Back to School Refresher: Roles of a Cheerleader

It’s time to say goodbye to pool days and #UCAcamp and hello to your new class schedule and #UCAgameday! Now that you and your teammates are heading back to school, UCA encourages teams to focus on all aspects of cheerleading – Crowd Leading, Spirit Raising, Ambassadorship, Athleticism and Entertainment! You learned at summer camp how to lead within your school and community, now it’s time to put it into action!

Crowd Leader: Great crowd leading strengthens unity among the fans, encourages sportsmanship and fosters school spirit. The primary focus should always be on the game and elevating the experience of the crowd. You learned how to be an effective crowd leader at #UCAcamp and now is time to implement all of those techniques!

Spirit Raiser: Your role as a cheerleader means that you exemplify school spirit not only on game days, but every day! Cheerleaders have a unique opportunity to be a positive influence on the entire student body. Students with higher levels of school spirit are more likely to feel more of a connection to their schools and are more likely to perform academically above average.

Ambassador: Cheerleaders are ambassadors of the school. You are a leader and role model in your community, and that is not a role to be taken lightly. It is important to lead by example. This means applying yourself to your school work and showing up to class. Also, as an ambassador and role model you should always be using social media in a responsible and positive way.

Athlete: Cheerleading requires strength, flexibility, endurance and technique to execute skills used during crowd leading, spirit raising and entertainment. Cheerleaders should be dedicated to improving a variety of skills throughout the year. Between practices, school work, performances, games, part-time jobs, and other responsibilities it is very important to take care of yourself. This includes eating healthy, exercising often and getting enough sleep.

Entertainer: Cheerleaders use their crowd leading tactics, spirit and athleticism to entertain! Timeouts, Halftimes, and spirit raising events are your time to shine! Perform dances, stunts, and jumps with skill and confidence – the entire student body may be watching! Pep rallies are also a great time for high energy performances to pump up your student section for a big #UCAGameDay!

By fulfilling these roles, your team will have a positive impact on school spirit and that will translate to a great #UCAGameDay!  UCA wants to see your team under the Friday night lights! Use the hashtag #UCAGameDay to share your photos and videos with us! You might even see your team featured on @UCAUpdates Instagram.