Do You Have What it Takes To Be Cheer Captain?

Being on a cheerleading squad can be a lot of fun and very challenging. Being cheer captain for a cheer squad can be even more fun and even more challenging. Most, if not all, cheerleaders dream of being the cheer captain of their squad, especially for high school, college, and professional. However, there are responsibilities of being a cheerleader that one must recognize before becoming a cheer captain. In addition to the responsibilities one must know, a cheer captain must also possess to be effective in his or her leadership.

Characteristics:

• Communication: this includes more than just being able to speak and listen, it means being able to say everything that needs to be said and saying things in a timely manner. Do not leave out details when communicating something and do not tell people the night before if they need two nights to get something. 
• Mature: Being mature and responsible are not things you learn to do once you exit teenage years or once you become a parent, they are things you learn and do if you want to succeed at anything. Be dependable for the coach to count on you to handle things and be punctual. 
• Being a good role model is part of this as well. You are the leader of the group and consequently, the newcomers, and even some of the veterans, are going to look up to you to know what to do in situations.  
• Another aspect of being mature and responsible is being fair. If there is a problem between two of your cheerleaders, you can't be more partial to one over the other because you are buddies with one or the other. 
• Being friendly and approachable is something that a cheerleading captain has to be. If you are being watched by or even meeting prospective cheerleaders, you have to be nice to them or they will either choose another squad (if they can, ex: choosing colleges) or they will just not be on the squad until you leave. A cheer captain who is not friendly and approachable will not gain many squad members. 

Responsibilities:

• Starting and sometimes even leading practices is a responsibility of a cheer captain (co-captains are included in this). 
• Call the cheers during games and competitions. You will have to know what cheers are going to be used during the games and competitions, then, you will be asked to call them out so the other cheerleaders know what to do as well. 
• Be in charge of sign production and other accessories. 
• Be an ambassador.As the cheer captain, you are supposed to be an ambassador. You will be the first to greet and welcome other squads, talk to prospective squad members, etc. 
• Be a mediator and handle conflict. As the cheer captain, if there is a problem between two of your squad members, you will be the first one to handle it; only if it gets out of your control will it really be brought to the coach, or if it involves you. 
• Be a liaison. The coach will ask you to relay information to your squad members and vise versa. 

Go forth and be the best cheer captain you can be! If you are looking for new cheerleading gear or cheerleading apparel, then you need to check out Gear4Cheer - a Chicago cheerleading company.