The most important part of being a cheerleader is having "cheer". A bright smile is absolutely essential. Keep smiling even if you don't feel good. It's part of being a cheerleader.

Be sure you're in top physical shape. You not only have to have the stamina yourself to be a cheerleader but you have to lift your teammates and support them on your shoulders. You don't want to chance dropping them. Exercise and train diligently.

Learn the routine better than the rest of them. There's nothing more embarrasing than forgetting the steps or forgetting your lines. Practice the moves and the lines until you have them perfect.

Know the names of all the stunts and be able to distinguish between them. Some cheerleading stunts are the Cupie, the Pyramid, Tumbling Passes, Toss Liberty, and Basket Tosses.

Practice safety first and foremost. Cheerleading can be "very" dangerous and this danger is often underestimated. Be sure to use cheerleading mats when practicing and always make sure there are enough "experienced", supporting cheerleaders around during more dangerous stunts.

To make the cheerleading squad, you must know your cheers, you must be able to jump high, have a loud, strong, articulate voice, and basically be happy and "cheer"ful. You must also be a team player.

Stretch thoroughly before cheering. Your body will need the flexibilty for gymastics, the splits, and the stunts. If you don't properly warm up through stretching, you could seriously injure yourself.

Don't just copy other cheerleading squads. Come up with your own stunts. Be creative.

Get plenty of sleep and eat a full meal for cheerleading tryouts, games, or competitions. You need to be wide awake and have lots of energy to perform your best.

Be a lady or a gentleman. Some cheerleaders act sleazy or trashy and it gives the sport a bad name. We want to be respected, so act respectable.

When you're clapping make sure it doesnt go past your shoulders. Also make sure it isn't at your mouth or nose or in front of your face at all. The clapping should be at your chest.

If you're the top member of a pyramid, make sure you have a spotter who can catch you! And if you're a spotter, make sure you pay attention to what's going on and be ready to catch the top member! He or she might be the lightest member of your squad, but even the light ones come down hard when they fall!

Make sure all your movements are tight and rigid. Your movements need to pop with energy, don't be lazy!