Cheerleading is a sport that isn’t just about waving your poms in the air. In fact, there is a lot of components that make up cheer. It consists of stunting, tumbling, dancing, jumps, and of course a cheer. Stunting is what cheerleading is most known for; so I’m going to discuss the basic stunting positions!
Flyer: The person in the air is coincidentally called the “flyer”. Flyers have to make sure they are squeezing tight and locking their legs in order for the people underneath them to hold their weight. Flyers also do many body positions in the air; such as scorpions, scales, arabesques, needles, and many more. Flyers really have to put trust in the people underneath to overcome their fears of falling.
Base: There are 2 different kinds of bases: a main base and a secondary base. These are the people that are holding the flyer’s feet. They have to put all their strength in their arms and legs to put their flyer in the air. There is a lot of technique to becoming successful bases. Since there is a variety of different stunt sequences in the cheer world, bases need to learn a lot of hand positions and techniques to make sure they hit their stunts.
Backspot: A backspot is the person behind the whole stunt. The backspot holds and pulls up the flyer’s ankles in order to help hold the flyer’s weight, making it easier for the bases. The backspot is really important because they also need to put as much strength in their legs and arms to pull up their flyer. They also need to pay close attention at all times and make sure their flyer never hits the ground. Backspot’s have to do whatever they can to make sure their flyer lands safely.
I love that we both have a blog about the same topic! Cheer is not a very well-known thing in Wisconsin so I think it is really cool when you meet someone just as interested in cheer as yourself! You did a great job explaining cheer positions and how their role works in a routine. Great Job!