Team Bonding
Trust is a key component when it comes to safety in any sport, but especially cheerleading. When you’re a flier, you want to know for certain your base will catch you. When you’re a base, you need to trust that your flier will do their job to save the stunt and not actually try to kick you in the teeth as they come down. Building trust with a new team starts from day one of tryouts.
When I was coaching and cheerleading, we would do a variety of events to help grow closer as a team. Some events were even fundraisers that gave us memories to last a lifetime. When a team comes together for a common goal, magic can happen. Below is a list of events we did as a team.
1-Handing out flyers for promotional events. One time, my teammates and I actually dressed as a large catepillar and walked around Downtown Crossing in Boston. Looking back, everything about that was a bonding moment: sweating in the costume together; coordinating our steps; laughing as we moved around the crowds; and lunch together after.
2-Painting our coaches friend’s fence followed by a cookout and pool party. We had already been to cheer camp and started the process of coming together as a team. When our coach had us help her friend out, we had to work together to get the task completed. We joked about training like the Karate Kid. We were exhausted, but we did it together and really enjoyed the time after at the pool, and eating grilled hot dogs.
3-In practice, I would have my team members do conditioning and trust building activities at the same time. We would play pass the cheerleader, where the team would like side by side and each teammate would have a chance to get “passed” along by hands. We’d have wheel barrel races or play leap frog for conditioning. Three legged races also work well with partner groups. It wasn’t serious training, but it did require focus, coordination and teamwork which are all important in building trust.
4-Back in the day, we used to decorate the football and basketball team lockers for special events. Our team would make posters and goodie bags for the other teams. Now I think I would have our teams make them for our own teammates. Getting a special message from your cheerleader on a poster or a goodie bag of stuff that makes you laugh and smile can go a long way in building friendships that last. 20 years later, I still have a homemade magnet that one of my cheerleaders made for me, and it still makes me smile.
5-Community service. The college team I coached worked with Big Brothers/Big Sister. This ability to help kids in our community really gave them a sense of pride and accomplishment. It opened a door of communication within our team, because they had to find things to do with their littles. I think some made lasting relationships throughout their cheer career and beyond. You really never know the power of helping someone else out.
6-Team sharing time. Sometimes I’d have my team do a Mad Libs puzzle. It was silly, but it got them talking. Other times, we’d spend time coming up with a playlist of songs we wanted to use that year. It gave them time to get to know what their likes and dislikes were. They could laugh together at some answers. Mostly, we took time to talk about our day and share our concerns. Teaching our kids/teams to communicate is an invaluable gift that extends well beyond the cheer team. Talking about important things doesn’t always have to be serious. Creating a fun environment to do so will provide the framework for healthy conversations in all aspects of life.
Team building activities that happen both in practice and out are important to creating an enjoyable atmosphere on a cheer team.
What are your favorite team building ideas?Leave me a comment with your out of the box ideas that help to open communication, create trust and build team stamina too. Cheers to the fun that goes with it too