Lead The Crowd, Rule The Sidelines

It’s the first football game of the season. The stadium is packed. The game is tied with 10 seconds left and your team is on defense. Who can muster up enough noise to regain possession and help lead the team to victory? The cheerleaders of course! Use these spirit raising techniques to lead the crowd and rule the sidelines this fall.

Together as a team, cheerleaders can use their voices to inspire the crowd to rally together! One person alone only sounds like noise, whereas a joint effort with clear intentions of yelling a single phrase together can impact the outcome of a game. The next time your football team is in the red zone, begin a slow chant. As you continue, grow louder and more energetic!

Want to help your fans yell the words to your cheers at the right time? Be sharp! Hitting your motions together on exact words will give your fans visual timing to yell with you. Sharp signs will keep the rhythm and pace of sidelines, so even the students in the highest bleachers can shout the words at the right time.

One factor that gives all cheerleaders an extra edge is being personable. Chances are that the same parents, teachers and students will show up at every game and sit in the same section; this is your chance to make your own raving fans! Learn your fans’ names and make it a point to go say hello before the game starts or during halftime. You’ll be spending several hours cheering with them, so it’s a great idea to know who they are.

It’s true that smiling is contagious, but now it’s time to take it to the next level and make your excitement for your team contagious! Think back to Summer Camp. Do you remember how energetic the staff was? The energy you felt from them while they were demonstrating a cheer or sideline is what you should be aiming for. Smile, keep your poms at your waist, acknowledge your fans, dance along with the band and have FUN!

As a cheerleader, you have one of the best seats in the house — the sideline! There’s no better place to feel the intensity of a game than just yards away from the action, so let the crowd know how awesome it is. During plays, watch the game and react in ways that show you’re paying attention.

Try this: First down (offense) — Celebrate by waving your poms. Start a first down sideline. Third down (defense) — Build stunts and put up DE-FENSE signs. Keep yelling until the snap.

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By Ashley Draper / American Cheerleader Magazine

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