PHYSICS OF CHEER

I chose cheerleading because I'm a cheerleader and I really love the sport.

WHAT PRINCIPLES APPLY TO CHEER?

• Gravity
• Momentum
• Motion

Gravity applies to stunting. During stunting, the flyer is thrown into the air. Gravity causes her to come back down. A flyer's center of gravity might differ based on what type of stunt she is performing. This is the same with performing jumps.

Momentum applies to tumbling and jumping. To tumble, we need a lot of momentum to perform the pass, or we could be hurt. We also need to have a lot of momentum while jumping. The more momentum we have, the higher the jump will be.

Motion is always happening when performing a cheerleading routine. From the dance and jumps, to stunting and tumbling, we are always moving and in motion.

Angel Rice is one of the cheer world's best tumblers. She uses a lot of momentum to perform her passes and she has a smaller mass, which helps her in tumbling and jumping. She is also very strong and flexible, which helps her be a great cheerleader.

Another great cheerleader is Matt Smith. He always has a lot of height on his jumps. His smaller mass helps with this and his strength helps him to be a great base.