So your child just joined a cheer team—congratulations! 🎉 You’re officially stepping into the wild, glitter-filled, bow-stacked, mat-slapping, high-energy world of competitive cheer. Whether you signed up thinking it would be a fun after-school activity or you already know the sport runs deep, there’s a lot about cheerleading that new parents don’t realize until they’re knee-deep in rhinestones and warmups.
As a cheer parent, you’ll quickly discover that this sport is unlike anything else. It’s equal parts athletic commitment, financial investment, and emotional rollercoaster. But don’t worry—I’ve got you covered. Here are 10 things every new cheer parent should know to help you navigate the season with your sanity (mostly) intact.
1. It’s More Than Just Pom-Poms
Forget the stereotypes—cheerleading today is a full-on competitive sport. Your athlete isn’t waving pom-poms on the sidelines (unless you’re in sideline cheer). Competitive all-star cheer involves advanced stunts, tumbling passes, pyramids, and synchronized choreography. It demands strength, flexibility, timing, and endurance.
When people outside the cheer world say, “Cheer isn’t a sport,” you’ll find yourself rolling your eyes and preparing a five-minute TED Talk on why that statement is so wrong.
Parent tip: Respect the grind. Your child will be training hard, and they’ll need your support just like a football player, gymnast, or dancer would.
2. The Schedule Runs Your Life
Think you’ll just drop your kid off once or twice a week? Think again. Most competitive teams practice multiple times a week, plus tumbling classes, choreography camps, and extra sessions as competitions get closer.
Competitions themselves are weekend-long events. Be prepared to spend your Saturdays and Sundays in giant convention centers, surrounded by thousands of athletes and cheer parents who know the lingo.
Parent tip: Get a good planner (digital or paper) and color-code each kid’s activities. If your athlete misses practice, it doesn’t just impact them—it affects the entire routine.
3. The Costs Add Up
Let’s talk numbers. Competitive cheer can be very expensive, and new parents are often shocked by just how quickly things add up:
- Monthly tuition for the gym
- Competition entry fees
- Uniforms, warmups, shoes, and bows
- Makeup and hair supplies (yes, glitter is basically required)
- Travel costs (gas, hotels, flights, food)
- Fundraisers (get ready to sell some raffle tickets or gear)
By the time you factor in everything, cheer can rival the cost of club soccer, gymnastics, or dance.
Parent tip: Make a cheer budget at the start of the season. Build in wiggle room because there will always be an extra cost that sneaks up on you. Don't forget to check with your gym for fundraising or booster club opportunities to earn tax free money toward those mounting fees.
4. Team > Individual
In cheer, every athlete matters. Unlike other sports where a single player can be benched or substituted, cheer routines are designed with exact counts, stunts, and formations. If one child misses practice, it can throw off the entire team’s ability to run their full routine.
That’s why coaches take attendance so seriously. It’s also why your child might hear the phrase “team over me” more than once.
Parent tip: Do your best to schedule vacations and family commitments around practice and competition. It’s not just about your child—it’s about the whole team.
5. The Gym Becomes Your Second Home
As a cheer parent, you’ll spend a lot of time at the gym. Waiting in the lobby during practice. Driving to and from. Sitting in the car scrolling on your phone. Chatting with other parents about hair spray, score sheets, or who’s rooming with who for the next competition.
It won’t take long before the gym feels like an extension of your living room.
Parent tip: Pack a cheer parent “go bag.” Essentials include snacks, a water bottle, phone charger, a book or laptop, and maybe even a folding chair for those long competition days.
6. “Mat Talk” Is Real
If you’ve never heard of “mat talk,” get ready. It’s the practice of cheering—loudly—during a routine. Parents and teammates shout encouragement like “Let’s go!” “Push it!” “Hit that stunt!” from the sidelines.
It may sound silly, but in the heat of the moment, mat talk is powerful. Your athlete will hear your voice cutting through the crowd and know you’re with them every second of their 2-minute-and-30-second performance.
Parent tip: Invest in a good throat spray or cough drops. Trust me—you’ll need them.
7. Competitions Are Marathons, Not Sprints
Here’s how a typical competition goes:
- Arrive early in the morning
- Wait hours while other teams perform
- Your athlete takes the floor for exactly 2 minutes and 30 seconds
- Then… you wait for awards
It sounds ridiculous, but that short performance will give you chills. The music, the energy, the stunts hitting, the crowd screaming—it’s electrifying.
Parent tip: Bring snacks, comfy clothes, ear plugs (to protect from the deafening non-stop cheer music), and lots of patience. Competitions can be long, loud, and overwhelming, but that magical 2:30 makes it worth it.
8. The Gear Is Its Own World
You’ll quickly learn there’s a cheer language:
- Bloomers or spankies (yes, they’re different)
- Stunt stands
- Bows bigger than your head
- Glitter cheer bags
- Mat shoes vs. practice shoes
You’ll also learn that bows, socks, and Spanx have a way of disappearing into the void.
Parent tip: Label everything. EVERYTHING. And always keep a spare bow, pair of socks, and bobby pins in your car.
9. It’s an Emotional Rollercoaster
Cheer isn’t just physical—it’s emotional. Athletes deal with nerves, performance pressure, and the heartbreak of “dropping a stunt” or missing finals. As a parent, you’ll ride every wave with them.
One minute they’re crying over a tough practice, the next they’re celebrating a first-place banner. And when they “hit zero” (a well executed routine with zero deductions). Pure joy.
Parent tip: Be their rock. They don’t need you to critique the routine—they need you to listen, encourage, and remind them why they love this sport.
10. The Bonds Are Unmatched
Cheer friends become family. Your athlete will build unbreakable friendships, learn how to handle setbacks, and develop confidence that carries into every area of life. And you, as a parent, will find a community of other moms and dads who get it.
Yes, cheer takes time, money, and energy. But the rewards—the teamwork, the growth, the pride when they hit the mat—are priceless.
Final Thoughts
Being a new cheer parent can feel overwhelming at first. The schedule, the costs, the glitter (so much glitter)—it’s a lot to take in. But once you experience the energy of a competition, the pride in your athlete’s eyes, and the community that comes with it, you’ll understand why cheer is more than just a sport—it’s a lifestyle.
So buckle up. Grab your bow, pack your snacks, and get ready to shout your lungs out. Welcome to the world of cheer parenting—you’re in for the ride of a lifetime.