When you’ve got a competition coming up, start your packing list early so that you don’t have anything to stress about! Whether you’re a cheer sport athlete packing for yourself, or you’re packing on behalf of one, follow our tips so that on competition day you can focus on having fun.

Here are the items you should bring to the competition location:

• Healthy snacks and a refillable water bottle
• Uniform
• Hair Bow
• Competition Makeup
• Competition Hair Styling Products. This may include brush, comb, hair spray, mousse, clips, pins, elastics, straight/curling iron
• Cheer Shoes
• White Socks
• Team warm-up jacket & pants

Healthy snack ideas include bananas, apples, grapes, carrot sticks, cucumber slices, bell pepper sticks, granola bars, and protein bars. Think of snacks that are nourishing and tidy. A napkin and garbage container come in handy. When you’re shopping for granola and protein bars, read ingredients carefully to ensure you’re getting healthy items and not ones full of refined sugar and other energy-crashing foods.

Choose your bag wisely. Whether it’s a road trip or a competition hosted at your home gym, bring a bag that you can easily carry, and that is quick to stow in the car, the bus, or the hotel and wherever you’re changing. You might want a second smaller bag for items you’ll need while at the competition, like a water bottle, hygiene products, and small snacks. Make sure your bag is easy to identify with a brightly coloured tag, and include your name and at least the contact phone number of your home gym in case it gets lost.

Make sure you try clothes and shoes on well in advance to be sure that everything fits properly and comfortably. Cheer Sport Sharks are prone to growth spurts at any time! It doesn’t hurt to throw in an extra pair of socks as well as a back-up hair elastic, just in case.

A week or 2 in advance of an overnight trip, make a list of all of the things you use every day that you absolutely HAVE to have. That way you won’t forget anything, and if you’re running low on something, like toothpaste, or you want to take your favourite pajamas, you’ve got time to shop and do laundry. Common items that get forgotten are toothpaste, underwear, and chargers. If your team has something fun planned outside of the competition, like swimming at the hotel, pack for that, too! Bring something to keep you occupied during travel and down time, like a book or music.

Last but not least: Pack your itinerary! Know where you need to be at all times, and make sure that your family and friends attending the competition know, too, so that they have their cameras ready.

Happy packing, Sharks, and be excited because competition days are full of great energy and fun. You can read more about competition preparation on our blog here, and here and here. We’ll see you soon on the blue mat!