When someone hears about stunt, their brain might automatically go to stunts for a film, like jumping from a building and landing straight on your feet. But stunt in school isn’t about extreme scenes for a movie. Stunt the sport is another form of cheerleading without the sideline and actual cheering part.
Stunt is one of the fastest growing female sports in America as of today. It’s so fast growing that according to NCCA, divisions I and II were added in 2023, along with division III in 2024. You might be wondering, “What is stunt, and how is it played?”
This sport is played head to head between two teams who are scored strictly on their skills. There are four quarters to the game. Quarter one is partner stunts; quarter two is pyramids and tosses; quarter three is jumps and tumbling; and quarter four is a routine which is a combination of all the other quarters.
The scores for this sport are supposed to be really strict. Every little movement and bobble can get you a point off when it comes to the final score. In preparation for games, judges have to study the videos demonstrating the routine so they are able to properly score each team.
With such a strict sport, players have to take time out of their day to learn their counts and routines. Sometimes, a team might not only play once, they might have to go against another team right after the last, so conditioning is a big thing with this sport. Athletes have to build the stamina to perform certain routines back to back and not get tired, being able to give it their all and wow the judges and audience with their skills.
As of 2025, the sport has grown so much that there are three categories of stunt: high school stunt, college stunt, and even club stunt for ages as young as five. The program wants to give every female athlete the opportunity to participate in such a new, growing sport. The sport is very entertaining and could be an amazing experience.
If you are interested, check out Stunt the sports office page at stuntthesport.org or talk to the stunt coach at our own school, Laura Niemann.
