While cheerleading requires several physical skills and strengths needed to stunt, jump or tumble, there is so much personal development that allows athletes to gain practical life skills. These skills include discipline, teamwork and goal setting, all while instilling confidence.

Here are 11 benefits of cheer: 

Here are 11 benefits of cheer: 

1. Sportsmanship
Both success and defeat present important learning opportunities. Cheer teaches athletes to be proud of their successes, accept defeat gracefully, and maintain respect for fellow competitors, no matter the final score.

2. Discipline
Cheer requires time, preparation and focus. Cheer training can help you learn discipline in a supportive, encouraging environment and will help you appreciate the direct correlation between preparation, practice and success. 

3. Hard Work
Hard work can make all the difference when it comes to being a successful athlete and team member. Cheer teaches young people how to work hard to improve their skills and reach their full potential. This is a life skill that can transcend into any career path down the road.

4. Teamwork 
The ability to be a team player is valuable in every stage of life. Through cheer, athletes learn to work together to set short–term and long-term goals and build strategies to accomplish them. Cheer offers a great model to learn the basics of collaboration, cooperation and compromise. 

5. Physical Fitness
There are infinite reasons to take an active approach to maintaining and improving health and fitness. Cheer involves a balance of cardio, resistance, flexibility and endurance training. 

6. Mental Strength
Mental strength goes further than powering through a workout. The mental strength learned through cheerleading lasts a lifetime, as mental toughness can be applied to everyday situations where the desire to give up is tempting. 

7. Confidence & Self-Esteem 
Standing on a stage or in front of a full stadium is no easy feat. From performing for a crowd, to serving as ambassadors at community events, to working a skill over and over to get it right, cheerleaders build confidence and self-esteem that will carry them through life. 

8. Community Outreach
Cheerleaders participate in numerous activities both off the field and out of the gym to spread spirit at schools and within their communities. As ambassadors, cheerleaders have a number of opportunities to build character and leadership skills through community outreach. 

9. Leadership
They are called cheerleaders for a reason, as these individuals often emerge as leaders within their schools and communities. The leadership abilities gained from cheer are hugely beneficial when it comes to school projects, the workplace, and among peers. 

10. Social Skills
Cheerleading opens the door to making new friends from outside your normal circle. Traveling to events means getting to experience new places and new people. Cheer also develops social skills like empathy, conflict resolution, showing respect for others, and keeping your cool, all of which are transferable to other aspects of life. 

11. Perseverance & Dedication
Cheerleading is often a year-round commitment. When joining a team, cheerleaders quickly learn that many people depend on them. As a cheerleader, these individuals are making a commitment, through the good times and the hard times, not only to their teams, but to their schools or gyms.