College University Cheerleaders

The Demanding Life of College University Cheerleaders

Life as a college cheerleader is quite demanding. Most college cheer squads practice five days a week and sometimes six. Practice sessions can last two hours or more. In addition to regular practices, most cheerleaders are expected to work out and lift weight three times a week. Since cheerleading is a challenging sport, it is vital that the guys and girls on the squad be in the best shape possible. By building muscles, college university cheerleaders can jump higher, flip faster and become more and more precise in movements.

Scholarships for Cheerleaders

Many cheerleaders today are thrilled to find out that there are more scholarships available than ever before. Although these scholarships are not always full-ride scholarships, some are. Even a partial scholarship can help offset costs of attending that out of state college you're dying to go to, or the more expensive costs of a private institution.

One of the first steps in locating scholarships is to make a list of possible schools you'd like to attend. You should then contact both the head of the sports department and the school's financial advisor to inquire about scholarships and financial aid to attend the school. You'll also want to discuss scholarships with your high school guidance counselor.

Here are a few sites that allow high school athletes to research and connect with colleges around the country or find scholarships for cheering:

• College Recruiting
• Next Student Cheer Scholarships
• College Scholarships

About College Cheer Squads

Many universities have two separate cheer squads. These are usually identified by a color. For example, the University of Kentucky has a gold and a blue squad. The University of Arizona has a red and a blue squad. Indiana University has a cream and a crimson squad. Typically, the two squads will represent the school’s colors. Although no one states that one squad is better than the other, everyone knows that one squad is considered superior for competitions. However, if you are chosen for the squad that is not the top squad at the school, don’t despair. Work hard and keep improving. When the top squad needs replacement cheerleaders, they often promote from the other squad.

Duties of a Cheerleader

In college, the demands on a cheerleader’s time can be exhausting to say the least. Not only do college university cheerleaders have to attend all those practice sessions and workout sessions, but learn cheers for ball games and attend those games. The cheerleaders are needed at pep rallies too. As if all this didn’t already sound like a full time job, cheerleaders are required to maintain high grade point averages to remain on the squad.

In addition to all of that, some cheerleaders belong to sororities or work part-time jobs. Organization becomes key to staying on top of all the demands and being successful as a cheerleader and a student.

New Skills

College cheer coaches are often exemplary in their field. Many have won national titles and have a broad knowledge of gymnastics and cheer techniques. In addition, most universities have several coaches, all with different specialties. Because of the quality of the advanced coaching, cheerleaders are able to learn many new College Cheerleading Stunts tricks in college that they might not have had the chance to learn at their local high school.

If you are chosen as a cheerleader for your college, know that you are among an honored few. Take advantage of this gift you’ve been given (and worked very hard for, of course), and take the time to listen and learn from the experienced coaches in your athletic department. Many cheerleaders find that their skills increase dramatically in college. Also, pay attention to how the coaches go about coaching. You may one day want to teach a cheerleading class to kids or even become a college cheerleading coach yourself.

Some college cheerleaders go on to dance and cheer for professional sports teams. The skills you learn in college will be essential to those try outs.

Lists of University Cheer Squads

There are more cheerleading squads than you can easily count. Some are national champs and some simply cheer their football teams on to victory. Take some time to visit the cheer pages for some of these schools. Here are some sites that offer links to various cheer squads:

• Cheerleading.net – This site has a complete list of universities offering cheer programs. You’ll also find some other wonderful cheerleading information and links on this site.

• Yahoo’s College Cheer Directory – More than just links, you’ll also find a short description of each site. Find the college you want to cheer for!