My Sport

The sport I participate in for San Marin High School is cheer! To be a good cheerleader, you must be able to maintain spirit and energy! One of our jobs is to cheer on and keep our football and basketball mustangs motivated by leading our students and parents! Engaging the crowd in chants, cheers, etc. helps maintain the lively spirit and high energy of our exciting games! Also, cheer is a lot more physically demanding then most people realize, so perseverance and strength (physical and mental) are key to be successful!

Some of the health/skill related fitness components that are important to success in cheer include flexibility, strength, and endurance, as well as balance, coordination. First, there are many aspects of cheer where flexibility is crucial. We perform many stunts, tumble, and do other moves that require a lot of flexibility. We always make sure to thoroughly stretch to prevent injury as many skills are dangerous if there is not proper flexibility. Strength is extremely important in stunting. We do a lot of different, challenging stunts that require a lot of physical strength to accomplish. Both upper and lower body strength are typically utilized in stunts and can take great strain on your body as stunts often leave you with many bruises, scrapes, and even serious injuries. Another part that goes along with this is perseverance. Not getting a stunt right away is normal as we constantly try new things. So frustration is typical, but persevering and continuing to work at the skill is very important to achieve success. Endurance is very important as we perform long halftime routines for the crowds that consist of constant movement and energy. A typical halftime routine includes many stunt sequences, many dances, and tumbling, all while keeping a smile on your face and your energy high! This is more challenging than it sounds, and endurance is a key part of being able to do this. Balance and coordination are vital in dancing and stunting. You must be very coordinated to keep up with our fast paced dances and balance is something quite obviously used in stunts. You can imagine how this might be a necessary skill as we work together to throw and hold our teammates high up in the air!