Page 16 - Sports Illustrated KIDS Magazine (January - February 2020)

You’d likely be very Houston Texans Wide Receiver
surprised at the amount of
work that goes into a basket DEANDRE HOPKINS’S
toss, not to mention all of FAVORITE

the other
WILDCAT complicated
WORKERS THINGS
Cheerleaders pyramid
at schools like stunts and
Northwestern tumbling
will practice passes that ICE CREAM FLAVOR
for several Butter pecan
hours per week wow fans
perfecting the on game
routines that day.
amaze fans on At big FOOD
game day. Chicken spaghetti
schools like
Northwestern, cheerleaders
practice several days per SPORT OTHER
week. They do conditioning— THAN FOOTBALL
such as core strengthening— Soccer
during practice and then
spend most of the time
CARTOON
perfecting different stunts.
Hey Arnold!
Additionally, many teams
have competition routines WESLEY HITT/GETTY IMAGES (CHEERLEADERS); AP (HOPKINS); ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES (ICE CREAM, PASTA); SNAP STILLS/SHUTTERSTOCK (ARNOLD); PARAS GRIFFIN/GETTY IMAGES (WOODS): ERIKA GOLDRING/FILMMAGIC/GETTY IMAGES (FLUME); JOHN LAMPARSKI/WIREIMAGE/GETTY IMAGES (KING)

TIPS that consist of dancing as ACTOR
well as stunt work; those Johnny Depp
are practiced to music over
FLIPPING OUT and over again until GROWING UP
ATHLETE
they’re perfect.
But before a cheerleader is
Michael Vick
ready to get tossed in the air,
Think it’s easy to TRAIN LIKE
she’ll do plenty of drills and
A CHEERLEADER? Think again. exercises to ensure she has EMOJI

By Kalyn Kahler proper technique. One
example is called the hang
IF YOU’VE BEEN to a football or drill, which teaches her to hold her
basketball game, you’ve probably seen own weight. The flyer puts her hands
a basket toss. It’s a stunt in which one on the bases’ shoulders and pushes
MUSICAL ARTIST
cheerleader (the flyer) is propelled into herself up into the air. Then she brings
Tie between Roy
the air by three others (two bases and a her knees up to form a right angle. Woods and Flume
backspot). The bases grab each other’s “The most successful girls know how
wrists, forming a square launchpad for to support themselves entering a
the flyer. The backspot stands behind stunt,” says Northwestern SUBJECT IN SCHOOL
the flyer and supports the back of her cheerleading coach Pam Bonnevier. Home economics
thighs. Moving together, the bases and “This drill strengthens the appropriate
the backspot push their arms up as muscles and teaches muscle memory.”
AUTHOR
hard as they can, and send the flyer So whether you’re a running back or
Stephen King
soaring. They keep their arms high a cheerleader, if you want to fly on the

and catch her on her way back down. field, you’ve got to hit the gym.

14 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS