Handling the responsibilities of school and cheerleading takes a lot of time and effort. Taking on the role of cheerleading squad captain multiplies those responsibilities even more. It takes special qualities to be a good team captain, ones that require dedication to school and squad that goes beyond that of the other cheerleaders. Those looking to become captain of their squad in the future should prepare now and get a jump on their competition.

Being a role model for the rest of the squad is what being captain is all about. Showing up early for practice and putting in extra time after should come naturally to a potential captain. Demonstrating a positive attitude during practices and at school is also important. A captain should set an example to their squad pride by wearing their cheerleading apparel around school to promote their school spirit.

The captain should treat all members of the squad with respect and consideration. It should be the captain that helps in matter of dispute and who avoids getting personally involved in the distracting matters.

A captain needs to be the most organized cheerleader on the squad. It is not only their responsibility to take care of themselves; they need to take care of the squad. They must make sure each member remembers to bring everything from their cheerleading uniforms to their cheerleading pom poms each and every event.

Practice makes perfect and a captain is usually going to be one of the best cheerleaders on the squad. Part of the captain’s job is to help other cheerleaders who may be struggling with stunts, choreography or routines. It’s important that a captain know enough about the sport to be able to help the coach out with the planning of routines and choreography.

Look for part two for more tips on becoming your squads next captain.

Popularity: 40% [?]

Staying healthy is the key to a great season. It’s devastating to a squad when a cheerleader becoming injured midway through a season. Staying healthy is never guaranteed, but with the right preparation and the right gear, the chances of injury are greatly reduced.

Having the correct cheerleading apparel is an important part of getting ready for practice and camp workouts. You don’t’ see football players wearing street clothing to workouts and cheerleaders shouldn’t either. Always work out with the proper cheerleading apparel to allow for proper range of motion and ventilation.

Every cheer practice, training session and event should start out with a session of stretching. Stretching is what leads to improved flexibility. While stretching, joints and ligaments receive larger amount of blood flow that allow them to move more freely. Through repeated stretching routines, a person’s range of motion will improve and they will become more flexible.

Consult with your coach about stretches you can utilize during team and individual workouts. For practice, the job of leading the squad through a thorough stretch routine should be in the hands of the coach or the squad captain. A normal stretching routine only take about 5 to 7 minutes to complete and it can be all that is necessary to prevent pulled muscles and more serious injuries. Repeat stretches again at the end of workouts to assist with cooling down.

Replace worn out cheerleading shoes and replace them with new models. Athletic shoes don’t have a long use life and wearing old shoes can be potentially dangerous. Given time and use, the materials break down.

Pick out the right pair of cheerleading shoes that offer a decent amount of cushioning and ankle support.
With only a few simple steps, the likelihood of injury this season can be cut down significantly. Talk to your squad about further ways to stay healthy and perform well this season.

Popularity: 64% [?]

Cheerleading shoes suffer a lot wear and tear over the course of a school year. Like other types of athletic shoes, the standard wisdom is that they need to be replaced about every 6 months depending on how much they get used. After that amount of time the materials in the shoe that provide comfort and cushioning break down and cannot support the foot like they used to. Purchasing the right cheerleading shoes is the best way to guarantee quality and reduce the risk of injury. There are a few things to always consider when purchasing shoes:

Size: Getting the proper shoe size is step one in shoe shopping. Like each foot, each brand is a little different in their sizing. What feels like a women’s size 7 in one shoe may be more like an 8 in another shoe. Cheerleading shoes should not be too tight. Those who move around a lot during routines may want to allow an extra half size or full size as the foot tends to swell during athletic activity.

Fit: Fit can often get interpreted to mean the same thing as size but fit is as much about personal preference as about foot type. Depending on a person’s foot width and foot arch, certain brands may work better with their foot type. When people understand how different brands fit they tend to develop brand loyalty toward that brand.

Price: Cheerleading shoes vary in price from around $20 and up to $50+. Usually, the higher the investment, the more stability and cushioning that the shoe will have. For those who need shoes with more stability, a little extra investment may be necessary to get the necessary support to avoid injuries.

Style: Depending on the school, cheerleaders may be required to purchase the exact same or similar footwear. While some cheerleading shoes come in all white, other have changeable colored strips on the side to match each school’s cheerleading uniforms.

Keeping this information on hand can be helpful in avoiding injury, getting the appropriate shoe and estimating how much shoes will cost. Good luck!

Popularity: 54% [?]

Knowing the vocabulary for cheerleading is as important as showing up to practice in the correct cheerleading apparel. After all, someone who doesn’t know what stunting is will probably not be very good at it. For the newcomer to cheerleading or for the veteran who wants to test their vocabulary, here is a list of some common cheerleading terms:

Arial: A round off without hands touching the floor.

Base: The person who remains on the ground during a stunting move and supports a flyer.

Captain: The leader of the squad.

Chant: A short yell repeated numerous times during a game to get the crowd excited.

Cheerleading Pom Poms: Ball shaped ornamental objects in decorative colors. Typically made out of metallic materials in numerous colors.

Cheerleading Uniforms: Usually consisting of a skirt and shell top made in school colors. Accessories include tights and long sleeved undergarments made for colder weather.

Catch Cradle: The position in which a base catches a person with one arm under the back and the other arm under the thighs.

Extension: Having the arms of the base fully reached out to support the flyer.

Flyer: The person who is put up in the air with the help of the base.

Layout: A tumbling maneuver where the body remains flat or with a slight arch.

Megaphone: Decorated cone shaped item used to amplify voice during cheers and chants.

Pyramid: A stunt in which the base supports multiple flyers with a single flyer at the top.

Routine: A choreographed set of moves.

Spotter: A person on the performance floor for support and safety but who is not being utilized as a primary support for a stunt. Makes sure no flyer hits the floor.

Stunt: A set activity in which members of the squad perform maneuvers such as tumbling, tossing, forming a pyramid, etc.

Popularity: 49% [?]

The best part about improving is that there are so many different ways to go about it. Every aspect of being a cheerleader offers yet another opportunity for improvement, either all at once or a little at a time, and whether or not the cheerleading uniforms are on or off.

Here is an exercise your squad can utilize to reach the next level. It’s about working on all the little things to improve as a whole. Do this: Ask each member of the squad to pick out one cheerleading related skill that they think they could use some work on. This could be anything from tumbling to stunting to knowing the cheers better. It could also be something outside of performing such as being a positive role model around school and wearing their cheerleading apparel to school more often. It is important to remember that being a cheerleader means bringing that same game time spirit to school each and every day.

Ask each squad member to spend the next few weeks working on that one particular skill. Encourage them to set a particular goal. Also have them write down something that they will reward themselves with if they accomplish their goal. This could be something fun like a new piece of cheerleading apparel or functional like new cheerleading shoes.

Each member’s individual goal can either be shared between squad members, or if preferred, can be shared only with the coach. It is only natural for some members to be a bit embarrassed by what they consider to be their weaknesses. By keeping the goals private, it is more likely they will be honest with themselves about what they need to work on.

At the end of the specified time, sit the squad back down and ask how effective the exercise was. If the squad found it to be useful, have them pick a different skill to focus on for another length of time.

Popularity: 44% [?]

No matter how close you are to the top, there are always ways to improve. Even championship cheerleading squads know that improvement means conquering new territory, even if that territory is located beyond the cheerleading pom poms. After all, cheerleading is more than just a sport, it is an attitude and a lifestyle of role modeling that takes place 24-7, every day.

As with any cheer squad or sports team, there is a difference between a talented bunch of individuals working alone and a talented group working together. If you have been seeing cliques within your squad or a lack of unity as of late, these are issues that if left unresolved, can hurt your squad in the long run. To take your squad to the next level, work on team building to foster improvement on the dynamics of the team and the relationships within it. This applies inside and outside of practice. For example, if your squad pays for their cheerleading uniforms out of pocket and a squad member is having trouble coming up with the money to pay for it, talk to the squad about helping her out. Being on a supportive team is to know that if the situation were reversed, your teammates would help you out just as much as you would them.

Look outside of practice for new territory to expand upon. A large part of cheerleading is done not in front of a crowd; it is done one on one. Sometimes to take your team to the next level it requires getting more involved in your school and community. Bring the drive and positive attitude that your squad uses everyday to contribute to a charitable fundraiser at your school. Volunteer in your community and have the squad contribute service hours. These are things that will take your squad to the next level in the public’s eye.

Make sure to wear at least some of your school’s cheerleading apparel to make sure that you and your school is recognized for its contribution!

Popularity: 44% [?]

Have you ever stopped to ask the question, “Where did cheerleading pom poms come from?” Okay, probably not, but you may now. These are things that you use every day at practice after all. Who ever thought of putting a colorful ball of metallic colors in the hands of chanting, dancing cheerleaders?

The answer was a man named Jim Hazlewood who holds the copyright for the modern pom pom. The origins of the pom pom in America go back to the 1930s when another man named Lawrence Herkimer created the design that was to be the predecessor to Hazlewood’s improved design. It was during that time in the 1930s that high schools and universities around the country began using cheerleading pom poms in their routines to dazzle the crowd and distract opponents.

More surprising is the fact that there was originally no such thing as cheerleading pom poms. The original name is pom-pon, hyphenated with an N on the end of the second word. The origin of the word pom-pon is French and is said to describe a cluster of brightly colored fabric. The use of the word pom pom is so widespread now though, that it can be found spelled both ways - with or without the hyphen - and taken to mean the same thing.

In modern times, pom poms have become synonymous with cheerleading and you can find them utilized by most every squad in the country on game days to get the crowd involved. School and university dance teams utilize pom poms in their routines as well to add color and showmanship to their performances.

You can find cheerleading pom poms sold in many variations, differentiated by size and handle design. Pom poms also come customized using different types of colored materials to fit every school’s unique color scheme.

Popularity: 61% [?]

In school, everyone is concerned about the first six letters of the alphabet (minus the E, but whose counting). When purchasing cheerleading uniforms, not much is different. Make the grade on you next cheerleading apparel order by keeping in mind the A through Fs of uniform ordering.

Affordability: Price is always one of the most important factors when shopping for team cheerleading uniforms. They need to be priced right so that the squad can afford them, but they also need to be the best choice of uniforms for the members of the squad. A quality retailer will be able to accommodate both of these needs.

Body Types: Every squad member has a unique body type. Take all of the different types into consideration when making the selection of a uniform. The uniform will need to be the best fit for all the squad members.

Comfort: Not too loose, not too tight. Ordering uniforms in comfortable fabrics and in the right size for each cheerleader is what is going to allow them the best movement and versatility.

Dress Code: Every school district has a different dress code. For coaches unfamiliar with a school’s dress code, remember to find out exactly the required skirt length is and how much the tops must cover.

Expertise: Choose the right company from which to order your cheer uniforms. Working with a specialized cheerleading apparel retailer means getting the best products available at the most competitive prices around. Large sporting goods retailers might offer cheerleading apparel but they won’t be able to offer the same level of customization, service and support as a company whose sole expertise is cheerleading.

Fashion: While considering all of the other factors involved, get the squad the look they want. They are the ones wearing them after all; they should be wearing the style they want!

Popularity: 51% [?]

Gearing up for cheerleading practice soon? Gear up with the best cheerleading shoes as well. The choices are endless but some are better than others. Here are 5 top cheerleading shoes from 5 of the top names in the business:

1. Chasse Rocket – This is a brand new model this year from Chasse Cheerleading Apparel. These all white and classically styled shoes are great for stability and comfort. The midsole is very comfortable and reduces impact from tumbling and stunting. Available in youth and adult sizes.

2. The Nike Sideline Cheer - Nike knows a thing or two about building performance enhancing, specialized shoes. This top quality shoe is designed with quality and technology in mind. Lightweight and flexible, they feature heel air-sole technology that offers enhanced cushioning. The Air Cheer Elite comes in all white. Available in adult sizes only.

3. The Nfinity Evolution – Adidas has put out an all around quality cheer shoe with the Classic. Classic styling with interchangeable color strips makes this shoe versatile and capable. Available in adult sizes only.

4. Asics Gel-Perfection – High technology hits cheerleading shoes. This all white shoe has a low profile and air mesh to reduce moisture and heat. The Gel cushioning system helps to reduce impact when landing stunts. Available in adult sizes only.

5. Converse Kick-Out – A top value in simple and traditionally styled cheerleading shoes. Comfortable and supportive, they are also a good fit for those with high arches. Interchangeable color straps included. Available in youth and adult sizes.

Try out a pair of these cheerleading shoes for this upcoming season. Watch out for special offerings this summer as well; larger team orders can sometimes garner a discount on larger quantities of certain shoes. Get yours early and break them in for the new season!

Popularity: 70% [?]

Take a breath of fresh air and relax this summer, you’ve earned it. Slowing things down is something that everyone should get to do during these beautiful summer months. Stay current with your fitness though because sure enough, before too long, school will be back in session. Football players will be back in pads and cheerleaders will be right back into their cheerleading uniforms. It’s in the fall that some cheerleaders begin to realize just how much relaxing they did during the summer. Cheerleading apparel gets tighter and fitness can become an issue. Don’t let this happen to you; stay in shape this summer with some simple tips and you won’t have to worry about getting back into shape this fall!

Cheerleaders on summer break should plan out some exercise activities that can help to keep them in shape. The difficult part of working out in the summer time is many tend to use their breaks for travel and vacation. It can be hard to get motivated and find time to exercise while on vacation. The trick is to pack some athletic cheerleading apparel and some cheerleading shoes. Make it a point to fit in a short jog or athletic activity every day. Incorporating a short amount of time for stretching and yoga too can help you keep the same level of fitness and flexibility that you achieved during the season.

Sign up for a Pilates or Yoga class to help encourage sticking to a fitness plan. Look around for a gymnastics clinic to work on your tumbling and stunting. The more concentrated on fitness you are in the summer, the easier the transition back to school and practice in the fall.

Remember to stay out and stay active this summer. Even running around on the beach is better exercise than sitting around a pool. Incorporate fitness into vacations and everyday activities and you will thank yourself come fall.

Popularity: 46% [?]