By: Ana Rugles
In Competitive cheer, there are three different rounds, each focusing on key components that make up points that all add up to receive the final score that gets used for scoring. The third round consists of full mat tumbling and stunts. Stunts are when four to five people hold and throw a flyer in the air. There are two bases at the bottom that hold the flyer’s feet while a back-spot stands behind the bases and grips around the flyer’s ankles to pull up; they do this to take some of the weight from the flyer off the bases.
Korra Kapenga is a flyer on Hamilton’s Varsity Competitive Cheer team that has been cheering for nine years. We asked her a few questions about her job as a flyer and what could happen if she bails on her stunt.
“Our stunt group can’t hit the stunts, and I fall and hit the ground or my bases.”
Seeing as she has been flying for eight years, she has been through the ups and downs of it. She knows how to get her job done and is very self-aware of what happens when she doesn’t.
“Everyone in the stunt has a huge role, but if the flyer decides not to do their job, then it could result in serious injury and or nothing will work.” She knows that if she doesn’t do her job properly, nothing good will result from it.
As you can see, performing your job as a flyer is a lethal part of the stunt. If the flyer doesn’t do her job, no one else can.
Backspot Georgia Vise has been cheering for eight years, she has been a backspot for two years. She is behind everyone and can see what they do right or wrong, including herself.
“The stunt falls, and the flyer could hit the ground”
If she doesn’t do her job, it could result in heavy injury to not just the flyer but to the bases if she is not there for the extra support.
She feels out who is doing their job and can see when one person doesn’t do thier job wat the result of that.
“The flyer plays a big part in if the stunt is successful”
When the flyer bends their knees or leans too far forward or backward, it makes it impossible to put up a stunt, and a good one at that.
Base, Zoey Schreur, has been basing for 13 years and plays a crucial role in the fundamentals of stunts. She explains to us the details needed for the stunt to be completed.
“I am a main base, and if I don’t do my job, the stunt will fall”
She is a very important part of the stunts because, without her, there would be no stunts. Unlike how without a backspot, it would be a lot harder, but not impossible.
Stunts are an important part of competitive cheerleading. They help rack up points that could result in a neck-and-neck win and allow the cheerleaders to express their creativity and push themselves.