How to Lead the Crowd in a Cheer

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

Rate: (7 Ratings)

Nothing is more boring than a fan who sits quietly, occasionally whispering, "Oh, that sure was a nice play." If you plan to show your face at a March Madness game, a local sports bar or home TV party, you'd better get a little spirit.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Step1

Be gregarious, creative and funny. It helps to get feisty, clever and animated. A little rhythm never hurt either.

Step2

Stand up. No one ever led a good cheer sitting down.

Step3

Face the crowd. Announce that WE are going to do a cheer.

Step4

Do a lot of pointing. People always pay more attention if they think you see them.

Step5

Smile.

Step6

Have a cheer or chant in mind and deliver it to the crowd as practice, telling them the lines they'll need to repeat, if any.

Step7

Keep it short.

Step8

Yell your lines. Try something like: "Let's get a little bit rowdy! R-O-W...D-Y!" or "You walked! You walked! You traveled and got caught!" or maybe "S-I-N-K, sink it! Sink it!" And, of course, there is the opposite: "M-I-S-S, miss it! Miss it!"

Step9

Conduct the crowd with your hands.

Step10

Scream and hop around like a mooncalf.

Tips & Warnings

It's a good idea to have simple phrases large crowds can repeat, while you do the majority of work. Teaching even a few lines is difficult, especially when most people are trying to watch the action. Avoid haiku or sonnets.
If you have a fan base of students or alumni, try the school song. That's always a hit, except with the freshmen who haven't learned it yet.
For home parties in front of the tube, try this simple cheer: "Potato chip, potato chip. Munch, munch, munch. Oregon State Beavers. Crunch, crunch, crunch."
Don't be annoying and rise to cheerlead every other minute. You'll be sent bouncing around the stadium like a beach ball in 10.

Comments

Anonymous said

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on 7/21/2006 Put some emotion in it. Attitude, expressions, everything. I've been a cheerleader since third grade. Motions need to look sharp. Practice them in the mirror, and call them out as you do it. This way, you will become more familiar with the moves and it will be easier to learn cheers and dances. Don't expect to become the top cheerleader in a day. It takes work to get to the top of that pyramid!

Don't feel discouraged if the senior or varsity team is better than you, they're supposed to be better than you!

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 Overall, just be cool and go with the flow! This ALWAYS works!! :)

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 I've been a cheerleader since 5th grade. Probably the biggest thing to remember when trying out is to smile! Always look happy and perky even if you're nervous. If you make a mistake, don't look around or make a face. If you keep on smiling and pretend that nothing went wrong, no one will make a big deal about it. If you're not feeling confident, fake it. The more you fake confidence, the more confident you actually appear. You'll notice this, and actually become confident. Good luck!

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 Remember that not all fans are going to appreciate cheerleaders yelling while they are trying to watch a game. Make sure you choose to cheer when there is something important happening so that the anti-cheerleaders can get fired up! :)

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 The two most important things in cheerleading are attitude and a smile! If you do not have a good attitude how can you expect the crowd to participate with you? So just let loose and have fun!

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