You may see the cheerleaders on the sidelines and think… what’s so hard about cheer? There has always been controversy over whether or not cheer should be considered a sport, even though it officially became a sanctioned high school sport in 2022. However, there is much more to cheer than what you see on the sidelines.

Cheerleading is one of the most physically demanding and high-risk sports. Beyond game-day performances, competitive cheer is a complex and intense sport that requires athleticism, teamwork, and precision.

Beyond the Sidelines

High school competitive cheer consists of multiple routines, each requiring different skill sets. While every school chooses which routines to compete in, the main categories include:

• Show Cheer: The most advanced routine featuring tumbling, stunting, jumps, and motions (dance).
• Game Day Routines: This category includes multiple performances:
  • Situational Sideline Cheer: Cheerleaders make split-second decisions based on a football scenario provided by the judges. They are evaluated on clarity, sharpness, unity, and spirit.
  • Band Chant: A routine focused on synchronized motions with no tumbling or stunts.
  • Fight Song and Other Performances: These emphasize school spirit and sharp execution.

At Timpview, the varsity cheer team competes in Show Cheer, Situational Sideline, and Band Chant. The JV team also competes in Show Cheer.

Competitive cheer is further divided into divisions based on team size (small, medium, large, super), skill level (novice, intermediate, advanced), and type (all-girl or co-ed). This past year, Timpview competed in the medium, intermediate, all-girl division, with a routine that included three tumbling sections, three stunt sequences, a jump section, and a cheer. This routine is 2 minutes and 30 seconds long of pure cardio. These girls have worked very hard to compete in this routine. Despite what you may think, show cheer requires lots of skill and physical ability.

A Look Inside the Competition World

Assistant Principal Mrs. White, who traveled to nationals with the Timpview cheer team, admitted she didn’t know much about competition aspect of cheerleading until she attended her first competition this year.

“Oh, I loved my time in California at nationals with Timpview Cheer,” she said. “I had never been to anything like that before. It was extremely energetic, entertaining, and a good glimpse into that world that we don’t see.”

“I feel like cheer shows up and cheers for everyone all year long, and it was an amazing event to celebrate all their work and the physicality that’s put in throughout the year. I was really impressed with the demand and the maturity of showing up and competing under that kind of pressure. Watching you girls rise and perform something you’ve been working at all year was so cool. At one point, I even got emotional—it was a moment of celebration for all of your work.”

Despite the team’s success, many students at Timpview remain unaware of the cheer team’s competitive side. In a survey of randomly selected students, multiple students admitted they didn’t even know Timpview had a competition team.

Timpview’s cheerleaders do far more than perform at games and compete. They contribute to school spirit in countless ways—leading assemblies, organizing send-offs for teams, and decorating the school for events. So, next time you see the cheerleaders on the sidelines, we hope you look at them a little differently. They are dedicated athletes who train year-round, balancing both the demands of competition and the responsibility of representing their school. Without them, Timpview’s energy wouldn’t be the same.