Tell me about cheerleading

[RollingDog]

Sorry I'm new here and am not sure where to post. My teenage daughter has been asked to be a flyer for a Senior level 4 Allstars team which is very nice but as she's only ever done a bit of cheer at school we don't really know how it works?

Can anyone tell me about the structure of the sport? What should I expect in terms of commitment? Will I have to embrace it and travel with her to everything etc? How safe is it (some of the stunts look a bit full on and I worry about injuries)? Is it expensive? Is it like the world of competitive gymnastics or is it a bit more chilled than that?

If you have Netflix there a cheerleading documentary called 'Cheer'
Fascinating and from what I can remember a flyer is an athlete thrown up into air and do tricks, flips, twists and turns midair.

Forgot to add if you tap into search bar and type Cheerleading there lots of threads on it by mums

My dd has just quit cheer. She absolutely loves it but she is hypermobile in her arms so it's eventually taken it's toll where she doesn't want to tumble in routines and when she's basing as it's causing pain.

Our team are national champs and came 2nd in their level at Europeans last June in Germany.

I do find it expensive for a sport that's not got the recognition it deserves but the comps are fab. Loads of energy and the cheerleaders are all supportive of each other, both within their own teams and support for other teams.

I haven't seen any serious injuries, of course there has been falls etc but nothing too bad.

If your dd is flyer in a level 4 I would imagine she is quite flexible for things like heel stretch, bow and arrow, scopions and needles or baskets/back tuck baskets or X-out (I can't remember which skills are level 4 so some might not apply).

How many levels are there?

As far as I'm aware there are 6 levels, 6 being the highest. Do you know what competitions they enter? UKCA, BCA, Legacy, or schools or universities different bodies have different age rages for levels as well.

My dd has been doing cheer for a couple of years and she loves it. If she's looking at doing competitive cheer
a huge level of commitment is required from the athletes and parents. DD trains four nights a week with extra sessions before competitions.
We have competitions in Liverpool, Sheffield, Glasgow, Bournemouth, Brighton, Guildford, Blackpool and London this year.
Most competitions require at least one night in a hotel.
The kit is expensive (£216 for her latest competitions kit) that doesn't include shoes at around £40 a time.
DDs squad have just won a bid to compete I a competition in Orlando next month so that's going to be a huge outlay financially.
So, time consuming and expensive. However, the level of commitment and teamwork is amazing and watching them perform is incredible. I'm so proud of what dd and her squad have achieved.

We were at a competition in London a few weeks ago. There was a team from Oslo who were level 7. The commentator said he had never heard of level 7 before. They were spectacular to watch.

They do BCA. What is the difference between the different bodies?