Whether we were in our hometown or as far away as Florida, getting ready for competitions was always very exciting! Glittery makeup, hairspray, and bobby pins would be everywhere. The night before competition’s it was hard for me to sleep because I was always so excited. I usually got very little sleep but that never mattered. The next morning I was pumped to get the day started! Getting ready for competitions with my teammates was the best. While we straightened our hair, put on our uniforms, and all our makeup, the music to our routine would be blasting over and over again all morning. We would all sing to the music and go through the counts as mental run-throughs. Doing mental run-throughs really helped us get our mind in place to do our routine.
Our whole team had to wear the exact same things, from shoes to makeup. We had to wear bright purple eye shadow, a lot of mascara and eyeliner, bright red lipstick, and blush. Since the judges sit far away from the stage we had to wear a lot of makeup so they could see it while we were performing. The makeup also made each of us stand out more. My last year of cheering for Charlotte Allstars we got new uniforms. They were purple, black, and white with a star in the middle that said Charlotte. Each year everyone got new bows and new shoes. The bows we had to wear my last year were plain white to match our new uniforms. Cheerleading shoes are very different than any other sports shoes. They are designed to be light in weight and are formed to help us be able to tumble easier.
Whenever my team went to competitions we would always make sure to paint the cars we came in to show spirit and to let everyone else know who we cheered for. Painting the cars was so much fun, and it also meant we were about to head to the arena to meet the rest of our team and our coaches. As we drove to the arena’s we would do last minute touch ups to each other’s make up and such. We would also keep listening to our music to the routine over and over. When we finally would get to the arena’s we were all already anxious to get on the stage and do what we loved.
The first source I got for this post is a picture from Google. It is a picture of purple eye shadow. This purple eye shadow has a lot of glitter in it. I chose this eye shadow because it is basically the same kind we had to wear for our competitions.
I chose this picture to be one of my sources for this post because for all of our competitions we had to wear glittery purple eye shadow. This picture looks almost exactly like the kind that I used to have to wear. Putting on all the makeup for competitions is so fun. It made us all look more uniform.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrirqRUI44o&feature=related
The next source I have is a video I found on YouTube. This video is posted by a TOPS cheerleader. She shows how her team does their hair and makeup for competitions. Although my team didn't do the same hair do or makeup, I still think it is a good video because a lot of teams do have a drastic look like this.
I chose this video for my second source because I talk a lot about hair and makeup in this first post. I think showing you how our finished look is, is better than just describing it. The appearance of each team has a portion on the score sheets that the judges use to judge us. Therefore every team has to look uniform.
This is a picture of me and my best friend on my squad last year. This was at a competition in Myrtle Beach called Canam. This is the uniform and bow we wore at the competitions. We wore our ponytails on the top of our heads, and we wore heavy eyeliner and mascara to make our eyes stand out. We hadn't put on lipstick yet in this picture.
I chose this picture for my third source because it shows the uniform my team wore. Uniforms are a huge part in competitions. The white bows really went good together with these new uniforms. Our shoes are also white even though they are not seen in this picture. You can also see that my team didn't wear as much eyeshadow as the girl in the video I posted before this.
As my team and I all gathered at the arena we got more and
more excited and nervous to compete.
After everyone gets there we find an open area in the outside of the
arena to stretch, do mental run-throughs, and mark our routine. Doing this before we go into the actual
warm-up area saves us time to do what is necessary on mats. Stretching out our bodies is very
important. Stretching helps us get loose
and will make it easier for us to perform.
If we did not stretch, it would be very easy to pull a muscle in
warm-ups or on the stage competing.
Right before we head into warm-ups, our whole team gets in a
circle and our coach comes around and writes our team name on our forearm under
our uniform. This just gets us even more
into team spirit and reminds all of us that we are a whole, not
individuals.
As we walk into warm-ups we can feel all the tension and
excitement from the other teams that are already in there. The first thing we do is go to a soft mat
that is supposed to be used for stretching.
But because we stretched before warm-ups, my team usually works on some
of our stunts on that mat. On each mat
we get a limited amount of time to be on it before we have to move to the next
one. Each mat is made to warm-up
different things. The mat after stretching
is made to work on stunts, and after that is a spring floor to warm up
tumbling. My team usually takes turns
doing running tumbling first, and then we all do standing tumbling together. It is the fastest way to make sure everyone
gets a chance to tumble before time runs out.
The next mat is a dead mat with no springs. We do walk-throughs on this mat with some
stunts. The final mat is one exactly
like the one we would compete on stage.
Here we either do our full out routine or most of it. Warm-ups can be very stressful. Each time we go to a warm-up it is always
different. After time is up on our last
mat, we make another big circle. We pray
and go over last minute reminders. This
is when everyone usually gets very nervous.
We all hold hands and walk to the back of the stage behind a
curtain. This is where we wait while the
team ahead of us is still performing. At
this point I am so ready to get out on the floor and hit a perfect
routine. This is also when I am most
nervous. Waiting to go out on the floor
is probably the worst part about the competition experience because of all the
emotions everyone is feeling.
The first source I found is a picture of a spring
floor. This is the type of floor that
competitive cheerleaders compete and practice on. It makes cheerleading a little bit safer and
helps us be able to tumble well. The
floor has layers of carpet, foam, plywood, and springs.
I chose this picture of a spring floor as a source because
it is a big part of competitive cheerleading.
Not only do the floors help the cheerleaders be safer, but they also
help them to be better. I think it’s
good for the reader to know what they look like.
The second source I found for this post is a website on
About.com. The website talks about why
stretching is good for cheerleaders and how it helps them. This website also has lists of exercises
someone can do to help them become more flexible. Having flexibility is key to being a
competitive cheerleader.
This website is relevant to this post because I talked about
stretching being a very important part of competitive cheerleading. Being flexible is not only important for
flyers, but for the whole team. Having
flexibility can save you from some small injuries. Flexibility also helps cheerleaders perform
better, and build coordination.
The third source I have chosen for this post is a picture
from one of my years in cheering at Charlotte Allstars. In this picture my team had just finished
warm-ups and we got in a big circle right before getting on the stage to
compete. This circle allowed us to pray
and get excited with our team.
This picture is relevant to this post because I talked about
the big circle we formed right before going into warm-ups and right before
going on the stage. I added this because
I think it’s very important to do this right before the team competes. It gets the team together and excited to
perform.
As my team and I stand behind the curtain waiting to hear our
name called, the time finally comes. We
run out on the stage screaming and showing off our spirit. I always feel a rush of energy right when I
step on stage. My team gets into our
opening formation and we wait for our music to start. Waiting for the music to start feels like
forever. During this time we encourage
our teammates and yell out last minute reminders. Then, the music starts. All at once we burst out with motions as
sharp as we can make them. We smile as
big as possible at all times and we cheer on our other teammates through out
the routine. Our routine lasts two
minutes and thirty seconds. In that
short amount of time we use up all our energy and strength to put on the best
performance we can.
Many different things come together to make a routine. They usually start with a formation with
motions that lead to a partner stunt with four to five people. After that is usually a transition to
standing tumbling with motions. Next, is
another partner stunt followed by a series of jumps. Running tumbling comes next usually followed
by a pyramid of stunts with all of the team, then ending the routine with a
dance. Every team varies with what order
they put their routine in, but those are all the components.
The mood in that two minutes and thirty seconds can change
drastically depending on if the routine is being executed properly or not. If a stunt falls or you have a bad tumbling
pass, you have to forget about it and move on to make sure it doesn’t affect
what you do next. Keeping a positive
attitude during your performance is necessary to do well. No matter what happens, you’ll always have
your team.
Right as the music stops everyone has the biggest smile on
his or her face because we know we hit the best routine we could. We all run off the stage and meet our coaches
as they congratulate us on how well we did.
After we compete we usually have to wait about an hour before the award
ceremony. Between competing and awards,
my team would stay together and watch other teams while we waited.
Finally the time would come and all the teams in our
division would meet on stage. An
announcer would stand in the middle of us and call out the places each team
got. My team would all hold hands and
close our eyes as we waited to hear our name called. Last year we won States and it was so
exciting. When the announcer called our
name we were all screaming and jumping up and down with excitement. We each got a medal and our team got a trophy
and banner to hang up in our gym.
Winning a competition is one of the best feelings ever.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SePbZaQszfw&feature=related
My first source is a video of a competition
performance. This team is called Teal
from Charlotte Allstars. They are the
best team in the gym I cheered at. They
are also the highest level our gym has.
This performance is from the biggest competitive cheerleading
competition, Worlds. Worlds takes place
in Florida at Disney World.
I chose this video as a source for this post because this
post is all about competiting as a competitive cheerleader. Seeing a performance at a competition really
shows how unique, and difficult it is to be a cheerleader. A competition is where all the teams hard
work pays off.
My second source is a picture of an awards ceremony at one
of the competitions I attended. This
competition was at Myrtle Beach. After
each division competes, they all take the stage to see what place they got. As you can see there are many teams on stage
at once. Everyone is very anxious to
hear the results.
This picture is one of my sources for this post because I
talked about the awards ceremony where all of the teams get on the stage to
hear the results of their performances.
The awards ceremony is a huge part of competitive cheerleading, that’s
why it’s called competitive. Awards
ceremonies are very exciting.
The third source I have chosen for this post is a website
for the Worlds competitive cheerleading competition of 2011. This website shows performances, highlights,
photos, and the results of the competition.
Everything you could want to know about last year’s Worlds competition
is on this website. It also talks about
the Dance Worlds because they were held at the same place.
I chose this website as my final source for this post
because the Worlds competition is the biggest competition in competitive
cheerleading. Getting to go to the Worlds
competition is the chance of a lifetime.
This website is relevant to this post because it is all about
competition and awards.
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