Although cheerleading has long been thought of as an activity for women, the new mindset of cheerleading as a sport has increased the accepted role of male cheerleaders as well. In fact, men have become an integral part of cheerleading, especially when it comes to routines that require a great amount of strength to pull of successfully.
Throwing
Male cheerleaders often play an integral role in throwing stunts. Men typically have greater upper body strength than women. This allows cheerleading squads with men on the team to throw their teammates much higher than teams with only female cheerleaders. This can be a substantial asset in competitive cheerleading competitions, but also increases the dangers of the sport.
Spotter or Base
On the other side of throwing, male cheerleaders are often placed as spotters or a base. Spotting is a supportive role that is used to prevent injury by catching a cheerleader if a stunt goes wrong; he stays on the lookout for any dangers in the routine. He may also serve as a catcher for stunts where a cheerleader is thrown off the ground. In any case, a spotter or base has his feet in contact with the ground throughout the routine or stunt.
Tumbling
Male cheerleaders may also be expected to perform tumbling maneuvers as part of a cheerleading routine, especially on competitive cheerleading teams . Tumbling can vary from simple cartwheels to more complex moves like front or back handsprings. In some cases, multiple tumbling moves may be performed at once, which in many circumstances male cheerleaders can excel at due to the amount of both upper and lower body strength that men have over women. Tumbling can also be a dangerous role for male cheerleaders, as i'ts not uncommon for moves to result in bruises, sprains and even serious muscle tears.
Cheering
Just like female cheerleaders, male members of cheer squads are required to learn and take part in team cheers. The involvement may vary from reciting cheers in unison with their female counterparts or taking part on their own in call and response cheers that rotate back and forth between female and male parts.
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