7 Mistakes You Should Avoid During Game Day Performances

The life of a pro cheerleader involves glamour. But even this career is not safe from the mishaps that could happen on the field. Some of these misfortunes can easily be gotten over with while others could ruin your entire pro cheer experience.

Here are a few examples of these mistakes and what you can do to prevent them from happening to you.

1. Colliding with a player

You are athletic and so are the players in the teams you’re cheering for. However, men will always be larger in size. Getting tackled by a 6-foot NBA player or a fully-equipped NFL player is no joke. During the game, they are running and gaining momentum.

Sometimes they go out of bounds without anything to stop them. You don’t want to be that stopper. As much as possible, be aware of your surroundings especially if your squad is dancing on the sidelines and facing away from the playing field. Look at this video.

2. Not being aware of your facial expressions while dancing

Photo: Metaweb / GNU Free Documentation License

Pro cheerleaders are always photographed while dancing. Sometimes, pictures are taken at the wrong moments. I’ve seen a lot of photos on the internet of cheerleaders dancing with hilarious faces. You don’t want to be a part of that list.

Practice your energetic dance routines with a smile and train your breathing. That way, you’ll be able to maintain your beautiful look even in the most physically demanding situations.

3. Not preparing during your period

This advice is particularly useful for pro cheerleaders or aspirants of squads with white-bottomed uniforms. Only use pads or tampons that will hold all your period as you execute the most complicated dance moves. As mentioned above, photos will always be taken.

Do your best to avoid being in the hall of shame. Try as many feminine sanitary products as you can until you find the best brand for your pro cheer dancing needs.

4. Filling yourself up right before a performance

Dancers puking while dancing is fairly common. But it’s an embarrassing experience and this happens because you ate or drank right before you perform. On game day, eat your meals early. If you’re thirsty, drink only enough water for quenching. Don’t dance feeling full.

5. Not memorizing and mastering your dance routine

It’s good to look at your teammates while dancing to see if you’re in sync. But if you look too much, you’ll actually end up committing a lot of mistakes such as bumping into squadmates, tripping over on your own, or hitting them with your arms.

You should memorize the routines well and stay focused while performing. There’s also one more costly mistake you should look out for especially doing difficult stunts: Falling as a flyer. This accident has already happened to Baltimore Ravens and Orlando Magic cheerleaders.

6. A lack of energy

This problem is caused by not eating your breakfast or lunch on game day or if you haven’t slept well the night before. Remember, pro cheerleading is a sport itself due to the high energy demands of dancing and cheering.

That’s why we always advise you to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night and eat highly nutritious meals for energy.

7. Unlucky discharges

Don’t push your luck in dancing when you have an upset stomach. Take antidiarrheal agents at least an hour or two before performing. Avoid wetting yourself as well. Visit the bathroom first before dancing.

With that said, always be careful during a game day because everyone is watching you. Be prepared by having all your essentials in your bag and check yourself at all times. Mindfulness is the key here.

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