Choosing the Right Cheer Squad

So you’ve decided to join a cheerleading squad! Good for you! It’s not only fun but you also get to make many new friends and you’re also getting a stellar workout! But before you get all of this wonderful stuff, you need to choose the right squad. But how? How do you know which team is good? You need to know your personal goals as well.

Research, research, and more research. You should search for squads that are close to your area and see if they have a website. If they do, then you’re in luck! Websites are very popular now and will show most of the information that you’re looking for. You want to see if the website has any videos of their performances or have any pictures of the team. But also make sure that they have what you’re looking for. This isn’t a one way street – you have to like what they offer as well. What are your skill levels, what are you willing to provide for your possible team, do you want it easy, do you want it to be difficult, do you want to join a co-ed team, how far are you willing to drive? You need to figure this all out before you commit to a team.

So you have figured out your goals and you’re most likely thinking, “What now?” Sometimes looking at a website isn’t enough to make this huge decision. Make calls to the gym and ask them questions, even better, visit the gym if possible! Not checking out the place of your, most likely, ‘second home’ is like buying clothes online. It’s fine. Nothing is wrong with it, but you won’t know if you like it until you try those pants or shirt on. For all you know, you could hate the way it looks or you could love it like a happy pig in the mud. It’s all you. You can and have the right to be a little selfish when it comes to the team you want to cheer with. If everything goes great, you will be with your team for hours upon hours. I cannot stress enough how important this is.

If you are able to visit the gym, don’t just look at the gym or office – talk to the coaches and meet the team! If you want to be even gutsier ask, before hand, if you can join in on the practice. It’s probably best to join in on the tumbling day or on a day that doesn’t involve sitting out because they have a competition they’re preparing for. That’s embarrassing. You definitely don’t want to be the benchwarmer for the day. And if you can’t, that’s not a problem.

Last but certainly not least, make sure that when you do join a team, you don’t take anything for granted. Learn what you can, take in the experience, and be open minded.