With the strength, talent, and athleticism demonstrated by a team, it is clear how different it is from cheerleading
Most people assume Stunt is just another version of cheer.
In reality, it is much more technical and is asking 35 girls
on the PRHS squad to enter an intense, head-to-head
game between two teams, which compete in 15 routines.
Junior Savannah Alviso thinks stunt takes cheer to a new level.
“I think stunt brings cheer into a more serious aspect, and it’s
not like just waving pom poms in the air and looking pretty. We
work hard everyday to make sure our routines look good, and we’re
competing against different teams.”
Stunt is one of the most winning PRHS teams this Spring,
recording 3 wins and one loss.
There are four quarters full of varying routines that the teams must learn. Quarter 1 is called Partner Stunts; Quarter 2 is Pyramids and Tosses; Quarter 3 is Jumps and Tumbling; and Quarter 4 is Team Routine — which combines the previous three quarters’ routines. After practicing complicated and rigorous routines to make them as perfect as possible, the teams compete. The team that performs the skills best, wins the round and the point, determined by the scoring officials. Winning the round gives that team the chance to pick the next routine. Each quarter contains six routines, Level 1 being the easiest, and Level 6 being the hardest.
Paso stunt preforming Routine 5: Partner Stunts
The first quarter,
Partner Stunts, can have up to three stunt groups competing. Easier
routines have more stunt groups whereas the more difficult routines
use two or even just one stunt group. Each routine is full of different
stunts where two bases and a backspot, lift, spin, throw, and catch
a flyer.
Quarter 2, Pyramids and Tosses, consists of three stunt groups
for every routine. The stunt groups work together to create a
pyramid effect.
“I feel that the intensity of strengths that are necessary for
Partner’s stunts demonstrates that stunt is a sport. To be able to
throw anywhere from 80 to 100 plus pounds over your head and
do complex skills takes an immense amount of not only strength,
but also endurance.”
In the third quarter, Jumps and Tumbling, each routine consists of seven girls. Jumps and tumbling exhibits the skills of athletes who are very flexible and have excelled in activities such as pikes and back handsprings, demonstrating synchronous and strong jumping motions displaying flexibility in the air. The most skilled athletes rip back flips for the judges and the win.
Within the first three quarters, there are four separate rounds that the teams must compete. In each round played , a point is earned by the team who does their routines with the fewest number of deductions by the judges.
The last quarter, quarter four combines routines from each previous quarter. The routines are the same routines that were performed in the first three quarters, but they are put together to create one routine with no breaks. Due to the fact that the routines are so much longer, there are only three separate rounds in Quarter 4.
“Stunt is always a team sport. Without one person, the whole dynamic is thrown off, but this especially applies in quarter four. When everyone is tired and those on the mat are trying to remember their technique and counts, hearing your teammates count, cheer, and encourage from the sideline is the key to achieving a seamless routine execution,” senior Miranda Martinez said.
