Perfection is key. Every movement must be complete, concise and sharp. Teams are judged on every detail from tumbling to the shade of the girl’s tans. Squads continuously run the risk of a girl pulling, tearing, or even breaking something in what is one of the most dangerous sports for young girls. Welcome to the world of competitive cheerleading where the emphasis is often on the competitive.
“The most important thing in cheer is to keep up with you competition and always making sure that you are ahead of them,” freshman Alyson Sudak said.
Competitive cheer is no one’s hobby, because it is so demanding. One must be dedicated to do it.
“I am 100 percent dedicated to cheerleading and my team,” freshman Madison Hodge said. “This sport takes a lot more practice than what most people who don’t cheer would think”
Many may think that competitive cheerleading is performing yells and doing stunts, when in reality it is much more. Teams can perform dance routines, tumbling, stunts and jumps all in one competition.
“The thrill of competing kept me motivated,” senior Miranda Hoemke said. “You stunt, dance, cheer and tumble all within a couple minutes. It is a very strenuous environment.”
These difficult competitions can make for some grueling practices. With some practices up to six hours long on the weekends, cheerleaders can become tired. However, many find this time valuable in forming relationships and a better skill set.
“Because I spend so much time with the girls on my team, we have become a family,” Sudak said. “We really rely on each other for everything, especially your stunt group because you work together the most.”
The intensity needed to compete helps build valuable friendships among participants. Spending hours with each other every week trying to get better, a sibling-like relationship develops on the squad.
“My team was like a family,” Hoemke said. “But, it was also like a sisterhood, because we had a love/hate relationship. It’s like we loved each other and built each other up and at the same time there would be tons of drama. The relationship was just like one sisters had.”
These relationships, as well as the drive to win motivates many cheerleaders. While individuals on a team may have their own agenda, they are all there for one purpose: to win at competition.
“It is so demanding because you always have to keep up with your competition and stay one step ahead,” Sudak said.
Naturally, this puts a lot of pressure on on the cheerleaders. Many of them find it hard to keep up with school friends during this tense time. They usually strive for everything to be just right the moment they begin to perform.
“You have to be really strong to be a competitive cheerleader,” Hodge said. “Competition season is really hard.”
Along with perfection in choreography and timing comes important details such as beauty, tans and hair. Cheerleaders are famously (or infamously) known for their tans, sky-high hair poofs, and intricate eye makeup. While the outside world may find these things ridiculous, they can be critical during judging.
“To be honest I could go without the spray tans, I actually hate them,” Hodge said. “But, I do have to get them for competitions.”
So, while others may view this sport differently, it is a culture to those involved. However, being a champion is only second to one thing: having fun.
“The whole process is really fun,” Sudak said. “However, you do go out there to win. We get to warm-up, see other teams compete, and get to go out there and show everyone what we are really made of.”
