Flying through the air with the greatest of ease….

Cheerleading stunts are the most exciting aspect of the sport. Everyone loves that exhilarating feeling they get when they watch cheerleaders sail through the air in a display of athleticism, dexterity and grace. However, before attempting any cheerleading stunts all members of the squad must have a firm and complete understanding of the procedure and their role in the stunt to avoid injuring any of the parties involved in the stunt.

Are you a Flyer, Base or Spot?

The three positions in cheerleading stunting are flyer, bases, and spots. As the name implies, the flier is the cheerleader who is thrown into the air during the stunt. The flyers are usually the smallest, lightest, and most athletic members of the squad.

The bases provide the main support for the flier before, during and after the stunt. For this reason, the base is often viewed as the most difficult position in cheerleading because it requires a great deal of physical and mental strength. The bases are most often the tallest and strongest members of the squad, since they lift and throw the flier into the air.

Finally, the spots or spotters are the members of the squad who make sure that nothing goes wrong during the stunt, which means that must always keep their eyes on the flyer throughout the stunt. They have the important task of counting the time for the stunt and are usually the most agile, alert, and aggressive squad members.

The back spotter not only helps the flyer into the stunt, but they are also responsible for watching the flyer carefully throughout the stunt and being there to catch them in case they are about to fall.

When a flyer is learning a new stunt, sometimes it’s useful to have front spots in addition to back spots. In this case, the front spot is responsible for lifting the flyer into the stunt if the stunt uses front-style lifting. For some unbalanced stunts they must also maintain a firm grip on the wrists of the bases or the ankles of the flyer.

Cupie and Extension Prep Stunts

When incorporating cheerleading stunts into the routine, make sure to start simple and always practice the stunts in a well-cushioned area before attempting them on concrete. Some of the most commonly executed stunts are the cupie and the extension prep.

For the cupie stunt, the flyer places their right foot into the hands of the main base. As the flyer jumps, she places her left foot beside her right in the hands of the base. The base then pushes her up into a full overhead extension, moving the flyer’s feet together. The front base holds the flyer’s ankles for support while they are in the air.

To begin the extension prep stunt, the two main bases are facing each other about 15 inches apart, with the flyer standing behind the base’s shoulders and the spotter behind the flyer. At the beginning of the stunt, the bases bend their knees and extend their main hand palm up towards the audience while the flyer places her hands on the base’s lowered shoulders and the spotter grabs the flyer’s waist.

The flyer jumps into the bases hands with her arms locked. With straight backs, the bases stand up, using their leg strength and momentum to lift the flyer with them. First, the bases bring their hands level with their collarbones, and then they turn their hands parallel with the flyer’s feet. At this point, the flyer pushes off the bases shoulders, locking her legs and rising slowly. When the spotter can no longer hold the flyer’s waist, they grab their ankles for support.