When you think of cheerleading, you probably think of a group of girls waiting in the wings to cheer the big touchdown or basket. For a long time, two of the most important qualities a cheerleader could have were team spirit and a great attitude. But no more. As cheerleading has incorporated dance, gymnastics and even acrobatics into the standard routines, cheerleaders are not standing in the shadow of any men's sport. Instead they are breaking out as athletes in their own right.

"There are several teams in Bergen County that are very competitive," says Janet Marques, whose two daughters have both trained at the Cheer House in Garfield. "Many cheer for their towns' recreational football teams and are pretty well known."

Jim Romeo, owner of Spartans Sports Camp (www.spartanscamp.com), which runs cheering camps in Bergen County, says that the measure of how far cheerleading has traveled as a sport is its popularity on ESPN. "On the national level there are elite teams that compete in all-day events. These kids train for hours a day – and perform very well-choreographed routines."

In fact, Marques says that her 9-year-old spends more than eight hours a week practicing with the two teams she is on at the Cheer House.

"The girls start training in June and compete from January to April," she says. "We are at competitions every weekend." Their family has traveled as far as Florida for cheering tournaments.

At the Cheer House, co-owner Narissa Knoble says business has "exploded" in the three years they have been in business. Dozens of girls are practicing several times a week on age-specific teams comprised of 4 to 18 year olds, as well as signing up for private lessons. There's no doubt in her mind that the athleticism and seriousness of the activity make it a sport, and she says that the competitors are in terrific shape. "Cheering routines are dance and gymnastics, and they are also doing stunts," she says. "It incorporates aspects of other sports all into one. Anyone who is a cheerleader knows in their heart that it is a sport; they give their all in a non-stop two-and-a-half-minute routine." Girls tryout to be on a Cheer House team, but the gym retains a strict no-cut policy. "We like to say that every girl always has a home at the Cheer House," says Knoble. The Cheer House team travels throughout New Jersey and into several other states on the East Coast.

Nicole Parks, a junior varsity cheerleader at Ridgewood High School, started cheering for a recreational squad in 3rd grade and says that strength training is very important in cheerleading, because of the stunts that include throwing teammates up in the air. "Most of the time the coaches want you to work on upper body strength, but the entire body really needs to be strong," she says. "On our days off might be when the coach tells us to go to a gym." She also says that the squad runs through the summer months and adds, "We do a lot of core workouts. People are surprised that cheerleaders spend a lot of time working on their core."

Jennifer Gutschmidt, varsity cheerleading coach at Ridgewood High, adds that the practice load is intensive, with practices running five days a week, often for 90 minutes to two hours. "Within the practice, there is always choreography, jumping and, of course, stunting."

She says that there's "really no off season" in cheering because of spring and summer camps and competitions and that "these girls are in phenomenal shape. Within a 3-minute routine they have to do triple toe touches, tumbling, dancing, cheering and stunting." Several of the coach's cheerleaders have gone on to continue cheering on their college squads.

Marques says that her older daughter, who is now in college and started cheering in elementary school, gained important life skills from cheerleading. "It taught her a lot of discipline. They feel great after the routine goes perfectly. It gives them a lot of positive feedback in their lives, and they feel like they are doing something good," she says. She adds that it gives them a positive peer group to socialize with away from school.

Romeo says that the best way to get your child involved in cheering is to start out with your town's recreational teams. "If you put a kid into something that is ultracompetitive right away, she will feel uncomfortable. We are big on keeping it low key. The kid needs to do it because it's fun – not to win a prize."

What's It Take To Be A Cheerleader?
A sample 90-minute to 2-hour practice for the Ridgewood Varsity Cheering Squad may include:
• Guided group stretch and individual stretches
• Group jumps
• Lifting, stunts and multistep stunts to increase the dynamics and intricacies of the overall routines
• Tumbling
• Practicing the overall three minute routine to work on timing, musicality, stunting, tumbling, jumping and transitions.
• Strength training
• Core exercises
• Stamina exercises
• Ending stretches