The community around stunt is undeniably one of the most powerful bonds in sports. Upon arrival for a stunt game, the first thing you may notice are the stands that have been packed full with a lively crowd of parents, students and other athletes. Each routine brings specific athletes with impressive memorization, and each move is hit with a bright smile from the flyers. Music is blasting, athletes are yelling, people are being thrown into the air and everyone in the stands is absolutely ecstatic. It’s very overwhelming, and to think, these athletes are performing with elite precision despite all the surrounding pressure. So how do they do it?
Well, as with any other sport, DVHS’s stunt team is fueled by encouragement. What makes stunt special however, is the absolute synchronization that every performance relies on. To maintain this, each player must stay engaged; a skill brought about through the team’s unbreakable bond.
Marissa Ratcliff, a team captain, describes her team as funny and hardworking, all crucial qualities for their team dynamic.
“Being hardworking and encouraging is important in this sport specifically because we have to have a lot of mental toughness and strength, and encouragement makes us stronger as a team,” Ratcliff notes.
She states that their bond grows stronger when each player maintains good energy and helps on the mat and by being loud and encouraging
Jayla Day, a senior at DVHS and member of the stunt team, describes her team as an ambitious friend group that finds their success through working together to achieve their goals. “If one of us takes a fall, we all do, so one of our main goals is to keep supporting and uplifting one another” Day states.
Day shares that the ultimate motivation for each player to push forward comes mostly from teammates. She mentions that stunting can be mentally taxing, and that maintaining a strong mindset is a big factor when it comes to performance.
“It’s not easy when you’re trying your best and putting forth your best effort only for the stunt to not hit. There are so many factors to why a stunt doesn’t hit, but it’s so easy to blame yourself sometimes. If you’re in a bad mindset about the stunt or your capability, it won’t hit” notes Day.
Day continues on to say that when her team sees somebody struggling, it’s important to support them, and make sure they push themselves to give it their all.
“If there isn’t enough trust in each other or yourself during a stunt, it’s very likely that the stunt won’t hit due to being scared that someone may get hurt. So, it’s very important that we keep the energy positive and to keep reminding our teammates that everything will be okay.”
