Know Your Role: Understanding the different types of cheerleading

Know Your Role:

Understanding the different types of cheerleading

Here at the Varsity Cheerleading Academy, we do our best to make you the finest well rounded cheerleader you can be. But there are some things you should know about this vast cheer world. One of the most important things about being on a squad is knowing the difference between Competitive and Game Day Cheerleading, and knowing what style your team will be using throughout the season. First, let’s take a look at Competitive Cheerleading..

Competitive Cheerleading is when cheer squads train to compete against each other at a competition. A competition routine typically lasts about two and a half minutes, and includes an array of skills. The main skills are jumps, tumbling, stunts, pyramids, and a dance. At competition, the teams are judged by a panel of cheerleading and performing experts on difficulty, execution, and presentation. Throughout the year, there are thousands of competitions held around the world. They range from small, local competitions to grand-scale, national and international events.

Now, let’s talk about Game Day Cheerleading. At games, matches, and other sporting events, the goal of a cheerleader is to engage and energize the crowd.  Cheerleaders use interactive sideline chants and cheers to pump up the crowd and get them yelling for their team. During a Game Day performance you will see sturdy, maneuverable stunts that are used to capture the crowd’s attention. Bright signs, pom poms, megaphones, and even mascots are some of the many engaging tools used by the best Game Day cheer squads. It is also common for a Game Day squad to have a few dances and chants prepared to join along when the band plays or when songs are played over the loud speaker.

Although Competitive and Game Day Cheerleading are very different, there are also many similarities that the two styles share. For starters, both types of cheerleaders need to be extremely athletic and they both train very hard for their performances. Most of the same skills are encompassed in both styles, like tumbling, stunting, and dancing. Some competitive events even host “Game Day Competition.” Here, you’ll find both styles of cheerleading in the same venue!

Cheerleading can be broken down into even more categories. There is also All Star Cheerleading, Recreational Cheerleading, and Professional Cheerleading to name a few. When determining the difference between the main two styles we can conclude that Competitive Cheerleading is all about entertaining the crowd, while Game Day Cheerleading is more about engaging the crowd. Both types are extremely challenging but they are very rewarding and fun!

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