Cal State Long Beach Builds Up

This week's pyramid of the week is performed by the Cal State Long Beach coed cheerleading squad. The bottom of the pyramid is two halves based, surprisingly, by girls followed by the two guys in the front spotting them from the front. The girls  in the halves are hitching towards the middle while the two girls on the very top are on top of the half girls. The half in the middle of the pyramid has one of the most important jobs throughout the whole formation. The flyer has to hold the legs of the girls on the very top and manage to keep everyone stable. Compared to other college stunts, this one is one of the simpler ones. However, it still is eye catching and is very impressive considering there are only to guys on the whole team.

Zebra Everywhereeee

Something that is becoming more and more popular in the cheerleading world is zebra print. In the past year or so, you practically see it in some form or another on every team. Whether it be from uniforms to hair bows or make-up bags to bloomers, zebra is everywhere now. Other animal prints that are also popular are leopard and tiger, but zebra definitely takes the highest rank.

I personally love the zebra print. I actually wear the zebra print myself at competitions because it is on my Wildcat uniform. Up until now, I haven't had a lot of zebra items, but now it's become almost an obsession. My prom dress last year was even zebra print! But in cheerleading, I think it adds a fun touch to the uniform and the personality of the team.

University of Kansas tops this week

The University of Kansas has the spotlight this week as they perform their coed pyramid. This pyramid begins with the guys on the bottom basing a half-hitch with two other guys behind and in front of them spotting the half and helping to hold the flyer's foot in the hitch. The flyers on top of them are holding yet another flyer on their hitched leg while they are hitching into the middle, which is a shoulder stand. To bring the whole pyramid together, it is followed by two shoulder sits on both sides of the pyramid. This pyramid would be good to do with a cheer because while the center of the pyramid is being built up, the shoulder sits on the side could lead the crowd in a cheer. The difficult part of this pyramid would be for the flyers to stay tight, especially the girls in the halves. The girls on the top would have to be extemely confident and squeeze every muscle in their body.

Cheers to Cheer Curls

If you ever attend a cheerleading competition, you are guaranteed to see at least 100 of these curl-filled heads. They may look like they sat with curlers in their hair for about three, days but its actually just fake. These fake hair pieces are called cheer curls. Cheer curls are very popular in the world of competition cheerleading. It is a simple way to have big, perfect curls without all the hassle of sitting with curlers in your hair or having to use the curling iron. All you do is pull your real hair up into a bun or ponytail then place the hair piece over top of it. The hair piece will have a drawstring that you must pull and tighten to keep it from falling out. The cheer curls come in many different colors so you can match it to your real hair color. They also come in different styles and sizes depending on what you like. They cost anywhere from $20-$35.

I personally have never purchased cheer curls. I have always done my own hair for competitions, and I love it. One thing I hate to see when I'm at a competiton is hair pieces falling out of girls' heads and onto the mat. Throughout the routine, the hair pieces loosen. and they sometimes fall out. Depending on the judges, they may deduct points for this hair loss.

Ohio State University

This weeks pyramid of the week features the Ohio State cheerleading squad. This is a coed squad that uses every member of the team to build their pyramid. The men are at the base of the pyramid since they are the strongest among the group. The thigh stand in the middle is the core of the whole stunt followed by the shoulder stands on the side. This pyramid takes every ounce of concentration and cooperation to perform correctly. I think it is a very eye appealing pyramid and would be a very good way to get the crowds attention at a football game.However, this pyramid has a very high difficulty level. One of the hardest parts of this pyramid is the flyers staying tight. The flyers would need to stay very solid in the air and be confident in what they're doing. The bases on the bottom also have to be very solid because all of the weight is on them from the top. The thigh stand in the middle has the most weight followed by the shoulder stands on the side.

Elegance on the Floor

Lace as a part of cheerleading uniforms? Since when did cheerleading turn into some kind of fashion show? This is a new trend in the cheerleading world for the 2011-2012 season. In the fashion world, contrasting different fabrics and textures are an everyday thing but in the cheerleading world, you don't usually see this kind of contrast. The more I look at the lace, the more I start to like it. I haven't personally seen the lace uniforms at competitions yet but I plan to start seeing them more this season. I think the lace will add an elegant touch to the uniforms and help add a sophisticated look on the floor.