High School Where Is The Best Placement For The Cheer? (comp Routine)

[LaRoseWMS]

I've been coaching for two years, and I've done it both ways... can't decide if I prefer opening with a cheer or having them cheer over a quiet beat in the routine. I'm worried about stopping and starting music; I would rather have the whole track run straight through. The year they cheered over the beat, it was criticized on the score sheet for being too fast. Not sure what the best way is; where do you place yours and why?

 

[ErinS]

I prefer beginning and then having 2 minutes of music (or however the break down is). I just prefer straight music.


Eliminates the risk of messing up with a stop and go track

 

[GForce]

I prefer the cheer in the middle and two sections of music...that's how I always did it in high school. In my area is was weird for school to start with the cheer and then just straight music

 

[SparkleSpankies]

Only do cheer first if you have super strong voices and it is a stregnth. Many times teams start w/ cheer and they don't have the wow factor so you lose momentum before your routine starts. ALSO it is tiring if the cheer is a good cheer performed well, so you are then starting all of your elite skills in music that is already more then 1/3rd into the routine.

 

[omgitssydthekid]

We always did it in the middle of our routine so that seems the most natural for me.

 

[BuegeSmalls]

I prefer the middle. Starting with the cheer just always makes me think that maybe the team was too tired half way through to yell the words. Maybe not accurate but that's just what I've always thought.

 

[Official OWECheer]

Cheering in the middle is fine if it's a crowd leading cheer, but one thing that I have noticed with teams that cheer over music is that they tend to cheer off-beat. It distracts me from their performance.

 

[jessicastuart]

I've tried both styles: middle and beginning. I prefer beginning with my team. They have strong voices and sharp motions, which has made a great first impression to the judges and crowd. Most teams in my area either start, or do a straight 2:30 with cheer over the music.

Also.. my anxiety level is at a lower level when I have 1 music track rather than 2, lol

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Done both. Prefer beginning from a coaching standpoint.

 

[MHSCheercoach]

I've seen teams start with a short cheer (one or two strong lines) with nice clean sharp motions. Looked great.
I've also seen teams do cheer in the middle (my preference) and looked great. I don't like cheer at the end for sure.
I don't like cheering over music (not in high school). I also don't like there being too many transitions between cheer and music. One year a team seriously would cheer two or three lines then music then cheer then music then cheer then music. It was so disjointed that I paid no attention to their technique because it seemed all like a mess.

As a coach, you have to decide how your routine flows the best and what your teams strengths are. I love starting with music and a nice solid stunt or basket toss, we always through our best skill first. Last year, I had an amazing tumbler so we did team tumbling to build with the music and then my amazing tumbler split the mat up the middle and threw her roundoff, bhs, back tuck, full while the rest did double nines and formation change. We used our cheer for our partner stunts and the music for our pyramids and dance.

 

[celtics youth cheer coach]

How about from a judges point of view? Do they care or score differently based on where the cheer is? I'm youth rec (7-11 yr. olds) but we're normally scored by aacca rules.
I think it looks better to have the cheer in the middle but is easier to do cheer first, then music. Even when doing the cheer in the middle, I refuse to put my music on 2 tracks. It's all 1 track with a pause in the music where the cheer goes. It's usually a random parent doing the music and there's too much room for mistakes with 2 tracks.

 

[Hscoach10]

I've been coaching for two years, and I've done it both ways... can't decide if I prefer opening with a cheer or having them cheer over a quiet beat in the routine. I'm worried about stopping and starting music; I would rather have the whole track run straight through. The year they cheered over the beat, it was criticized on the score sheet for being too fast. Not sure what the best way is; where do you place yours and why?

I prefer middle. We always use a 2:30 second track that has a 1 minute pause for the cheer included. It is so much easier than using 2 tracks!

 

[Official OWECheer]

I prefer middle. We always use a 2:30 second track that has a 1 minute pause for the cheer included. It is so much easier than using 2 tracks!

I thought lots of people did this, why would somebody use two separate tracks? Too scary.

 

[LaRoseWMS]

Thanks everyone! Lots of good things to think about. I like the idea of building a pause in the middle, then I only have to worry about them pressing play once!

 

[MHSCheercoach]

I thought lots of people did this, why would somebody use two separate tracks? Too scary.

At the competitions I've been to, the coach/team representative has to push play. This way you can't blame someone else for pushing play too early/too late/at wrong time, etc. I'm a bit of a control freak so there is no way I would allow someone other than myself to push play.
The two different tracks has worked to our advantage in the past as I KNOW when they are ready, I KNOW when they aren't. I leave a few seconds in between the cheer and end music so they can ham it up with the crowd and get pumped for their ending. One track would make me nervous as what if they are cheering faster than normal (nerves) or slower than normal due to a stunt fall or something. Guess it's whatever works for your team.