What makes a great gameday cheerleader? I always picture a girl with an infectious smile, sharp motions and contagious enthusiasm. Not every cheerleader can portray this exact image for one major reason—not all cheerleaders are girls. For many guys, especially those who are new to cheerleading, games can be intimidating initially. We think about our stunts and our tumbling but we don’t always pay attention to our potential to be great game cheerleaders like our female counterparts.
Throughout basketball season we are constantly on the court during timeouts. Our coaches prepare us with stunts, tumbling, our fight song and other school specific traditions. What many cheerleaders are not always prepared for is the period between the planned timeout and the buzzer that indicates the end of our time on the court so that play can resume.
I, like many guys, used to find myself on the court after a planned timeout a little unsure of what to do. At the University of Kentucky we have taken a significant amount of time to pay attention to being the best game cheerleaders we can be. Our basketball team is currently ranked #1 in the country and our home games put us in front of over 23,000 fans regularly. Our performance is crucial as we do our best to entertain and encourage the crowd to cheer the Wildcats to a win each and every game.
There are three easy, but essential pointers that help us male cheerleaders do the best job we can during basketball games—our smile, our megaphone & our skills.
1. Smile Smiles are contagious. Smiles spread enthusiasm. Smiles show confidence. It is important that we look just as happy and enthusiastic as it is for the girls on our squad. We complement each other. It is the smallest thing that makes the biggest difference. There should never be a time when you’re out on the court that your teeth aren’t showing. 2. The Megaphone Our megaphone has many uses beyond simply yelling through it. Hold it in the air with one hand. Use it as an instrument and clap with the beat of the music. Hold it with both hands and use it as a sign. Many of our megs spell something. I always hold up my megaphone so that the crowd can read CATS. However you decide to use your megaphone on the court, do it with a smile.
3. Skills There should never be a time on the court where you are just standing idle. A great way to stay busy is to stunt. Get your stunt partner in the air and let her cheer. When you’re stunting at games make sure you have good grips so that your top girl feels like she is standing on the ground.
In addition to stunting, you can also tumble. We do standing tumbling at our designated corner of the court and running tumbling down the center basket to basket when the area is clear. This is usually a crowd favorite.
I hope that you guys find these tips helpful as you cheer your basketball games. Remember stay busy on the court, smile, have fun and enjoy the experience. We are truly fortunate to sit courtside during basketball season, so make sure you do your part to be the best cheerleader you can be.
