JUPITER CHRISTIAN SCHOOL – This year, JCS has added a Competitive Cheer team to our sports. Addison Altman is a cheerleader on the Competitive Cheer team, and was interviewed on this topic.
Addison has previously been on the Junior Varsity Cheer team for 2 years, and wanted to try out for the Competitive Cheer team this year so that she can try something new and get to know the other cheerleaders better. Since she has been on the JV Cheer team for so long, the Competitive Cheer team gives her opportunities to become better friends with the varsity cheerleaders and get more practice to get better.
Addison went on to explain the differences between the JV Cheer uniforms and the Competitive Cheerleading uniforms. The JV uniforms are more boxy and don’t have long sleeves. They are more loose-fitted and perfect for sunny weather. The Competitive uniforms are very different. They have long sleeves and a more fitted material where it feels like it hugs your body. It also has a huge logo that is sparkly and is all black.
To practice for the Competitive team, it is very different. They have practice every Tuesday and Thursday, and on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays she has JV cheer. The JV and Competitive Cheer practice are both from 3:15 to 5pm. Once a month on the weekends, they have an all day practice and have to bring their own packed lunch.
She then went on to explain the competition schedule. For the Competition Cheer team, they aren’t doing a lot of competitions because it is their first year doing it. They have one in November, one at New Years, and maybe at Worlds but she is unsure of when that is.
Moving onto ages, she went on to state that there are many grade variations. There are students of all ages 7th-12th grade, and hopefully next year there can be more.
In cheer, there are certain positions. In more advanced stunts, you are going to need a front spot. The job of the front spot is to support the main bases’ wrists and be there to catch the flyer if they fall forward. The main bases are the two people on the side lifting up the flyer, and then the back spot which is one of the most important positions is where they lift up the flyer’s body weight and help support the bases and help make the flyer more stable.
For Sideline Cheer and Competitive Cheer, there are many differences. For Sideline, it isn’t as intense and is there to support the football and basketball team during their games. For Competition, the coaches are a lot harder on you and you are competing against other schools.
Things you can benefit from Competition Cheer include having a good attitude and being determined to be successful during practice and competitions.
The requirements to get chosen for the Competitive Cheer team are you must have good rhythm and melody while dancing, and you have to at least be able to do a cartwheel, a roundoff, backbend, and a lot of the older girls need a back handspring and back tuck.
Some advice Addison would give to those who are looking to try out next year is practice a lot and stretch to get your jumps better, and make sure to be determined.
