What’s in Your Cheer Bag?

Nervous? Excited? As you know, competition day brings on a whirlwind of emotions. From sticking your tumbling pass to hitting your stunts, there are so many components of competition day that require upfront preparation. Use this survival guide to make sure you’re prepared physically and mentally for an ideal competition day.

Competition Survival Guide:

Anything can hap-pin.

Be the hairo by bringing extra bobby pins for your teammates. You never know when someone will have a hairmergency that only a bobby pin can fix.

Band together.

Throw in some extra hair bands for anyone who may have forgotten their own – a necessity for any cheerleader and a reminder to stay flexible throughout the competition.

Brush it off.

Bring your hairbrush along to fix any “wispys” or “flyaways” that happen during warm-ups or in the practice room. You’ll want to take the floor with confidence from head to toe.

Take a bow.

Speaking of head to toe, you can’t forget your bow! Double check with your teammates to make sure you’ve packed the right one and remind them to pack theirs too!

I’m hair for you.

Never underestimate the power of a last minute hairspray session before you take the floor. We all want picture perfect competition-day hair. Take no chances. Bring extra hairspray, just in case.

Stay charged up.

Imagine this: You just competed. Your team hit and you want to capture this incredibly memorable moment by taking a few selfies and team pics. You pull out your phone, open the camera app, and . . . your phone dies. Save yourself the heartache; pack your phone charger and seize the opportunity to ‘charge up’ when you can.

Set the bar.

Bring a protein bar for a quick snack back to reality. You exert a lot of energy during competition day and this is the quickest way to refuel. Be teammate of the year and bring a few extra to share!

The tides may turn.

Accidents happen, and the last thing you want to worry about on competition day is that lunch stain on your uniform. Bring a Tide Pen for last minute touchups from an accidental food fight between you and yourself.

Water you talking about?!

Decorate water jugs with your team before competition day. You never know where the water fountains will be located at the competition venue. Better to be safe than thirsty!

Don’t forget your solemates.

With everything else you have to remember for competition day, don’t let one of your most important belongings slip your mind – your cheer shoes! Triple check those cheer shoes the night before. Make sure they’re competition worthy and ready to go.

While this guide serves as a helpful reminder, know that there are other essential items to not leave behind. From your uniform to deodorant, the list goes on and on.

Here’s a tip for less stress and anticipated success: Make a list, and check it twice. Include the necessary “to-dos” that will eliminate unwanted surprises and make for a positive and successful competition day. Good luck this competition season!