As the new cheer season comes around the cheerleaders have been working very hard to accomplish the new stunts.  

“Our team always sees new stunts and are always eager to try them because we want to be the best of the best,” said Smith.  

The cheer team was nervous to try the stunts, but varsity helped junior varsity a lot in overcoming that fear of doing stunts.  

One of the cheer captains Aliyyah Rodriquez- Smith said, “doing cheer is a good way to stay active and make new friends.”  

 “Stunting is serious. You are putting someone in the air, but we always try to stay safe and we have a lot of fun,” said Smith.  

If the stunt is not completed correctly than the cheerleaders can end up with very serious head or spinal injuries without paralysis. Flyers, or those at the top of stunts are also at risk for concussions, especially if they fall or dropped.  cheerleaders can also suffer from long-term medical conditions, permanent disabilities or a shorter life span. 

Stunts can be dangerous if not preformed correctly so the cheerleaders practice them very carefully. In 2002, Nebraska put an end to cheer stunts for safety reasons. In 2019 Nebraska decided to bring cheer stunts back. The new policy will not allow basket tosses and multilevel pyramid stunting, but they decided to keep tumbling and one-person-high stunting will be allowed. The department said adding more elements to a regular routine will enhance the experience for huskers fans and bring program’s skill leval in line with other cheerleaders.  

The cheer team takes their time and makes sure everyone feels comfortable with them before they preform them. The team makes the cheerleaders feel comfortable by starting off with thigh stands (the thigh stands still while the flyer stands on the thighs of their squad members) and when the stunt group is ready, they advance. How long it takes the team to learn the stunts is based on the stunt group.   

“Not everybody stunts but those who do like it,” said Smith.  

Stunting is not for every cheerleader it depends on the person and if they like stunting. There will be new stunts that remain confidential. The cheerleading team does not just have new stunts but also new chants coming.