams!) I thinks it's wonderful that this small school has managed to create not one, but two squads, grades 7-12, who are qualified (or at least equal in talent) to cheer for both teams! Brava!! There is no excuse for any other schools to not be able to produce two squads of equal talent to do likewise.

[Ashlovestocheer]

All of the options have an important part, but I'd say THE most important from this list would be:

Crowd involvement and Organization

As I have stated before, as cheerleaders our main priority is to lead cheers and support our teams. Yes it is nice to be able to do that AND have all those elite skills, but before you worry about competition you need to foucs on the basics, or else you'll fall apart in the long run.

To lead cheers, you need to get the crowd involved. That is your job as a cheerleader. You have to make the crowd want to get up and yell with you. You have to have that energy about you and be excited about what is going on. Signs and megaphones always get the crowd's attention. Along with great synchronization (jumps or stunts at a key point in a cheer), but that also falls under organization.

Organization is very key. I absolutely hate it when squads just stand around. Cheers should be constantly going (unless of injury, etc). And you also want to know what is going on in the game. Cause you might feel a little silly if you are yelling 'offense' during defense. (happened several times) Knowing what floor cheer you are doing at what time is important too. It is so sloppy when squads just look around at each other and the coaches and have no idea what is going on! That is why practice is very important.

So true. I Agree.

[billbill]

Organization

[RebelYell]

It takes a combination of those topics to be a good cheerleader!! No one watches a squad with good eye ontact and smiles if they don't have skills.... I think squads should participate in a good UCA summer camp ...then go to a more private camp before starting their year off so skills and stunts are in place..then it should be mandatory for ALL cheerleaders to take gymnastics..then therefore its the coaches job to ensure the girls have good motions, jumps, and look sharp & Clean

[*Central_Cheer_Chick]

Good ideas, but they all take money and not every squad has the funds to do these things

[RebelYell]

well lets see first you would have to funraise like most squads do...then what isn't raised the parents or school or boosters have to pick up the tab.....anyway when an girl decided to cheer price, and all of that is usually addressed in the meeting....

Name one school that is GOOD and has WON something that doesn't have a gymnastics coach,choreographer and etc.....NONE that I know of:welcome:

[*Central_Cheer_Chick]

Of course you would have to fundraise, and I'm sure that parents would help as much as possible. But most schools don't help their cheerleaders. I'm just saying that this isn't the case with EVERY squad. Not every school has the resources that these 'good' squads do. You can get a lot of these things without paying big bucks, but most arent willing to do things on their own.

[LCcheerchick]

Definetly a smile, I hate seeing a cheerleader look drained and out of energy in the middle of a game.

[Cheerleader_24]

I think good attitudes and how you work and how much you get the cround pumped up.

[abc14]

Its All Important. Cheerleaders Have To Be Mulit-Taskers. They Have To Be Entertaining And Supportive Of Their Team At The Same Time.