5 Questions for Cheer Captains to Ask

Being the captain of a cheerleading squad is a huge honor and a major responsibility. Whether you were appointed by your coach or voted captain by your teammates, your leadership skills and experience have been noticed. Now it’s time to be the best captain you can be and lead your team into a great cheer season! Asking these questions will help make that happen: What are my new responsibilities? Different squads will have different tasks and roles for the captain. Find out from your coach what those are. Maybe you will be in charge of picking out new uniforms, collecting information for the cheer gear your team will be ordering, organizing fundraisers, setting up transportation to cheer events, running part of practice, etc. Find out what is expected of you so you can prepare and do it well! How much extra time should I expect to dedicate to cheerleading? As captain, you will likely have to dedicate more time to the cheer squad than you did before. Find out early on how this will affect your schedule so you can prioritize. That way, you won’t be rushed or stressed, and you’ll know how to best manage school and any other responsibilities you have so that nothing is neglected. What does the team expect of me? After you ask the coach what your responsibilities will be, find out what your teammates’ needs are. Remember, as captain you are here to help the team out. Let your teammates know they can come to you with any concerns or input they might have. Ask them what you can do for them to help them improve and make sure they have a great year. What goals should I set? Find out what goals your coach has for the team and ask her or him how you can help make them happen. Since you’ll also be setting your own personal goals, ask your coach for any input on what she or he would like to see you accomplish this year. This might be in regards to your cheer skills or your role on the team. You might also want to set your own team goals‚ things you would like to help the team accomplish. This might be something like spending more time together outside of practice to get closer as teammates, finding ways to inspire more school spirit, or mastering a stunt. How can I make this year a memorable one? Winning competitions is great, but in the grand scheme of things cheerleading is about the memories you make along the way. As captain, you are no longer thinking about only yourself and how you can improve your cheer skills to help the team. Think about how you can ensure everyone on your squad has a good experience this year. That might mean you take steps to banish gossip from your team or to make sure that everyone feels included and appreciated, even if she or he isn’t the star tumbler or flyer. Maybe you could make sure your squad does things like decorating the football players’ lockers or creating signs to hang around the school to raise spirit. This is an area where you don’t have to have your splits or needle to shine, plus it serves as a great team bonding activity. Brainstorm ways to unite your team and have a good year! What other questions should cheer captains ask before the season starts?