Hydration Tips for Coaches:

Keeping Your Squad Properly Hydrated
During Tryouts, Practices and Competitions

Most cheerleaders understand the importance of practicing hard prior to trying out for the squad. However, cheerleaders may not be aware that dehydration can have a real negative effect on how they feel and perform whether it’s during an afternoon practice or during the official tryout competition.

As a cheerleading coach, it’s your job to ensure that the squad is able to feel and perform at their best. When you talk with all potential cheerleaders about the importance of hydration, please photocopy and share the “Better Hydration = Better Performance “ handout with them.

Facts about Dehydration:
Dehydration could affect how a cheerleader feels and performs during tryouts and practices, and may increase the risk of injury.
Losing even a small amount of body fluid (i.e. 1% body weight) can impair performance and make a cheerleader’s performance “feel” harder. 1
By the time a cheerleader becomes thirsty, (s)he is already dehydrated. 2

Tips to Help Your Squad Stay Hydrated:
Walk the Talk. Make hydration part of YOUR lifestyle by always having a bottle of proper fluids on hand during tryouts and practices.
Think of Fluids as Essential Equipment for Your Squad. Make sure each cheerleader has his/her own sports bottle filled with cold fluids before practice and tryouts begin. Suggest freezing a bottle of fluids the night before so it remains cold throughout the entire day.
Schedule Hydration Breaks. It’s important to encourage active cheerleaders to take a time-out during practice to drink. Make it a goal to drink at set increments throughout your practice (i.e. every 15 minutes).

What to drink When Active:
Water: While water is a good thirst quencher, it can be challenging to drink enough plain H20 to stay well hydrated. In fact, research shows that active people tend to replenish only about half of the fluids they lose during a workout when they drink plain water. 3

Fitness Waters: A fitness water – such as Propel Fitness Water – is a lightly flavored alternative to plain water to help active people drink more to stay better hydrated during exercise and throughout the day.
Research shows that people will drink more of a lightly flavored beverage than plain water when active. 4
Look for a fitness water that is low in calories, such as Propel Fitness Water, with only 10 calories per eight ounces.

Sports Drinks: For active people who need to rehydrate and refuel for performance, a sports drink, such as Gatorade, is the optimal choice.
Sports drinks contain a proper amount of electrolytes that replace what is lost through sweat, and also contain carbohydrates that fuel working muscles and fight fatigue. 5,6

For more information on hydration, including fluid guidelines, visit the Gatorade Sports Science Institute website at www.gssi-web.org, www.propelwater.com or www.gatorade.com.