Whether it's right before a game or during a break in the action, cheerleaders can always get the crowd pumped up with an energetic spirit run. As the name implies, a spirit run is meant to drum up school spirit and enthusiasm to fuel the team on the football field or basketball court. A spirit run might include individual cheerleaders on a tumbling run at midfield, or a cheerleader carrying a big school flag around the stands. In any event, the hope is that the energy from the cheerleaders is contagious and spreads to the stands and players.
Spirit Run Options
A cheerleader who runs onto the football field or the basketball court can liven up her entrance with a spirit run, a high-energy sprint that's often punctuated with a flip or a tumble. At the end of the spirit run, the cheerleader lets out a cheer and encourages the crowd to feed off that energy. You might see cheerleaders doing different stunts as they run onto or off the field. One cheerleader might do a round-off, while another performs an aerial cartwheel or a salto.
Carrying the Flag
When a football team is introduced before a game, they often run onto the field accompanied by or in the footsteps of cheerleaders, at least one of whom is usually carrying a big flag of the school. The flag carrier often takes a lap or two around the stadium to get everyone pumped up for the game. This same approach is used in basketball, though sometimes a cheerleader will sprint through the stands. At Oklahoma State University, before every home basketball game, a cheerleader with a big orange OSU flag runs around the upper deck of the arena to the music of the "William Tell Overture."
Cheerleader Tryouts
Trying out for the cheerleading squad at your school will often mean you have specific criteria to follow. A cheerleading coach and any other judges there for tryouts will likely want to see a cheer and a dance routine, as well your tumbling and jumping skills, as well as your smile and enthusiasm. Your tumbling and jumping skills might be showcased best in a spirit run, so if you're trying out, ensure that your spirit run features the moves you do best.
Spirit Run with Run-Through Banner
It's one of the oldest pregame traditions in sports, but the crowds still enjoy a football or basketball team breaking through a spirit banner before a game. You can write out your school's name in big letters on butcher paper or other large sheets of paper and then loosely tape them together so that they'll easily break when the team makes its own spirit run onto the field or court. Or, you can use lightweight plastic and lightly Velcro pieces together so that the run-through banner can be re-used. Cheerleaders are usually the ones holding the banner on each side, so as the players approach it, giving a little tug at each end can make for a nice clean break.
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