1. Physical Endurance

Cheerleading is a great cardio workout! Cheers typically only last a couple of minutes BUT THEY ARE PACKED with jumps, punchy motions, basket tosses, and tumbling. Repetitive cheers to get the crowd into the game is a great vocal workout as well. 

2. Strength Training

Cheerleading is a full body core workout, from balancing on your toes, to jumping, to being the back spot person. 

3. Flexibility

From back bends and squats, to pull ups and muscle lengthening exercises, Cheerleaders are experts at stretching before, during and after their routine practices in order to keep down injury. They tape up their ankles, wrists, and knees. They wear back braces. They truly put themselves at risk for the love of their sport. 

4. Coordination

Not all cheerleaders have this if they didn’t learn it at a young age, but practice in front of a mirror makes perfection. Many cheer rooms are covered in full length mirrors so the Cheerleaders can see themselves in action.

5. Team player and Leadership skills

 Ask any Cheerleader and they will tell you it takes GREAT listening skills, intuition and empathy to be a part of a team.  They work so hard and at the end of the day have to learn to rely on each other for encouragement, and teamwork.  Afterall, it’s only your teammates that know EXACTLY what you are going through.  

Cheerleaders become lifelong friends, often not in the intense moments of practice, but years later when they have perspective on what they all went through together. 

Some will devote entire website pages devoted to their former squads.  For instance, my former cheerleaders and I have a “Sisterhood of the Travelling Plaid” facebook group for former Hazard High School Cheerleaders.