Cheerleading is a popular activity that combines dance, acrobatics, and stunts to cheer on sports teams and entertain crowds. Cheerleaders use pom poms, megaphones, choreography, and their own energy and enthusiasm to lead cheers, chants, and dances.
Cheerleading has a long history, dating back to the late 1800s when students would lead the crowd in cheers at college football games. Today, there are different types of cheerleading, including competitive cheerleading with complex routines and stunts, all-star cheerleading outside of school sports, and sideline cheerleading to support school and community sports teams.
Let’s exercise our minds with some fun riddles about cheerleading! Test your cheer smarts by solving these riddles and reveals the answers below.
Riddles About Cheer Gear and Pompoms
Q: What has lots of paper but no words or pictures?
A: Pom poms used by cheerleaders!
Q: I’m bright, colorful spheres made from plastic. Cheerleaders shake me high to excite the fans. What am I?
A: Pom poms!
Q: I’m a large cone that cheerleaders use to make their voices loud. What am I?
A: A megaphone.
Q: Cheerleaders use me to make spirit signs, banners, and decorations. I come in big sheets of red, white, black, and other colors. What am I?
A: Poster board.
Q: I’m a matching outfit cheerleaders wear to show their spirit. I often have bright, colorful designs and their school name or mascot on me. What am I?
A: A cheer uniform.
Riddles About Cheerleading Skills
Q: I’m an acrobatic move where cheerleaders make a high jump, do a mid-air splits, and land back on their feet. What am I?
A: A toe touch.
Q: I’m a gymnastics ability to turn sideways in the air with legs straight and together. Cheerleaders might add me into a toe touch jump. What am I?
A: A twist.
Q: Cheerleaders use me to show their flexibility. I involve putting one leg straight up by your head or bending over backwards to grab your heels. What am I?
A: A scorpion pose.
Q: I’m vigorous arm motions cheerleaders make high over their heads as they cheer. Doing me helps cheerleaders build physical strength and stamina. What am I?
A: High V motion.
Q: Cheerleaders spread their arms wide with smiles on their faces when they do me at the end of a routine. Crowds know the performance is over when they see me. What am I?
A: A final bow or cheer bow.
Riddles About Cheerleading Teams
Q: A cheerleading group with just 3 people is called this. What is it?
A: A trio.
Q: What’s a cheerleading team of 8-12 members typically called?
A: A squad.
Q: Large cheerleading teams often compete in this cheerleading division, which has 16 or more members. What’s the division name?
A: A group or large team.
Q: On a cheer team, members who dance, tumble, and motivate the crowd through their energy and showmanship take on this role. What is their title?
A: Cheerleaders.
Q: Cheerleaders who specialize in gymnastics tumbling, tosses, and stunts fill this role on a competitive team. What are they?
A: Stunters.
Riddles About Cheerleading Chants and Motions
Q: It’s a rhyming phrase cheerleaders chant to hype up crowds, starting with “We’ve got spirit, yes we do! We’ve got spirit, how ’bout you?” What is this popular cheer cheerleaders lead?
A: A spirit chant.
Q: Cheerleaders boldly yell “Go Big Red!” and pump their pom poms doing this to support their sports team. What is it?
A: A crowd-leading cheer.
Q: Cheerleaders unite as one voice shouting “Defense!” to energize their team’s defensive stand in this rhythmic, empowering cheer. What is it called?
A: A defense chant or crowd response cheer.
Q: Three hip shakes side-to-side, throw hands up high! Stomp right foot as you chant this cheer name to the crowd’s loud reply. What is this common interactive cheer?
A: A spirit yell.
Q: Cheerleaders punch arms diagonally across their body as they rhythmically chant “Go Team Go!” in this fun, crow-pleasing cheer. What is its name?
A: Cross-arm cheer.
Riddles About Cheerleading Jumps
Q: I’m a jumping skill where cheerleaders spring into the air, cross their arms in an X shape, click their heels together, and land back down. What am I called?
A: A heel stretch or X jump.
Q: Cheerleaders leap up, divide their legs into a straddle shape midair, then join feet back together before landing in this eye-catching jump. What is it?
A: A pike or straddle jump.
Q: Fans “ooh” and “ahh” when cheerleaders leap high, open legs into a V shape, clap hands underneath, and stick the landing of this stunt. What is its name?
A: A toe touch jump.
Q: Cheerleaders launch off the ground, pull one knee up to their chest, grasp it with both hands, hold the dramatic pose, then land gracefully to finish this bounce. What is this airborne move called?
A: A tuck jump.
Q: I look amazing when cheerleaders sprint forward, plant hands on the ground, kick both feet sky-high behind them, then spring up to land on their feet again. What am I?
A: A handspring.
Riddles About Cheerleading Stunts
Q: What’s the name for cheerleading stunts where participants are interconnected and held off the ground with hand or arm support from teammates?
A: Mounts
Q: It takes great strength, balance and timing when a male cheerleader launches his teammate into the air then catches her with his hands around her waist in this visually impressive stunt. What is it called?
A: A basket toss.
Q: Fans gasp in awe when a flyer hits a dramatic body position midair after being launched nearly 20 feet high by her cheer mates in this epic cheerleading feat. What is it?
A: An elevator stunt.
Q: When one cheerleader supports another straight above their head with arms extended, this strength-building stunt really motivates the crowd. What is its name?
A: An extension.
Q: What’s the cheerleading stunt name when one team member lies on his back, arm extended directly upwards, to balance another teammate vertical in the air above him?
A: A cupie.
Riddles About Cheerleading Positions
Q: I’m the cheerleader who dances, jumps, and leads the crowd and squad in cheers. I often motivate everyone through positive energy and expressive facial expressions. What position am I?
A: A sideline cheerleader.
Q: My role is to perform gymnastics tumbling passes during cheers. I might also complete stunt basket tosses and vertical jumps with toe touch or pike positions at peak height. What cheerleading position do I represent?
A: A tumbler.
Q: You’ll find me at the top of killer extension stunts and complex group lifts, striking eye-catching poses in the air. I complete aerial tricks with perfect poise, flexibility, balance and control. Who am I?
A: A flyer.
Q: My cheer mates call me the “base” or “main base” because I’m down on the ground lifting flyers onto my shoulders for stunts. I support much of their weight so require immense strength in my legs and core. What’s my role?
A: A main base.
Q: My job is to provide extra support, balance and safety to flyers during stunts from positions like directly behind or beside the main base. What cheerleading spot am I?
A: A side base or support base.
Riddles About Competitive Cheerleading Events
Q: In competitive cheerleading, a 2.5 minute perfectly-choreographed display of tumbling, dancing, jumps, stunts, tosses and pyramid-building makes up this routine performed on a spring floor that wows the judges. What is it called?
A: A cheer routine.
Q: Before competing, cheer teams perform this shorter 45-60 second routine showing off the peak visual elements, stunts, and skills of their full program. It gives judges a helpful preview. What is it?
A: An exhibition cheer performance.
Q: Cheerleaders might bust out stellar standing back tucks, running full-outs, and leaping combinations during this moment to individually showcase talents to judges. What is this called?
A: Personal tumbling.
Q: Judges carefully assess the sharpness, synchronization, and visual impact of squads’ immaculately-rehearsed motions in this component, which is performed to an instrumental beat track. What is this called?
A: The dance evaluation section.
Q: Teams have 2 minutes 30 seconds to transition seamlessly between formations showing off their bonds and athletic prowess for points from judges in this cheerleading tournament element. What is the name of this scored teamwork feat?
A: Group stunts.
Conclusion
How did you fare with these cheerleading riddles? Cheerleading takes strength, stamina, flexibility, showmanship and serious teamwork. Mastering motions like toe touches, basket tosses, pyramids require immense athletic talents and courage.
If you found these cheerleading puzzles challenging or learned something new about competitive cheer events, then this riddle quiz was a success! I had fun challenging your cheer smarts and explaining key cheerleading terms along the way.
Let me know if you have any other cheerleading questions! I’d be happy to share more insights into this wildly popular, high-flying sport blending dance, gymnastics and crowd leadership into an artistic showcase of school spirit and skill. Maybe we can stump each other with new creative riddles!
