CHEER TECHNIQUE TIPS AND IDEAS

School Fete'S & Fayres
Approach schools that the cheerleaders attend.

Local Parades & Carnivals
Approach local village/town committee's who help organise local events.

Displays At Local Superstores & Shopping Centres
Approach the Superstore or shopping centre manager.

Displays Within Your Local Borough
Contact your local county council - many have special liaison groups that deal with special events throughout their boroughs.

Displays In The High Street
Many high streets have Town Centre Managers or Trade Associations. Make sure they have your contact details and offer to help promote special events.

Perform For Charities
Ask parents which charities they support and offer assistance and displays.

Movie And Theatre Promotions
Leave your name and squad details with managers and offer to raise interest in special interest movies or plays i.e. GREASE or BRING IT ON!

Organise An Event And Invite The Mayor
A special event can be a prize-giving, exam medals and certificates presentations, end of year commemorations, or even a Mother & Daughter banquet (do you have a female mayor?). Remember to tell the press about your event.

Newspaper Press Releases
Make sure you send short press releases to local papers. They won't all be used, but eventually you will get paragraphs and pictures printed. Always leave a contact address.

BAD HAIR DAY - all cheerleaders attend practice with 'Bad Hair' & submit an envelope with their name on the front enclosing a fee of £1.00. Place all emptied envelopes in a bucket/ hat for a prize draw.

NUTTY NAILS - as above with all cheerleaders attending practice with 'Nutty Nails' painted.

SPIRIT PARTY/ WORKSHOP - this is an excellent way for cheerleaders to bond. Adapt games with a cheerleader theme & learn spirit chants & songs. Charge an entrance fee & provide a 'Spirit Present' i.e. badges, pins etc.

BAZAAR - organising a bazaar needs a lot of thought & commitment from all cheerleaders & parents. You will need to advertise your event in the local paper or do leaflet drops in the surrounding areas. During the weeks leading to the bazaar get the cheerleaders to donate certain things for the stalls e.g.

• WEEK 1 bottles for tombola
• WEEK 2 tins for tombola
• WEEK 3 raffle prizes
• WEEK 4 new unwanted toys
• WEEK 5 refreshments
• WEEK 6 home made cakes
• Etc...

Ask the cheerleaders to come up with ideas for a fundraising stall that they can run during the bazaar i.e.: pin the pom on the cheerleader, push & poke, guess the weight of the cake, etc. Hire tables out to arts & crafts people. Charge a fee for entrance.

MAGAZINE - ask a group of cheerleaders to produce a magazine for the squad to sell - maybe twice a year. It can include photos & write-ups on events they attend, also quizzes & all the latest gossip. Try to avoid expensive photocopying bills - try to strike up deals with people, or rotate the job around parent's offices.

DONATION FOR PERFORMANCES - if you are asked to perform at an event ask the organisers for a donation to your funds - if you don't ask, you don't get.

QUIZ - sell quiz sheets for £1.00 & offer a £10.00 cash win for the first three correct entries to picked from a hat.

CAKE SALES - every week choose one or two cheerleaders to provide cakes to sell at practice.

BAG PACKING - approach local supermarkets to offer the cheerleaders as bag packers. Shoppers donate money into buckets & pots at checkouts. Also ask if the cheerleaders can perform.

DISCO - organise a disco & charge an entrance fee. Cheerleaders provide refreshments.

RAFFLES - ask cheerleaders & local businesses to donate raffle prizes & sell tickets.

AUCTION OF PROMISES - ask cheerleaders & local businesses to donate
prizes or time i.e. babysitting, clean cupboards, gardening, wash a car. Organise
an evening with a master of ceremonies & auction off all the prizes.

FILL-A-MATCHBOX - all cheerleaders have to see how many things they can fit into a matchbox. Charge a fee & offer prizes to the ones who have the most items in their boxes.

EASTER EGG HUNT - ask the cheerleaders to donate small eggs filled with sweets or prizes & sell tickets to local primary school for an "Easter Egg Hunt" - ask the school to use their playing field.

DESIGN A T-SHIRT COMPETITION - cheerleaders submit designs for a Cheerleader T-shirt & pay an entrance fee - the winner gets to have their design printed on a T-shirt. You can then sell the T-shirts to the rest of the squad.

RECIPE BOOK - ask cheerleaders to write out their favourite recipes & publish a recipe book to sell to the squad & friends.

VIDEO YEARBOOK - during the year try to film the cheerleaders at different events & at practice. Produce a video of all the clips & sell to the squad.

PAY FOR POINTS - ask local businesses to sponsor your team throughout the season for a set amount of money for each point/ goal scored. Add the points at the end & collect the winnings.

CAR WASH - offer to wash people's cars while they work.

THEME NIGHTS - a good idea for the whole family. Offer a bingo, karaoke or a line dance evening.

If you cheer for a sport, run a fundraiser with the fans.

ADD UP A VICTORY - ask fans to bet on how many inches all the players legs & arms add up to altogether. Offer a cash prize for the nearest.

CUTEST BABY - ask the players for photos of them when they were babies. Stick the photos on jars. Fans put money in the jar's of who they think is the cutest baby - that player gets a prize!

CHEER & CHANT SHEETS - type up the words for the cheer & chants you use at the matches & sell to the fans.

Other sources of information:

AMERICAN CHEERLEADER Magazine - See the many companies that offer
products for sale as fundraisers. Buy wholesale, sell retail!

THE INTERNET - Surf cheerleading websites!

Know The Competition Entry Rules & Closing Dates
Keep diary updated with closing dates and all those little organising jobs. Don't get caught out by getting bogged down in paperwork!

Know The Routine Format Rules Including Timing Limits
After all your hard work you don't want to get infractions for little things. Make sure you start your routine within the competition area. Time your routine repeatedly, both in the total length and to satisfy any minimum or maximum music limits. Usually no jewellery or any body piercings! Hair off the face and shoulders. No big metal hair clips.

Know Whether There Is A Stunting Limit And Other Safety Guidances
Different competitions can have different maximum heights. There are major differences between Cheerleading and Sports Acrobatics.
U.S. competitions follow national recommendations for stunting height limits, by the age of the entrants. BCA has the same limitations. Other European competitions to date, do not.

Attend Coaches Meetings Before Events
This is the time to ask all those little questions about this event that you are unsure of, such as where will the head judge sit for indicating your finish, or how to contact an official in an emergency or how to make an official complaint. This is not the time to ask about elements of your routine. Make sure you know those answers before getting to the event.

The Perfect Routine
Be creative. Try to be a little bit different! Make sure every cheerleader does every move at the same time and in the same way. Stress 'clean'. Make use of every second, every beat choreographed including momentary pauses for effect! Keep transitions to four counts.

Keep signs and poms tidy or they distract your gaze. Make sure all stunting and tumbling are within your capability. Try to get the whole squad to perform a difficult item together, do not always feature only your best. Add dimensions, all three levels for visual effect.

Make eye contact with the judges. Have a heartfelt smile, not a frozen one. Do not leave mouth open! Keep the spirit up and show confidence.

You And Your Squad
Try to be as friendly as possible. Approach other coaches to say hello, they may be shyer than you are! Offer sincere expressions of 'well done' or 'congratulations'. Join in the spirit raising chants. Stay positive!