Competitive Cheerleading

Spirit Revolution is an exciting group at Stevenson that is made up of our cheerleading and pom teams. This last year we had more than 120 members. The Spirit Revolution teams have a reputation as being among the top teams in the state.

As members of Spirit Revolution, your most important job will be to add to the school spirit by performing at football games, boys and girls basketball games, and at various other SHS sporting events. Athletes also will be required to work at the competitions that we host, which are our major fundraisers-- an IHSA dance competition and an IHSA cheerleading competition. All parents will also be encouraged to work on various committees and at competitions as well. Parent support is a major contributing factor to the success of our program.

All teams compete at several competitions throughout the year. Freshman Patriettes and cheerleaders will compete in IHSA competitions six times this season. All junior varsity teams will compete in six IHSA competitions. All varsity will compete in six IHSA competitions, sectionals and the state series.

Cheerleaders are on the sidelines during a game and do cheers and chants. During timeouts and quarter breaks, cheerleaders perform cheers, which include tumbling, jumps, stunts, and pyramids. Cheerleaders are also given the opportunity to dance when they do their exhibition or competition routines and during the Homecoming routine.

The Patriettes (pom team) also provide spirit throughout the game. During the game, timeouts and quarter breaks, the team sits in the bleachers and will cheer with the cheerleaders. The Patriettes will cheer alongside the cheerleaders for one quarter of each home football game. At halftime, the team performs a routine to music. These routines include jazz/hip hop dance moves, kicks, jumps, turns and other flexibility skills.

The cheerleading and pom teams are considered sports at Stevenson, and our members are given the same awards and opportunities as any other athlete. They must also follow the athletic eligibility rules. You are only allowed to be in one sport at a time. Since Spirit Revolution is active in both the fall and winter seasons, you cannot participate in any other fall or winter sport. You can participate in spring sports, however, your commitment to Spirit Revolution takes priority over the spring sport until after the state series has concluded. This also includes outside school competitive dance or cheer all-star teams as well as Stevenson’s Mélange and Repertory dance companies. Participation in the SHS concert company is possible. As a PE class elective, you may still choose to take dance. IHSA prohibits any all-star cheerleading or dance involvement until after the last competitive cheerleading/dance meet.

Spirit Revolution, like every other sport, has a very large time commitment. In the summer, we practice three to four evenings a week through July. There also are opportunities to attend summer camps through Stevenson’s PREP program. Once school starts, the underclass teams practice three days a week from 3:45-6 p.m., varsity teams practice four days a week and may extend past 6 p.m. Cheerleaders also are provided an opportunity to enroll in a tumbling class one night a week in summer and fall. Freshman teams are responsible for attending all home freshman football games, which are usually Saturday mornings or weeknights. During basketball season, freshman teams are responsible for covering all varsity girls basketball games. Varsity teams cover varsity boys basketball and JV teams cover sophomore boys basketball. Varsity teams also commit to covering all postseason games for the varsity football and basketball teams. As discussed earlier, there are other time commitments, including working at our competitions and also attending some clinics. All teams are welcome to perform “Loyalty” at all varsity pre-games. Teams also will be involved in community service events, Spirit Fest, and other various public performances.

The transition into high school is not always an easy one. Many freshman students are surprised by the amount of time they must devote to studying. We have taken this into consideration when planning the responsibilities of our Spirit Revolution members. Believe it or not, the time commitments outlined above are actually reduced from those of the upperclassmen. Nationally, cheerleaders and pom team members have above average GPAs. At Stevenson, we have some Spirit Revolution members who rank at the top of their class. All members must maintain academic eligibility. Most students find that if they have excellent attendance in class and budget their time well, they can be successful in the classroom and in Spirit Revolution. Of course, if this is a concern for you, only you and your parents can make this decision. It is important to realize that if you commit to be a member of Spirit Revolution, you are expected to attend all the events scheduled.

If your vacation will cause you to miss any summer practices, all you need to do is let your coach know in advance. Failure to enroll and attend the summer sessions will result in not cheering or performing for a minimum of one game, or until the summer material is mastered by that individual, as determined by the coach. Prospective varsity members should make arrangements to attend camps and practices in the summer.

Many freshmen and even some upperclassmen have trouble with this decision. Stevenson is unique in that our cheer and pom team members all get along and work together. We all warm up together and do some common routines throughout the year. The way our program is designed you can tryout for both. You will need to decide what your first and second choices are. We will give you your first choice if your score is high enough to make the team.

So, how do you decide which to put as your first choice? Our best advice is to follow your own heart. If you like to tumble and do stunts, cheerleading is probably your best choice. If you love to dance, dance, dance, then the pom team is probably for you. The worst way to choose is to do something just because your friend is. If you are going to be committed to something, you have to like doing it.

Yes, there are. Although the uniform is provided by the school, many accessories need to be purchased by the individual member, such as jackets, shoes, practice T-shirts, body suits, socks, bows, game pants, etc. Members also need to pay for their summer camps and tumbling classes. The total cost will vary depending on how many of the camps you attend and how many of each item you purchase, but can range anywhere from $500-$1,000. Some of these items will only need to be purchased once. Payment plans can be worked out.