Nike Cheer Shoes

About Nike Cheer Shoes

There are currently seven types of Nike cheer shoes on the market. Which style you choose should be based on your needs as a squad, the overall look you want to achieve and, of course, which shoes you think feel the best. You'll stand, kick, tumble and jump in these shoes for hours, so it's very important that they are comfortable.

The Nike Musique

This shoe is somewhat of a cross between athletic cheer shoes and dance shoes. The emphasis is on support of the ball and heel of the foot, coupled with flexibility in the soft but durable lining. This shoe would be ideal for a squad that does more dancing or only cheers on the ground. Nike Musiques only come in white and retail around $45.00..

Nike Air Achieve II

Nike Air Achieves are your basic athletic shoe. They will not allow flexibility for pointing your toes (which means that this is not a great shoe choice for dancing squads) but will provide ample stability for girls who have to stand on their feet for hours at a game. This shoe is probably ideal for middle school or junior varsity squads that don't do a lot of stunting. The shoe only comes in white and sells for about $35.00 a pair.

Nike Air Cheer Elite

Another shoe that is a combination dance sneaker and athletic shoe, the Air Cheer Elite only comes in adult sizes. Consequently, it is appropriate for college or high school teams. This shoe comes with built in flexibility and consequently is a great shoe for squads that are doing more dancing and floor cheering as opposed to stunting. They retail for about $50.00 a pair.

Nike Sideline Cheer Adult

This particular shoe offers slightly less flexibility, but not so much so that you couldn't wear them comfortably if you're dancing. The shoe is white, and the Nike emblem comes with twelve different colors that you can use to customize your shoe with you uniform. This shoe is in adult sizes only, so this is ideal for a high school squad that doesn't want all white sneakers. These shoes sell for about $43.00.

Nike Stamina Adult

This is Nike's top of the line offering for stunting squads. This shoe has heel notches for a better grip while stunting and is designed with tumbling and stunting in mind to provide both support and flexibility. This shoe is ideal for high school or college stunting and cheering squads. The shoe comes in red, royal blue, black and grey, and black and white. You can purchase a pair for around $35.00.

Nike Energy Cheer Adult

This is for the squad that does it all. With finger grooves for a better grip while stunting, a waffle outsole for traction while tumbling and durability while cheering for hours and hours, this is the shoe for the championship high school team that cheers at games, performs stunts and tumbling, and competes in the spring. They retail for $37.00 a pair.

Nike Air Controller Cheer Adult

This shoe is designed for the squad that has gotten back to its roots in cheerleading and performs cheers during games. Designed to be ultra comfortable and especially good when cheering and jumping, this shoe is ideal for the squad that does a lot of cheering during a season. These shoes retail for $55.00.

Tips for Selecting and Buying Cheer Shoes

Footwear is perhaps your most important piece of equipment. It's worth your while to really sit down and think about your options before you make the big purchase. Here are a few questions to answer:

• What is our squad going to be doing in these shoes? Obviously you're cheering, but for your squad does that mean lots of stunts or does that mean leading sideline cheers and then maybe a half time routine? Make sure that the shoe you get is the one designed to get the job done.

• Which shoe does the squad seem to think is most comfortable? You probably cannot take your entire squad out to try on cheer shoes. However, if your squad is several years old, there is perhaps already a standard. If not, this is a captain and coach decision.

• What conditions will we be cheering in? If you are cheering in every season for most sports, it's important to have something very durable. In fact, some squads use two pairs of cheer shoes each year; one pair for inside cheering and one pair for outside cheering.

Where to Buy Nike Cheer Shoes

The best way to buy Nike shoes is online or through a catalogue. Here are a few places to check for your favorite style:

• Team Cheer offers the full line of Nike shoes designed for cheerleading.
• Cheer and Pom offers a full selection of cheerleading shoes from several brands.
• Just for Kix is a supply store geared towards dancing. You'll find great Nike shoes here that are geared towards dancing squads.
• Cheerleading Online offers a complete selection of cheerleading shoes.