r/Cheerleading

hey guys so I cheer for a hs team and we started stunts recently like I’m new to the team and I’m small so they put me as a flyer but the problem is that by putting me as a flyer they replaced an older girl with soososos much more experience than me and I feel really bad and I don’t wanna fly anymore I will literally frontspot crowd lead whatever and I feel like everyone was secretly judging me for the last few practices for taking her spot like I flew in middle school but this is my first year being back on the team… any thoughts? should I talk to my coach to ask for a new position?

Does anyone have suggestions for shoes that work for both the football season and comp? I am a coach at a mountain school so we do get pretty wet conditions sometimes during football season.

Looking for more information about senior cheer groups especially in the DC area. We have the Wizdom, is there anything else?

Not looking for hate, but actual advice. Help her "sell me" on the idea of sticking with the sport.

And I'm not hating on any of the other athletes, parents, gyms, etc. Maybe this is unique to our gym/region/situation.

If I say "no", it will break her heart.

Our kids have played competitive sports their entire lives. Road trips, competitions/tournaments, private clinics, summer camps...they love sports and we love providing them that opportunity (money, support, etc)

Our daughter just finished her first year in cheer (Level 5) and she really enjoyed it, but I don't like how it has changed her. The attitude, snobby behavior, vanity, etc. It's just not who she normally is. She will be her "normal" self until she is at cheer and then it's another personality. Then the next day at her other sports, school, or just hanging out with friends, it's back to the normal personality. So this isn't just her becoming a teenager, or a "kid thing", it's the sport. It's the conversations the girls have, the posts they make, their entire outlook on other sports, and other kids.

The girls don't even seem to be that close, at least not compared to the other sports she is in. And I'm not just talking about how well she gets along with the others, the other girls don't seem to click well with each other either. After an event, they all go their separate ways. We are used to informal gatherings on the road, unstructured team meals with a few players or even the whole team end up at the same restaurant, playing in the pool after the competition/games are over. The "fun" stuff outside of the sport.

Her team did well - so this isn't about losing

She is one of the more talented athletes on the team (based on our observation and the coaches comments), so this isn't about her "not being in the spotlight" or getting the role she wanted. She nailed that part.

Background:

-If our daughter didn't do cheer, she would be playing other sports at an equally competitive level, so "being in sports" isn't valid argument because it would just be replaced with another competitive sport

- Her other sports cost just as much and require just as much travel so that cost/vacation time/time commitment isn't a selling point one way or the other

I just can't find anything positive to say about the experience so far. Show me the light! Tell me how this gets better.

I was recently doing tryout training for cheer and I noticed I do way worse with a new stunt group. With my old group I was doing switch ups to the top, ruby slipper to extended lib, plank ups, etc. With the new group I was in we could only hit 3 straight up extended libs. Stuff I could do with ease with my old group feels so difficult now. I have hit extended libs with many different groups so I might not be the problem with that one, especially considering both of my bases have never based before, but I was also receiving so many corrections so maybe I am. Everything just feels harder, my bajas, my full cradels. I just feel like a bad flyer honestly because it's stuff I should be able to do. I know that I might not always be the problem but I just always feel like it's my fault. Does anyone else experinace this? How do I fix it?

I saw a meme where cheerleaders were dancing inside cages because people were throwing things and money at them. It made me think about how normalized this whole setup is.

Male players play the game, female cheerleaders entertain the crowd, and somehow everyone accepts it as “part of sports culture.” But why exactly? Isn’t it also a marketing strategy built around the male gaze and keeping male audiences entertained?

Now women’s sports are growing too — especially women’s cricket in India. Stadiums today are filled with both male and female fans. So why don’t we see male cheerleaders for women’s teams with the same energy and visibility?

If the logic is “players need motivation from attractive dancers,” then why is that expectation gendered only one way?

And honestly, where’s the entertainment targeted toward female audiences in stadiums? Men get dancers and visual attraction marketed to them all the time. Women are single too 😭 where are the six-pack dudes dancing on the sidelines while the match happens?

I’m not even saying remove female cheerleaders completely. I’m asking why sports entertainment is still designed mostly around male-centered viewing culture.

Is this just tradition, marketing, or still a subtle form of patriarchy/stereotyping?

If possible send this to people of sports that may change outdated culture.

Our college cheer program has recently been informed that stunting will no longer be allowed moving forward due to liability concerns. it was supposed to be our first year, competing at Daytona, Florida. We raised the money and they took it away from us.

We understand that safety and risk management are important in any program. However, stunting is a core part of cheerleading and a major reason many of us joined the team. Without it, the structure and purpose of the program feel significantly changed.
As team members, we are now trying to understand what options we have and how to move forward in a respectful and productive way. We’re also unsure how decisions like this are typically reviewed or whether there is any process for reconsideration.
Right now, we are looking for guidance on:
How to professionally communicate concerns to administration
Whether there are appropriate channels to request review of the decision
How other programs have handled similar liability-based restrictions
What options exist when a program changes significantly from what was originally expected
We are not trying to create conflict — just looking for advice on how to advocate appropriately for the future of the program and ensure student voices are heard.
Any insight or experience from others who have dealt with similar situations would be appreciated.

Hi all!
My daughter is new(ish) to cheer, and her team is being considered for the Magical Championship of the World in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for 2027. We are from Canada.
When I went to the information night, us parents were told the cost of attending this will be $15,000 CAD ($11,000 USD) PER PERSON.
I knew this would not be a cheap competition… but does this seem insane?

I'm a cheer dad. I watch, and drive, and pay, and watch some more.

My daughter is 16. She has given everything to this sport. The early mornings, late practices, weekends, holidays. She works harder than most adults I know.

This season her team has been the best she's been on. Of the comps the went to 60% they won 40% they were first in day one and then last on day two due to issues. Such is the way it goes.

They were riding into Summit yesterday with the absolute possibility of winning. However yesterday at Summit, her team had a fall in their pyramid.

I've watched them hit that sequence a thousand times. But this is cheerleading, and cheerleading doesn't care about your thousand perfect reps. It only remembers the one that counts.

Watching my daughter walk off that floor with that look on her face. You cheer parents know the look. The one where they're trying to hold it together before they get off the mat.

I don't have a point to make here. I just needed to say it somewhere that people would actually get it.

This sport is brutal. The highs are the highest highs I've ever seen my kid experience. And the lows are absolutely devastating.

I don't know how she keeps coming back. But she does.

Hug your cheer kid tonight. And best of luck to the teams who made it to day 2 today.

after 2 years of cheer, I didnt make the team I tried out and made last year. I was so confident going into this tryout and now I’m just confused. I have high and flexible jumps, can tumble and didn’t forget the dance at all. I quit mid season last year so I’m thinking that’s why as many girls without experience made the team. I sent an email but I’m feeling really upset right now. I sent an email trying to explain why I quit mid season but I don’t know if that effected anything. On a side note, I have over 1k left over from that season in the cheer teams bank account and when I asked for it back I was just told to tryout again but now I’m lost.

My daughter is 4 (5 in October) and she currently does gymnastics (twice a week) since she was 2, and Dance(ballet/tap) since she was 3. Now she wants to try Cheer.

Great okay! I signed her up for pk sideline Cheer in town for the fall season. However she does NOT want to give anything up. (She wants to do it all)

My first question is with the activities she currently has what should we adjust in order to prevent burnout? Shes also homeschooled so we atleast have that.

My second question is what is the difference between all-star and sideline? Am I doing her a disservice if she wants to compete later on by not starting her early?

Third what skills should we work on? Does sideline Cheer at 4 even utilize gym skills or. . .?

Finally what is the culture like? Especially here in TEXAS. I dont fit in well with dance moms, let alone cheer moms. Im alt, but Hella supportive of my daughter. We show up, encourage, and do our best. I know texas. I know how they feel about cheer and football. What am I signing us for? 😭

Hey all!

For reference we have had two kids in cheer for around the past 12 years. My daughter has been on her middle school team for the past 2 years (the school is only 3 years of grades) so this year would be her "senior" year. Last year for the first time in the school history they got a medal! This also means for the first time in the schools history (and for her)they can go to worlds.

After tryouts we found out she did not make the team ( I know this happens please read)

We asked the coach what she needs to work on and what we can tell her led to this choice because she was devastated of course. The coach said that she should work on motions, and that some paperwork was never turned in(which was required to even try out and never mentioned to us while attending open gyms and talking to the coach)

She also said that my daughter was less coachable than she wanted for a returning athelete.

I'm not denying she has her flaws but I feel like these are quite minor to strip her of a chance at worlds on a team she helped build up for their first medal ever. She organized outside practices at open gyms with others on the team once a week to help push this team to that medal.

I guess what I want is perspective. Is that bad coaching? Do I intervene more? Shes already accepted at this point she cant cheer this year but she doesn't really even know why

*bad title but I don’t really know what to put, I also wish I had tags to put on this*

I had a competition yesterday. Everything was going great throughout the routine. When we get to pyramid, my stunt group falls. My flyer (I’m backspot) was moving to a lib and fell out. She’s not usually a flyer and is “new” to flying with us. Pyramid during practice and warmup before we performed was perfect. She fell backwards to the left and since I had my grips on her right leg I wasn’t able to push her back up. I think that’s partially her fault because she moved her leg at the wrong time, but it’s my fault too. I feel so guilty because (I believe) that was our only deduction, and if I got her back up I think we would’ve hit zero. We placed third (of five teams) and went up one place since our last competition. I’m not upset about our placement, but I’m upset because I feel like I let my team down.

Not really sure why I’m making this post but it’s been replaying in my head and I needed to get it out somewhere

My girl has a cheer competition tomorrow (UK based). My partner and I have completely forgot to get her a pair of cheer shoes for the competition. How badly will it affect the performance? How would it affect her coach(es) if she was to wear white trainers or even white socks?

Thank you

Hi! I’m a mom of a 12 year old who has been cheering since first grade (club competition and sideline at school). She joined a gym for tumbling and now she wants to try out for their team. I’m okay with it. I understand it’s a huge time commitment as well as financial commitment. I don’t know the first thing about it!? Levels?? What determines this?? Basically idk anything!! Help!!!