(11) SPIRIT SQUAD PROFILING: AN EVALUATION USING UPDATED METHODS FOR SPATIAL AWARENESS, FORCE VELOCITY, AND BODY CONTROL

Current data on athleticism characteristics are unique and limited for spirit squad teams (SS), which consists of cheer and dance, such as their neuromuscular and cognitive abilities.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to create profiles and benchmarks of neuromuscular aspects (reactive hopping & kinesthetic body awareness) and cognitive aspects (spatial awareness, peripheral vision, and dynamic vision) of athleticism for SS athletes.

Methods: 47 NCAA Division III student-athletes participated in this study: 36 females (19.79 ± 1.25 years; 131.86 ± 21.3 cm; 63.61 ± 1.78 kg) and 11 males (21.75 ± 2.2 years old; 185.74 ± 6.1 cm; 80 ± 10 kg). The breakdown consisted of cheer (n=13) and dance teams (n=18) and were compared to athletes of a non-SS population: men’s tennis (n=10) and women’s tennis (n=6). Neuromuscular profiles were collected via maximal repeated 1-leg vertical jumps using a grid with photoelectrical cells (Microgate, Bolzano, Italy) where jump height (JH), power (P) and body control (BC) were recorded. Cognitive abilities such as spatial awareness (SA), spatial memory (SM), peripheral vision (PV), perception scan (PS), multiple object tracking (MOT), and dynamic vision (DV) were assessed and collected on a cognitive sensory station (Senaptec, Beaverton, Oregon).

Results: No statistically significant differences were observed between the dance team and cheer team in almost all neuromuscular and cognitive metrics, except for SA and SM (p < 0.05), where dancers scored better than cheerleaders. Significant neuromuscular differences were also reported when comparing SS to tennis, with tennis players displaying more JH and P (p < 0.05), but SS displaying better BC (p < 0.005). No significant cognitive differences were reported between tennis and SS, except for PS where tennis scored better (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: A few cognitive differences in athleticism profiling between SS and non-SS existed, specifically spatial awareness, and perception span. In addition, non-SS players exhibited higher neuromuscular qualities, yet SS members displayed better body control during jumping. The results can explain how specific training stimuli produces different neuromuscular and cognitive profiles. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Future research should aim to expand cognitive and neuromuscular profiles and benchmarks for SS for use in developing functional training programs to improve reactive strength and kinesthetic body awareness, especially in areas of perception span and jump height and power, to help minimize injury and improve competitive performance in these athletes.

 

Acknowledgements: None