Game Day & Competition Day for Cheerleaders: Fuel, Hydration and Nerves

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The alarm goes off at 5 a.m. Hair gets curled and slicked up under the bow, the makeup has to match the rest of the team, and the whole family is in the car before sunrise to reach a convention center packed with thousands of athletes, glitter and pounding music. The team is on the mat for two and a half minutes, maybe late in the afternoon. Then come awards, and sometimes day two. Competition day is a long day built around a short, all-out effort; game day on a high school sideline is a different kind of long, with three hours on the track in the heat or the cold. This page covers cheer competition day and game day: the schedule, what to eat and when, hydration, staying warm and loose, nerves, and safety.

General information, not medical advice. Back to the cheerleading hub.

How a competition day runs

Every event posts a schedule with a check-in, a warm-up time and a performance time for each team. Warm-up is usually a rotation through warm-up mats (stretch, tumbling, stunts, then a run-through), and the team goes on the competition floor shortly after. Under USASF all-star rules, a routine can’t exceed 2:30 (2:00 for Prep and non-tumbling teams, 1:30 for Novice). The biggest all-star event of the season, The Cheerleading Worlds, runs over several days at ESPN Wide World of Sports near Orlando in late April (April 24–27 in 2026), with competition blocks from morning to late evening. School teams compete at state, regional and national championships with their own rules; college teams compete at national championships and cheer at games all season.

The hard part is the waiting. The day is mostly sitting, walking and standing, with a short burst of maximal effort in the middle. Plan the day around that performance time, not around when you wake up.

Rules that matter on the day

• No jewelry. USASF bans jewelry of any kind, including clear plastic jewelry, and it can’t be taped over (medical ID bracelets are the exception). NFHS high school rules ban jewelry, watches included, during all spirit activities. Take it out at home.
• Nothing in your mouth. USASF rules ban gum, candy and cough drops during practice and performance because they can cause choking. Finish snacks before warm-up.
• Shoes. Soft-soled shoes with a solid sole are required in USASF competition; no dance shoes or gymnastics slippers.
• Braces and casts. Unaltered braces are allowed; a hard cast or walking boot rules out stunts, pyramids, tumbling and tosses.

Fueling a long competition day

The 2016 joint position of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Dietitians of Canada gives the frame: before exercise, about 1–4 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight eaten 1–4 hours before, with foods high in fat, protein or fiber kept lower if they upset your stomach, and everything adjusted to what works for you. Turned into a cheer day:

• Breakfast, even at 5 a.m.: oatmeal with banana, a bagel with peanut butter, toast and eggs, yogurt with fruit. Small is fine if nerves are high; skipping it isn’t.
• 3–4 hours before you perform: a real meal you know well, such as a turkey sandwich, rice or pasta with chicken, or a wrap with fruit.
• About 1 hour before warm-up: a light, easy snack: banana, applesauce pouch, pretzels, crackers, a granola bar. Then nothing in your mouth on the mat.
• Between sessions or days: eat a proper meal after you perform, with carbohydrate and protein, and keep snacking through awards. Day two starts with dinner on day one.

Pack food. Venue food lines are long and often greasy, and nothing new on competition day: try every snack at practice first. Skipping meals to “look smaller” in a uniform takes away the energy you need to tumble and stunt safely; see our cheerleading nutrition page.

Hydration: indoors, outdoors and on the sideline

The ACSM position suggests about 5–10 mL of fluid per kilogram of body weight in the 2–4 hours before exercise, aiming for pale yellow urine; for a 50 kg (110 lb) athlete that’s about 250–500 mL, or one to two cups. Through the day, sip water with your snacks. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) says drinking to thirst is a reasonable approach when you don’t know your sweat rate, and warns against drinking so much that you gain weight. Convention centers are usually cool, but warm-up areas get hot, and early-season football games mean hours on a sunny track. In heat, add salty snacks or an electrolyte drink, and know NATA’s heat illness warning signs: headache, nausea, dizziness, cramps, unusual fatigue, and above all confusion or collapse, which is an emergency (call 911; cooling in cold water is the most effective first aid). For lightning, NATA’s rule is simple: when thunder roars, go indoors, and wait 30 minutes after the last thunder.

Staying warm, loose and safe

Injury rates at competitions are similar to or higher than at practice. In a national surveillance study of cheer teams, competitions had the highest injury rate of any setting (about 1.4 per 1,000 athlete-exposures, versus 1.0 at practice), and a high school study found competition and practice rates were close. After a long wait, muscles get cold and focus drifts. Stay in warm-ups and a jacket until your team is called, keep moving with light jogging and dynamic stretching if there’s a long gap between warm-up mats and the stage, and don’t throw new skills in warm-up that you haven’t hit in practice. Know where the athletic trainer or medical station is. If anyone takes a hit to the head, the CDC rule applies on competition day too: when in doubt, sit them out, no matter how big the event (more on our cheerleading injuries page).

Nerves: a routine for the routine

Shaky hands before you hit the mat are normal; your body is getting ready. Research helps here: a 2026 meta-analysis of 21 studies on “choking” under pressure found that methods such as pre-performance routines, mindfulness, self-talk and a steady visual focus reduced how much performance drops under pressure, with the clearest effects in closed skills, the kind cheer is built on. Practical ways to use that:

• Same routine every time: the team huddle, a breathing pattern (slow breath in, longer breath out), a cue word for your first skill.
• Run it in your head: walk through the routine counts, your stunt group and your landings.
• Focus on your job, not the scoreboard: your eight-counts, your catch, your smile.
• Parents: calm and food beat pep talks. Ask “did you have fun?” before “what was your score?”

A good read for athletes is The Champion’s Mind by sports psychologist Jim Afremow, and our mental training tools guide has more.

The competition bag

Uniform, bow, cheer shoes, warm-ups, a jacket, hair and makeup kit, any brace or tape you wear, a phone charger, and a cooler with breakfast, a meal and two or three snacks. Add a big refillable water bottle like the Nalgene 32 oz and a few Nuun Sport electrolyte tablets for hot gyms and outdoor games. See also our best electrolyte powders guide.

After the awards: cheerleading recovery for the drive home and the day after. Comparing sports? See soccer game day.

Competition day FAQs

What should a cheerleader eat before a competition?

A familiar meal built on carbohydrate 3–4 hours before performing, and a light snack like a banana, pretzels or applesauce about an hour before warm-up. Keep fat, fiber and new foods low if your stomach is sensitive, and finish eating before you warm up.

How long is a cheer routine?

Under USASF all-star rules, up to 2 minutes 30 seconds; Prep and non-tumbling routines up to 2:00 and Novice up to 1:30. School competitions follow their own state and event rules.

Can you wear jewelry or a watch while cheering?

No. USASF bans all jewelry in competition, even taped over (medical ID is the exception), and NFHS high school rules ban jewelry and watches during all spirit activities, practices included.

How do I calm nerves before going on the mat?

Use the same short routine every time: a slow breath with a long exhale, a cue word, and a mental run-through of your counts. Research shows routines, self-talk and mindfulness help athletes hold up under pressure.

How much water should a cheerleader drink on competition day?

Start the day hydrated (pale yellow urine), drink about 5–10 mL per kg in the few hours before performing, and sip to thirst through the day. In heat, add salty food or electrolytes. Don’t force down large amounts.