Is Your Team Engagement Low?

As cheerleaders, it’s important that your cheer squad is united and engaging with your school and community. You’re the face of spirit! Sometimes when teams get too caught up with winning or being the best, they forget about the other aspects of cheer that don’t involve gold medals (but are just as important). A big part of cheer, especially in middle and high school, is engaging with fellow students and community members. This can be through fundraising, sports games, school events, community events, and more. By making the most of those events and occasions, your squad can bond with each other and get to know community members. First of all, how can you know if your team engagement is low? Take a look at how interactive the crowd, school body, or community is with your events and performances. Do they cheer along with you during sidelines chants at football games? Do they participate in your fundraising events? Are your fellow students supportive (or do they at least recognize the spirited activities of the cheerleaders?). If you answered “no” to any of them, chances are you need to up the ante. So, how do you increase engagement? Participate! Interaction is the only way you can make a name for your team in the community. The more you’re in the public eye, the more people are aware of you. At a sports game, get the audience involved with your cheers. Ask a volunteer to step down to the sidelines to learn a simple chant. Or, giveaway small prizes for audience members who cheer the loudest or wear the most spirited outfit or accessories. If a community club or park is holding a relay race, run, or other event that supports a cause, volunteer as a team to participate! You can easily help a cause or an organization without spending money. A great way to kill two birds with one stone is to hold a community fundraiser. Not only will it raise money for your squad to pay for cheer uniforms or equipment, but it will also allow you to get to know your neighbors and fellow students. Make a big impact by hosting an event like a bake sale, car wash, or yard sale. Whatever the event or fundraiser you host, make sure to advertise so you can get the word out and get people more involved. And even those who don’t attend will still find out about and see your squad in action. Remember, it’s key to maintain a positive and clean image. You’re in the public eye and you don’t want to get a bad name. One cheerleader’s wrong move could damage the entire team’s reputation. Just look at what happened to the Towson cheer squad. A few members’ bad moves ruined it for the entire team. We want to hear from you! How does your squad get involved with your community? Comment below!