The best part of cheerleading for me, besides competitions would be stunting. Though this may be the best part, it may not be the easiest. Stunts range from many different levels. The basic stunts would be called intermediate stunts. These stunts teach you the basics and will lead up to the more difficult stunts that would be called the advanced stunts. Do you think you have what it takes to throw someone in the air? Even though cheerleaders make stunting seem so easy, it’s actually not as easy as it looks. There are a few basics of stunting that every cheerleader must learn and know in order to do every stunt correctly and safely. There are four basic people in every stunt group, with an optional fifth person.
The first person and the most important person would be called the flyer. This person would be the one that the other three people, called bases, would throw in the air. I was the flyer in high school and it was one of the best experiences of cheerleading. The most important part of the flyer is to hold their own weight, keep their chest and butt up, stay tight and lock their legs. The flyer should be so tight that if the bases are having complications, they would be able to adjust and keep the stunt up and going without the flyer falling into a cradle position. The cradle position is when bases throw the flyer and catch them in their arms. In this position the flyer will be doing a pike, also known as a cradle.
The second and third person of the stunt would be considered the main base and the secondary base. The main base is the person who the flyer gives their foot to first and usually the base that does the least adjustments and hand positions. The secondary base is the base that usually does the more complicated hand positioning depending on if their performing a one legged or two legged stunt. If it’s a two legged they’ll have their hands in the same position as the main base. They’ll be holding the toe and heal of the foot connecting both of their hands so there is no whole on the middle of the foot. If they’re performing a one legged stunt, they will grip the middle foot that the main base is holding in a sandwich technique, with their left hand on top and right hand on bottom (for right foot) squeezing their hands together, keeping the foot stable.
The fourth person in the stun would be the back spotter. This person is known as the eye of the stunt. Their main job is to control the whole stunt and guide the stunt if it’s moving. Their other job is to basically keep the flyer in the air and hold the butt/leg depending on the stunt. For majority of the stunts the back spotter would hold the ankle this also helps bases control the flyer. The fifth and optional person of the stunt would be the front spotter, this person usually comes in handy for more difficult stunts to help control the flyer and stunt or to help the bases hold the positioning of the foot when they can’t position their hands fast enough.