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Athletes Involved in a Typical Cheerleading Stunt
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Tags: cheerleading, stunts, jumps, cheerleaders, competitive, moves, base
A cheer-leading stunt group usually involves up to four bases holding or tossing another cheerleader in the air. In general, all-girl cheerleading stunts usually involve up to four other bases while co-ed ("partner") stunts have only one base (usually male) and his partner (the flyer, usually female). Pyramids are multiple groups of stunts connected aerially by the flyers. This connection may be made in a variety of ways, from a simple linking of hands to having a multi-level pyramid, with the flyers already in the air acting as primary bases for another flyer or flyers on top of them.
| | Bases - Cheerleaders that stay on the ground providing the primary support for the flyer during a stunt. Bases should be watching the flyer at all times in the case of a mishap. Also, bases should keep eye contact with each other at all times, so they have an understanding on what to do next. Bases can be male or female, but they are usually the strongest athletes on the squad. The bases are usually two females or one male. No talking should be happening during a stunt, except for the backspot's counts. |
| | Main Base - The term main base only applies when doing a one-legged stunt. This base has the majority of the flyer's foot, and the majority of her weight. The main base will be almost directly under the stunt until it is cradled or brought down. In a one leg extension stunt, the main base will lift the toe and heel of the foot to increase stability from moving forwards or backwards. With single base extensions the main base with grip onto the heel of the flyers foot having a nice and stable transition. |
| | Side Base - The term side base only applies when doing a one-legged stunt. The side bases help lift the flyer up into the air and support an equal amount of weight as the main base. The hand position for the side base can vary depending on preference. The more common placement is to have one hand under the middle of the foot and the other hand on top of the foot for stability. Another common option is to have one hand under the middle of the foot and the other hand pushing up on the wrist of the main base to lift from underneath. The side base's hand positioning functions to lift and to stabilize the flyer's foot from shifting from side to side. |
| | Flyer - This is the person that is in the air during a stunt. The flyer must control their own weight by keeping their abdominal muscles tight to stabilize the spinal column while in the air. If they don't stay tight, there is a greater risk of them becoming off of their center of balance and falling. They must keep a steady focus on what they are doing. A strong core and good sense of balance are key qualities for a flyer to possess. Flyers should be extremely flexible and have a slender muscular body. Flyers are typically the shortest and smallest people on the team, but other members can act as a flyer depending on their exceptional abilities. |
| | Back Spot (Back Base or Third in some regions) - This is the person standing behind the stunt. They help to position the flyer in the bases hands. They do so by using their hands to support the flyer's waist, and then push her up into the air. Once in the air, they will hold the flyer's ankles, providing support. When the flyer cradles, they catch her under the arms. If the flyer falls backwards, it is crucial for the back spot to attempt to catch the head and shoulders to prevent head/spinal injury. Because of the back spot's responsibilities, they are generally the tallest members of the team. |
| | Front Spot - This is the person standing in front of the stunt facing the backspot preventing the flyer from falling forward. The front spot often provides extra support to wrists of the bases in higher stunts such as extensions. The front spot has somewhat of the job of the back spot. Though the front spot is there, a flyer should never fall forward, rather backwards. There is not always a front spot in a stunt, and many squads only use front spots for basket tosses because it helps to throw straight upwards. Front spots are typically the smaller members of the squad, who have not been trained or are not flexible enough to fly, and are also not at the right height to side or back |
| | Additional (hands-off) Spotter - This person does not actually touch the stunt unless something goes wrong. The free standing spot can stand behind, in front, or beside the stunt. Eyes stay on the stunt at all times even though the stunt is not touched unless the flyer is falling. This position is sometimes called a general spot. |
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