Floor Cheers
From LoveToKnow Cheerleading
While the classic image of the cheerleader may be out on a football sideline, there are many indoor sports that have their own squads engaging the crowds with floor cheers out on the court. Whether seated on the sidelines, doing routines during a time-out or on center-court during half time, there are many ways to use floor cheers to help your squad's team and fans.
What Makes Good Floor Cheers
Like most cheers, a positive message is going to be the best way to stimulate the crowd into supporting the team. All of the usual rules for creating cheers apply, keeping words short and clear, interspersing them with movements and rhythms. However, there are a couple of big differences in the acoustics of the inside courts that change the way a squad can work with the crowd.
Echo
The enclosing walls of a basketball court usually will give a little bit of echo to all the sounds – which is great when you have a clear cheer going out to the crowd, but possibly not so good when the roar of the crowd is coming back to you at different times. The squad also has to deal with the other noises going on in a gymnasium or arena, all of which will also reverb.
This means it's even more important that the squad be exactly together when they shout out their cheers, and that there be a bit of a space in between words and sentences to let the resonating sounds fade. However, with a little projection it's much easier to fill the air with the sounds of your own cheers.
The Floor
Some floor cheers are specifically designed to be used on the sidelines of the court, seated in the "pinwheel" position, pom-poms set aside while the hands are used as percussion instruments on the floor, the legs, or clapping together. This is taking advantage of the fact that the floor itself is made of wood, and therefore becomes a tool for making rhythmic counterpoint to the cheers.
The same thing applies to the entire court. If doing a halftime show, the squad can use the hard floor like a giant drum. With the crowd also able to make tremendously loud stomps on the bleachers in most gyms, setting up easy call-and-response rhythms can become some of the most exciting floor cheers ever.
Other Advantages
There are other factors that make floor cheers inside more creatively flexible than being outside. There is a lack of weather, which means a squad never has to deal with rain, wind, bright sun or snow, which can make stunts and other routines much more consistent and safe. At the same time, a basketball court floor is much harder than the grass on the football field, so there should be appropriate safety measures taken as needed. The simple fact of a basketball court being smaller than an outdoor field means that it is somewhat easier to attract and hold a crowd's attention, leading them in chants or rewarding their involvement by throwing candy into the bleachers.
Examples of a Floor Cheer with Motions
There are many examples of cheers available on the internet, but the best cheers are going to be personalized for your school, team or squad. Use cheers like the following as models to make your own, and then share them on the web so that others can learn from your example:
For East High School
E! (stomp) A! (stomp) S-T! (clap)
E! (stomp) A! (stomp) S-T! (clap)
We're Strong! We're Bold! We're Purple and Gold!
arms straight up on "strong", down on each others shoulders on "bold", then clasp over head – over chest – towards floor on three beats of "purple and gold"
We're so HOT we leave you COLD!
arms unclasp, spirit fingers palm out towards crowd on "hot", fold up as if shivering on "cold"
CLAP-STOMP-Snap fingers in air Sssssssssssssss!! (making sound of a sizzling pan)
Use your colors, use the name of your team, or even the names of the cheerleaders and team members – your own floor cheers can become one of the most fun parts of any sporting event at your school.
Learn More
This page has been accessed 3,973 times. This page was last modified 12:35, 24 December 2008.
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