[6]: Wimps Life Weights, Cheerleaders Lift People
One of the most common things that people identify with cheerleading are the stunts that cheerleaders do, but what people don’t realize is how difficult it is to achieve the preciseness needed to implement a stunt correctly. People always say “oh yeah, I can lift somebody up,” but can you lift somebody up in a manner timely with the beat of the music and within the right 8-counts? No? I didn’t think so. I’m just going to list and describe some of the basic stunts used in cheerleading to achieve those immaculate pyramids and tricks you see us cheerleaders do in competitions. First we have to discuss the makings of what we call a Stunt Group. A Stunt Group is composed a five people: The Flyer (the person being lifted into the air,) the Bases -- Secondary and Main Base, also known as Papa and Mama Base (the two people holding the Flyer’s feet,) the Back-spot (the person that lifts the Flyer from behind,) and the Front-spot (the person in the front of the stunt group that helps the two Bases by holding their ankles as they life the Flyer). Without all of these elements, stunting would be impossible. The only person that isn’t completely needed is the Front-spot; they are only needed for stunts that last a long time or for pyramid stunts, but they are not necessary for basis stunting. They are more like back-up than anything. These five people come together to make the basics of the immaculate stunting you see on cheerleading movies, on cheerleading competitions at school, and even anything as basic as the stunts the cheerleaders at your school may do. For anybody that thinks stunting is easy because it’s “just lifting people,” think again. Stunting is the main reason why people say that cheerleading is the most dangerous women’s sport out there. Flyers get dropped and end up with fatal injuries. I, personally, have had flyers fall on my and bust my lip, girls on my squad have gotten their noses broken because a flyer fell on them the wrong way, and so on and so on. And these are just the minor injuries. My freshman year of high school, we accidently dropped one of our flyers as we were practicing a stunt right before a pep rally and she broke her wrist. Another year, one of our flyers fell on her back and was barely able to walk because she fractured her tail bone. Stunting is not something to be taken lightly, and anybody who thinks that it’s “just lifting people” can think again.
1. “Basics of Basing” about.com. About.com, Cheerleading.
<http://cheerleading.about.com/od/learningcheerstunting/l/bltips_basing.htm>
This article gives the basics on basing, and gives some great tips about what it takes to be a good base for your stunt group. This article discusses how each individual role in the stunt group is important, and that no role is more important than the other, meaning that every role is crucial to the success of the group.
This article definitely reiterates what I was saying in my blog posting about the importance of each individual role in the stunt group. No one’s role is more important than the others, and all of these positions put together make for a truly successful stunt group on a cheerleading team.
2. "Stunting on the Beach." Myrtle Beach, SC. Personal photograph taken by Kaylan Puckett. 21 May 2011. <http://s1191.photobucket.com/albums/z476/alexisjohnson12/?action=view¤t=250371_1637122302774_1678246044_1155457_946414_n.jpg>
This is a picture of me and my friends stunting on the beach. As you can see, the two bases, back-spot, and of course the flyer are all present, but a front-spot was unnecessary for this basic stunt. This basic stunt is the main building block for all of the more difficult stunts that we do.
This picture ties in with my blog posting by displaying the stunt group that I have been talking about. As you can clearly see, everybody in the group is dependent upon everybody else, and the stunt would not be possible without each of us doing our part adequately. Nobody’s role is most or least important.
3. Awesome Cheerleading Stunts part 5. Youtube Video. 25 March 2009.
< http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi6Lv6J44fg&feature=related>
This video displayed a bunch of different cheerleading stunts. Although not all of the stunts required all of the people in the stunt group’s role, a lot of the stunts emphasized just how important each position in the stunt group is. The video showed stunts that required just one base or the whole stunt group, and it is interesting to see how the different positions can be implemented to suit a stunt.
I feel like this video tied in with my journal posting by showing the different ways that all of the positions in a stunt group can be transformed, added and subtracted to make a multitude of different intricate stunts. I love how some positions can act alone and implement and even more impressive stunt than if the entire stunt group was together.
Okay, so….you probably read this title and were like “who is this girl, and what the hell?” Well, to inform you all, ‘Stuntin’ is a Habit, Get like East’ was one of our little mottos on my high school cheerleading squad. I attended East (get it?) Gaston High School, and around that time that song that was like “Stuntin’ is a habit, get like me. Have you ever seen a Chevy with the butterfly doors” was popular, we were like “ohhh yeah, this is our shit!” But, the point is, stunting is about the only thing our cheerleading squad was good at. Granted, we were barely good at that, but when we were actually motivated and put forth an effort, we executed some kicks-ass stunts. We lacked drive, determination, enthusiasm, you name it, and we didn’t have it. But when it came time to come up with stunts for the upcoming pep rallies and games, a special kind of enthusiasm and need to impress all the knuckle heads at our school brought forth all of our talent, and we poured that into the stunts we did. We tested the limits to the fullest, and we actually pulled some pretty awesome stunts out of our ass. We even did a 3, 2 1 pyramid stunt that had a girl standing on the backs of two flyers bent over, and she stood up there with no help. When the time came to cradle, (that’s what it’s called when the stunt is over and the bases bounce the flyer up and then catch her), instead of getting a regular bounce, pop, catch, the flyer would literally free-fall from the air and the bases would catch her. Pretty sick, huh? So, okay, the point of all this rambling is to emphasize that without stunting, the sport of cheerleading would be pretty dang dull. I’ve been a cheerleader most of my life, and I’ll be the first one to say that repeating the same cheers and chants over and over is so mundane and boring, and it honestly makes me want to shoot myself while I’m doing it. Stunting, on the other hand, takes preciseness, agility, and speed to execute everything perfectly to make a killer stunt come together. Some might say that stunting is the pretty little sprinkles on top of the cake that is cheerleading, but I disagree. Sure, chants, cheers and all that annoying pom-pom stuff is what people relate cheerleading with, but without the stunting, nobody would even care. Point, blank, period.
4. “Warrior Wall.” Mt. Holly, NC. Personal photograph taken by Kathy Williams. 27 December 2008. <http://s1191.photobucket.com/albums/z476/alexisjohnson12/?action=view¤t=l_47382b070e1e4eb9bc2948fa470b35ea.jpg>
This is a picture of a stunt called the Warrior Wall that we did my sophomore year of highschool. This picture was taken at one of our home football games, and it’s basically a connecting stunt that has 5 flyers, 3 of the flyers doing the basic elevator and the other 2 flyers in an extended lib.
This is one of the many stunts that I was talking about in my journal posting. We would always pull out a cool stunt when things started to get dull in the game, and this was definitely a crowd pleaser and a little extra icing on the cake during the football games.
5. "Connecting Stunt.” Mt. Holly, NC. Personal photograph taken by Kathy Williams. 27 December 2008. <http://s1191.photobucket.com/albums/z476/alexisjohnson12/?action=view¤t=e1062773.jpg>
This is a picture of a connecting stunt that we did during a game. This was a definite crowd pleaser. The fans loved when we did cool stunts, and we always got a round of applause at the end of the stunt. This stunt has 3 elevators and 2 libs doing a heel-stretch with the elevators holding their feet up.
This picture ties in with my blog posting by displaying one of the many crowd pleasing, cool stunts that I was talking about. This is one of many stunts that we would do at games to get the crowd involved and wake them up. An awesome stunt would always wake them up and make them pay more attention to our cheering, along with getting them involved.
6. “3, 2, 1.” Mt. Holly, NC. Personal photograph taken by Kathy Williams. 27 December 2008. <http://s1191.photobucket.com/albums/z476/alexisjohnson12/?action=view¤t=l_1a7545dbaf0643b0b35eca2f2abb83d1.jpg>
This is the 3, 2, 1 stunt that I mentioned in my blog posting. This stunt consists of 3 flyers; 2 flyers in a basic elevator bent over with their hands being held by the front spot of their prospective groups, and 1 flyer standing on the backs of the 2 flyers that are bent over, making the appearance of a pyramid. (3 on the bottom, 2 in the middle, 1 on top.)
This photograph ties in with my blog, obviously, because I discussed this very stunt in detail within my posting. I feel that stunts like these are what make cheerleading even worthwhile. It took a lot of strength and agility for me to accomplish this stunt, me being a base on the bottom, because I had the weight of the entire group in my hands.
So, I’ve been pondering a lot about cheerleading and stunting and everything in between, and I’ve realized something. Stunting is one of those things that you have to have actual strength and muscle for, and a lot of girls don’t have it, at all. I remember during cheerleading tryouts, we would have to learn 2 chants, 2 cheers and we would have to put together stunt groups and display a stunt. You should have SEEN how pitiful some of those girls were. Honestly, if you can’t lift your own body weight then you’re just not cut out for cheerleading. Yeah, I remember when I first started cheering…but I honestly don’t remember stunting ever being that difficult for me. It is tough having to hold somebody up for a while, but just putting them up and then cradling them right back down to the ground…come on girls. That’s pathetic if you can’t do that. You should have seen their little chicken arms shaking as they tried to lift people up in the air and all the whining and complaining we all had to listen to. “Ouch, my arms hurt! This is too hard!” SUCK IT UP. Cheerleading is not an easy sport and nobody ever said that it would be. People go into it thinking its one thing, but once you’re actually a cheerleader it’s a completely different thing all together. So, no, I don’t feel sorry for the girls that have listened to the stereotypical crap that they thought cheerleading was, and then went into it to see that it was ten times harder than they ever could have imagined. Like I’ve said before, it’s not just flirts in skirts and I wish more people would realize that. It’s a disgrace for people to think so little about something that you care a great deal about. Stunting is the thing, in my opinion, that even makes cheerleading worth considering as a sport. It’s the biggest and, to me, the most important part because it’s most definitely the most difficult part. Anybody that thinks otherwise can come and talk to me, because it’s certainly not the cheers, chants, or sign waving that makes cheerleading challenging. Stunting is all about strength and agility, and if you don’t have that to offer then you might as well sit down and go home. Cheerleading is so much more than meets the eye, and if you can’t see that then you’re blind.
7. Cheerleading Stunts. Youtube Video. 30 March 2009.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL0gkOnJ-Js>
This picture ties in with my blog posting by displaying the stunt group that I have been talking about. As you can clearly see, everybody in the group is dependent upon everybody else, and the stunt would not be possible without each of us doing our part adequately. Nobody’s role is most or least important.
3. Awesome Cheerleading Stunts part 5. Youtube Video. 25 March 2009.
< http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi6Lv6J44fg&feature=related>
This video displayed a bunch of different cheerleading stunts. Although not all of the stunts required all of the people in the stunt group’s role, a lot of the stunts emphasized just how important each position in the stunt group is. The video showed stunts that required just one base or the whole stunt group, and it is interesting to see how the different positions can be implemented to suit a stunt.
I feel like this video tied in with my journal posting by showing the different ways that all of the positions in a stunt group can be transformed, added and subtracted to make a multitude of different intricate stunts. I love how some positions can act alone and implement and even more impressive stunt than if the entire stunt group was together.
[7]: Stuntin’ is a Habit, Get like East
Okay, so….you probably read this title and were like “who is this girl, and what the hell?” Well, to inform you all, ‘Stuntin’ is a Habit, Get like East’ was one of our little mottos on my high school cheerleading squad. I attended East (get it?) Gaston High School, and around that time that song that was like “Stuntin’ is a habit, get like me. Have you ever seen a Chevy with the butterfly doors” was popular, we were like “ohhh yeah, this is our shit!” But, the point is, stunting is about the only thing our cheerleading squad was good at. Granted, we were barely good at that, but when we were actually motivated and put forth an effort, we executed some kicks-ass stunts. We lacked drive, determination, enthusiasm, you name it, and we didn’t have it. But when it came time to come up with stunts for the upcoming pep rallies and games, a special kind of enthusiasm and need to impress all the knuckle heads at our school brought forth all of our talent, and we poured that into the stunts we did. We tested the limits to the fullest, and we actually pulled some pretty awesome stunts out of our ass. We even did a 3, 2 1 pyramid stunt that had a girl standing on the backs of two flyers bent over, and she stood up there with no help. When the time came to cradle, (that’s what it’s called when the stunt is over and the bases bounce the flyer up and then catch her), instead of getting a regular bounce, pop, catch, the flyer would literally free-fall from the air and the bases would catch her. Pretty sick, huh? So, okay, the point of all this rambling is to emphasize that without stunting, the sport of cheerleading would be pretty dang dull. I’ve been a cheerleader most of my life, and I’ll be the first one to say that repeating the same cheers and chants over and over is so mundane and boring, and it honestly makes me want to shoot myself while I’m doing it. Stunting, on the other hand, takes preciseness, agility, and speed to execute everything perfectly to make a killer stunt come together. Some might say that stunting is the pretty little sprinkles on top of the cake that is cheerleading, but I disagree. Sure, chants, cheers and all that annoying pom-pom stuff is what people relate cheerleading with, but without the stunting, nobody would even care. Point, blank, period.
4. “Warrior Wall.” Mt. Holly, NC. Personal photograph taken by Kathy Williams. 27 December 2008. <http://s1191.photobucket.com/albums/z476/alexisjohnson12/?action=view¤t=l_47382b070e1e4eb9bc2948fa470b35ea.jpg>
This is a picture of a stunt called the Warrior Wall that we did my sophomore year of highschool. This picture was taken at one of our home football games, and it’s basically a connecting stunt that has 5 flyers, 3 of the flyers doing the basic elevator and the other 2 flyers in an extended lib.
This is one of the many stunts that I was talking about in my journal posting. We would always pull out a cool stunt when things started to get dull in the game, and this was definitely a crowd pleaser and a little extra icing on the cake during the football games.
5. "Connecting Stunt.” Mt. Holly, NC. Personal photograph taken by Kathy Williams. 27 December 2008. <http://s1191.photobucket.com/albums/z476/alexisjohnson12/?action=view¤t=e1062773.jpg>
This is a picture of a connecting stunt that we did during a game. This was a definite crowd pleaser. The fans loved when we did cool stunts, and we always got a round of applause at the end of the stunt. This stunt has 3 elevators and 2 libs doing a heel-stretch with the elevators holding their feet up.
This picture ties in with my blog posting by displaying one of the many crowd pleasing, cool stunts that I was talking about. This is one of many stunts that we would do at games to get the crowd involved and wake them up. An awesome stunt would always wake them up and make them pay more attention to our cheering, along with getting them involved.
6. “3, 2, 1.” Mt. Holly, NC. Personal photograph taken by Kathy Williams. 27 December 2008. <http://s1191.photobucket.com/albums/z476/alexisjohnson12/?action=view¤t=l_1a7545dbaf0643b0b35eca2f2abb83d1.jpg>
This is the 3, 2, 1 stunt that I mentioned in my blog posting. This stunt consists of 3 flyers; 2 flyers in a basic elevator bent over with their hands being held by the front spot of their prospective groups, and 1 flyer standing on the backs of the 2 flyers that are bent over, making the appearance of a pyramid. (3 on the bottom, 2 in the middle, 1 on top.)
This photograph ties in with my blog, obviously, because I discussed this very stunt in detail within my posting. I feel that stunts like these are what make cheerleading even worthwhile. It took a lot of strength and agility for me to accomplish this stunt, me being a base on the bottom, because I had the weight of the entire group in my hands.
[8]: Not Just Flirts in Skirts
So, I’ve been pondering a lot about cheerleading and stunting and everything in between, and I’ve realized something. Stunting is one of those things that you have to have actual strength and muscle for, and a lot of girls don’t have it, at all. I remember during cheerleading tryouts, we would have to learn 2 chants, 2 cheers and we would have to put together stunt groups and display a stunt. You should have SEEN how pitiful some of those girls were. Honestly, if you can’t lift your own body weight then you’re just not cut out for cheerleading. Yeah, I remember when I first started cheering…but I honestly don’t remember stunting ever being that difficult for me. It is tough having to hold somebody up for a while, but just putting them up and then cradling them right back down to the ground…come on girls. That’s pathetic if you can’t do that. You should have seen their little chicken arms shaking as they tried to lift people up in the air and all the whining and complaining we all had to listen to. “Ouch, my arms hurt! This is too hard!” SUCK IT UP. Cheerleading is not an easy sport and nobody ever said that it would be. People go into it thinking its one thing, but once you’re actually a cheerleader it’s a completely different thing all together. So, no, I don’t feel sorry for the girls that have listened to the stereotypical crap that they thought cheerleading was, and then went into it to see that it was ten times harder than they ever could have imagined. Like I’ve said before, it’s not just flirts in skirts and I wish more people would realize that. It’s a disgrace for people to think so little about something that you care a great deal about. Stunting is the thing, in my opinion, that even makes cheerleading worth considering as a sport. It’s the biggest and, to me, the most important part because it’s most definitely the most difficult part. Anybody that thinks otherwise can come and talk to me, because it’s certainly not the cheers, chants, or sign waving that makes cheerleading challenging. Stunting is all about strength and agility, and if you don’t have that to offer then you might as well sit down and go home. Cheerleading is so much more than meets the eye, and if you can’t see that then you’re blind.
7. Cheerleading Stunts. Youtube Video. 30 March 2009.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL0gkOnJ-Js>
This is a video of some basic cheerleading stunts being executed by a stunt group. The stunts being performed are elevators, barrel rolls, basket tosses, libs, cupies, twist-ups, and a variety of other stunts. Although these stunts appear to be difficult, they are simple basic building blocks for more difficult stunts.
This video ties in with my blog posting by displaying the strength agility, and timing it takes to execute a stunt properly. Although the stunts are a little wobbly, they do a good job of keeping the momentum up and doing the stunts one after the other with a very small delay in between each stunt.
8. A bunch of cheer stunts. Youtube Video. 20 September 2009. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=7CRV4OqegEQ>
This is a youtube video displaying a stunt group doing a number of different stunts. They are doing basket tosses, elevators, a stunt called ‘milking the cow,’ and a variety of other basic stunts. They are practicing to get the stunts down pact and make sure that they will look good when they have to perform their stunts with the rest of their team.
This video ties in with my blog posting by showing a lot of different stunts that a stunt group is doing. The girls in this stunt group are obviously a little rusty, but they are working hard to accomplish their goal of nailing the stunt. You can tell by their dispositions and the tired hang they have to their heads that the stunts are not easy, but they’re putting all they have into it which is what is most important.
9. “Stunts.” media.wths.net. 11 December 2009. <http://media.wths.net/bruno/chen/stunts.htm>
This blog/website has some pictures of some pyramid stunts and provides explanations of what each position within a stunt group should do. For example, the explanations provide where the person within the stunt group is located, what their job is and the severity of the amount of weight they possess when performing a stunt.
I really liked this article because it tied in with my blog posting by stating how much weight each position was required to carry within the group. This article can give people a better feel of how much each person in the group must work to achieve the ultimate outcome; performing and nailing a stunt.
This is a youtube video displaying a stunt group doing a number of different stunts. They are doing basket tosses, elevators, a stunt called ‘milking the cow,’ and a variety of other basic stunts. They are practicing to get the stunts down pact and make sure that they will look good when they have to perform their stunts with the rest of their team.
This video ties in with my blog posting by showing a lot of different stunts that a stunt group is doing. The girls in this stunt group are obviously a little rusty, but they are working hard to accomplish their goal of nailing the stunt. You can tell by their dispositions and the tired hang they have to their heads that the stunts are not easy, but they’re putting all they have into it which is what is most important.
9. “Stunts.” media.wths.net. 11 December 2009. <http://media.wths.net/bruno/chen/stunts.htm>
This blog/website has some pictures of some pyramid stunts and provides explanations of what each position within a stunt group should do. For example, the explanations provide where the person within the stunt group is located, what their job is and the severity of the amount of weight they possess when performing a stunt.
I really liked this article because it tied in with my blog posting by stating how much weight each position was required to carry within the group. This article can give people a better feel of how much each person in the group must work to achieve the ultimate outcome; performing and nailing a stunt.
