Varsity athletes at city schools have a new sport to cheer about.
High schoolers on Saturday competed in an exhibition of STUNT, a new form of competitive cheerleading that emphasizes gymnastics, teamwork and rhythm.
More than 160 girls from 11 schools participated in the cheer extravaganza at John Bowne High School in Flushing, Queens, officially ending the first year of STUNT in the Public School Athletic League.
“To compete in this sport you need a lot of strength — energy definitely,” said Renaughta Sam, 17, a senior at John Bowne. “If you don’t hit a certain stunt, get back up and keep trying until you do. That’s the only way you’re going to be better at it.”
The growing sport is the latest surprise addition to the schools’ athletic league. In April, the city announced table tennis and badminton were among the new sports to the league. Other lesser-known league games include cricket, rugby and girls flag football.
“We’re always on the prowl for sports for students who probably aren’t participating,” said Eric Goldstein, the Education Department’s head of School Support Services.
Head-to-head STUNT games last four quarters, with each dedicated to partner cheering, pyramids, tumbling and jumping, and last, a combination of all categories. Teams of at least 16 are judged, have win-loss records and national rankings.
“This is based more on athletics, strength and routines. Doing this, you definitely get stronger, you get to see how strong and tight as a group you can be. You learn discipline,” said Emelyn Alba, 17, a senior at Kennedy High School in the Bronx.
The number of STUNT participants is expected to double next year.
“Kids learn dedication, commitment, teamwork doing this. It takes 16 people to make one pyramid and if one person doesn’t show up, it’s not happening,” said Melissa Alvarez, 36, coach of the John Bowne STUNT team. “They learn the team relies on every single person. That definitely translates into the real world.”
Comments are closed.