The Cheerleading Source Posting Page
Monday, August 13, 2007

One of the things that will set your cheerleading squad apart from the rest are your cheers and chants. You're not only there to build spirit and excitement for the game, you're also a representative of your school and your cheers and chants should reflect originality and style.

There are a number of traditional cheers that all cheerleaders learn and then there are cheers that your own squad will develop along with routines to go with them. Whether for basketball, football or competition cheerleading, there are a number of good ways to come up with original cheers.

Use the Crowd
One way to really heighten the spirit in a game is to involve the crowd. These work best with traditional cheers that almost everyone knows. Using something as simple as having the crowd yell back to whatever you say. A good example would be, "Hey! You in the crowd - Let's hear you yell! Go Red! And have the crowd respond with, "Go Red!"; then name off another team color or team name. The idea is to get the crowd involved in the cheer and audience participation really makes everyone feel like they are part of the game.

Original Cheers
There will be a good number of traditional cheers used for your team and it's also good to come up with a few cheers that your squad can be known for. Make a twist on a traditional cheer or use current events to come up with a "cheer of the moment".

Chants
Chanting a short phrase while executing a squad movement is a great way to drive the energy in the crowd up. It's short and sweet and easy for everyone to remember. Just start with one section and spread your squad out wider and wide to involve more and more of the crowd - spirit is catching!

In Your Face Cheers
Most people are firmly on one side or the other with "mean" cheers. In your face, challenging cheers cross the boundaries of good taste on my occasions and most cheer squads won't use them. If a cheer you come up with seems on the "mean" side - have everyone put in their two cents and decide if that's really the way you want to present your cheerleading squad and represent your school.

It's fun to come up with cheers and put a twist on traditional game favorites. Whether for football, basketball or competition, make sure that the cheers your squad performs are done well rehearsed and in time and you'll put your best squad face forward every time.
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