Battle of the Sexes: All-Girl vs. Coed Squads

When you think of cheerleading, you probably picture a sport that is dominated by girls. Traditionally, most high school teams only have one or two guys (if any), and they stick out like sore thumbs. What you might not realize, however, is that there are several great advantages to having a coed cheer squad. In addition to being able to perform more complex stunts and impressive tumbling feats, a team of both young men and women is more likely to come out of competitions on top simply because there aren't as many other teams to compete with. Still, the dynamics of a coed cheer squad are very different from those on an all-girl team. Here are a few things to consider if you are choosing between the two.

All-Girl Squads
When you cheer on an all-girl squad, you will be one of a group of girls who come together and form a cheer family. The epitome of "girl power," female teams are responsible for taking on every position, including being bases and spotters as well as flyers. You may find that your repertoire of tricks is somewhat more limited because you won't have as much natural strength on the team, but with the right training, there are few stunts that all-girl teams can't accomplish.

Scholastic all-girl squads will be able to cheer for their school’s sports teams from the sidelines of games in addition to going to competitions where you will be pitted against other all-girl teams. Without guys on the team to distract you from the task of working hard, you will find that you can put your whole heart into cheering and make great girlfriends in the process. There will still, of course, be some cattiness on any team and plenty of "girl drama," but hopefully you will be able to come together as a squad to make improving your number one priority.

Coed Squads
The number one benefit of adding guys into the mix on your squad is the increased strength they can provide. Suddenly, you will be able to use male bases, which can open up a huge range of possibilities for stunts that are much more difficult for all-girl squads to pull off. In addition to stunt work, male cheerleaders are often able to add impressive tumbling and acrobatics to your routines. The unfortunate trade off, however, is that girls who would prefer to be bases are often shunted aside because the simple rules of anatomy make them incapable of building as much muscle as the guys can.

Young men are much less likely to want to participate in cheering on the sidelines at a football game, so the biggest incentive for male recruits will be the prospect of competitions. The framework of all-star squads always revolves around competing, which is why many male cheerleaders opt to join this type of team. Still, you can successfully lure guys to your scholastic team if you promise them the chance to compete and make cheerleading feel more like a sport to them. Often, there aren't that many coed scholastic squads competing at the high school level in a given region, so you will have a good chance at coming out on top.

Of course, when you put boys and girls together on a team, the dynamic is bound to shift dramatically. Teenagers of both genders act differently around the opposite sex, and there will be no way to get around that. Relationships may develop on the team, and it can be hard not to let emotions like jealousy and heartache affect the squad. For this reason, coed squads have a reputation of being laced with even more team drama than their all-girl counterparts. Still, the simple fact that they will be surrounded by pretty girls is a very appealing recruiting tactic for young men when you are trying to first populate a coed team. In the end it becomes easier than you might think to assemble a squad.

The Choice
If you are a guy, you won't have much decision-making involved. Either you will participate in a coed squad or you won't be cheerleading at all. Girls, however, often get to choose whether they would rather be on an all-girl squad or go coed. Remember some of the pros and cons of each option when you are making the decision. Maybe you want to be able to try out every position on the team, or maybe you just want to feel more comfortable being yourself in an environment without guys always present. In either case, an all-girl squad might be right for you. If you want to be able to do more advanced stunts, however, and get an idea of what it's like to cheer in college (where almost all squads are coed), the you may want to opt to join the mixed team now.

No matter what option you choose, the actual outcome will be what you and your team make of it. If you decide as an all-girl squad to commit to doing the most difficult stunts you can, then you may be able to match the guys anyway. Similarly, if your coed squad decides not to let the male-female dynamic rule your lives, then you can work together in harmony. Every squad will be different, and the team dynamic that you find yourselves creating can be half the fun of being on a squad together.