Cheerleading is often a thankless job. The significance of the role generally goes under the radar and it is often reduced to being just dancing girls. However, this view is seeing a sure but steady change with cheerleading competitions worldwide showing the endurance it takes to cheer. The sport is mentally and physically demanding and the UBC Cheer Club is here to show you exactly that. While many take the cheerleading role lightly, performers and experts will tell you the level of fitness and elite mentality required to cheer.

Competing at such cheer competitions takes practice, diversity in athleticism, and an unrelenting mind that is solely focused on growth and improvement.

Why Cheerleading is Changing

Emma Quan, a fifth-year base at UBC Cheer Club, claims that the rigorous training regimes cheerleaders undergo may leave people speechless. The team contains multitudes, with athletes who specialize in different aspects of performance. It also sees cheerleaders coming in from different backgrounds, adding depth and variety to the routines these teams can perform.

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While teamwork during rehearsals is a given, the cheerleaders are also expected to work on themselves and their abilities individually. They are also expected to trust one another while defying gravity during their routines. “If one person doesn’t show up to practice … your stunt can’t go. It’s not like, ‘Oh, we’ll just do it.’ It’s the teamwork,” one cheerleader stated. Moreover, working together as a team creates a sense of unity.

Another less-highlighted aspect of cheerleading is having to expect the unexpected. Quan spoke of an instance during her early cheerleading days when it was pouring rain and the team still had to perform. “We were absolutely drenched … it was one of those things where that should have been miserable… but it was so fun, because everybody made it so fun,” Quan said.

What Coaching Cheerleaders Looks Like

However, coaching the team is no easy feat either. Just ask UBC Cheer Lana Fuenning and Melanie Martens, who used to compete against each other when they were young. The two coaches have had some bad experiences with coaches during their cheer days but now look to make the best bonds with their team. They believe that a lack in their age gap with the teams allows the team to relate better with the coaches.

As the season approaches, Fuenning is on a mission to change people’s perception of the UBC Cheer Club. She believes the team has lost some of its essence through the cracks over the years. Her goal is to pick those pieces and put them together so that the team can be more active and competitive under her mentorship.

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