Are you running out of fresh ideas for your weekly pep rally?  Did the game you played last week receive a polite golf clap from the crowd?  Here are some great ideas from Southwestern coaches that can put the "pep" back in your rallies! 

We had a tug o' war for the spirit stick.  We had twelve people from each grade to sign up for each team: freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior. The first contest was between the freshman and sophomore classes; then the second contest was between the junior and senior classes. The final competition came at the end of the pep rally between the winners of the first two contests. It really went well, plus got more of the crowd involved. The kids responded well to this.

We also do a "Memories" pep rally. This is where we feature the seniors of our school. We show the phases of life from babies to old couple. Varsity cheerleaders play the various roles, then when we get to high school phase we showcase senior members of organizations in the school. The phases are babies, toddlers, elementary school, junior high, high school (organizations, Homecoming, Prom, and Graduation), college, career, marriage, and young couples with children. While these phases are parading through the gym we have an "old couple" sitting in the middle of the gym looking at a memory book. We usually have a song sung such as "Memories" or some popular song that speaks of looking back over the years. 

This week we are having a wacky sock contest to "Sock the Vikings". We are also going to have a Sock-hop at  the pep rally featuring several faculty members in a jitterbug contest. The winner of the dance contest will win a dinner at a local restaurant.

Ouachita Parish High School

This Friday we play the Gators, so our Master of Ceremonies (which we added this year and has been SO successful), is dressing as the Crocodile hunter and does a wonderful impression of him. We can't wait. He won the talent show last year!! 

Springhill High School

We had a great pep rally last week.  I worked with eleven of our teachers and taught them a cheer and a stunt. The real cheerleaders took one of the younger and smaller teachers in a straight up extension and the crowd roared. After the cheer, the teachers started turning cartwheels and one of them did a front handspring. It was really a lot of fun.

For Homecoming we took the eleven starters and taught them a dance to "Wild Thang". On the part that says, "I think I love you" and "I want to know for sure" they all squatted down and only one stood up on each part and mouthed it. It was a scream.

This week we took the eleven starters on the football team and taught them cheers and stunts. They really are taking it seriously. The ironic thing is that are really GOOD!! Their stunts are awesome! We were hoping for a few laughs, but I'm afraid the laugh is going to be on us.

Oakdale High School

We recently had a dance contest between students and teachers. The DJ played a song and the student group and teacher groups danced at the same time. The crowd then voted for the best group.

Another idea is to have football players line up on a one side of a 15x15 plastic sheet. The cheerleaders cover the sheet with dozens of eggs. Some of the girls blindfold the football players while the rest pick up the eggs. Spin the boys around and turn them loose. Tell them to be careful not to step on any eggs! It is really funny to see the big football players tip toe across the plastic sheet with nothing on it! I hope these are helpful!

St. Charles High School

One of our best pep rally ideas was when we had some football players dress up like the opposing teams cheerleaders and other football team members dress up like our team's cheerleaders. They competed against each other with cheers, dances, and tumbling and of course the home team won. Our student body really loved it.

Mansfield High School

Our favorite skit is a pie eating contest between two defensive coaches and two offensive coaches. It just so happens, the last three years, we've had a new coach in one of those spots. Each year, the kids are in on this skit (except the freshmen, who weren't here the year before) and they like being in on the joke. We blind fold all coaches, and the announcer really talks up how fast they're eating, etc. The key is: all the coaches PRETEND to eat, while the new coach has his hands behind his back and is furiously eating a pie (actually just pudding and cool whip in a disposable pie plate) with his face and his blindfold on. The other coaches have pulled their blindfold off to watch him. The kids are clapping and laughing and fortunately, when the contest is over (a minute or two), the coach is always congenial about it. The cheerleaders, kids and coaches all love this one. It's become sort of an initiation rite for new coaches.

Orangefield High School

Our favorite pep rally was "Pink the Panthers".  We had two representatives from each grade level/group participate. One student stood on pink paper while the second student took a roll of pink crepe paper and wrapped up the standing student. The first student who was wrapped up or the best wrapped if tied won a spirit stick. The theme music from "The Pink Panther" was playing in the background.  Our spirit sticks were "Pringles" cans spray painted and decorated by the cheerleaders who filled them with candy.

Stockdale High School

Our favorite was when the cheerleaders picked a football player and dressed up like "him".  If he was into motorcross, she would borrow his uniform from his mom, and play his favorite song as they introduced "him" (her).  We did this with about 8 of the starters and it was a huge success as the crowd was trying to guess "who" the cheerleader was as his biography was read.

Vidor High School

The theme of our first Pep Rally was BLACK OUT. We sold glow in the dark jewelry ( which could be a nice little money maker on the side). We used a spotlight and strobes when we introduced the players. The cheerleaders wore the jewelry while they flipped in the dark. We did this in the gym and usually this poses a problem due to the fact of the lights in the gyms need time to cool down and warm up. We turned the light off twenty minutes before the start of the pep rally.  We turned them back on when the band was getting ready to do their performance.

The theme for the week was Cowboys and Indians. Everyone dressed up as either a cowboy or an Indian. At the pep rally we have a contest for the best dressed student, we do two cheers, the band performs, we have a "section of the week" where we list one section of the band. We introduced the volleyball girls and we had a "SHOOT OUT."

The shoot-out was the "game". We put down four tarps. The freshman tarp was small, Sophomore a little bigger and Junior still bigger and Senior the biggest. The guns followed the tarp size. Freshmen had small water guns and Seniors had the biggest super soakers. The game was to get the other classes wet without getting wet themselves. They had to stay on their own tarps. The kids loved it!

Columbus High School

The students' favorite parts of our pep rallies are games in which the football players participate, such as relays. Last Friday a local deejay came and played musical chairs with the football players, and the crowd went wild. It was hilarious. The kids also love the band to play a certain tune to which the cheerleaders throw tumbling passes. Our most successful mascot skits are the ones that include athletes from other sports, such as soccer and volleyball, dressed up as members of that week's opponents.

Carroll High School

We hold pep rallies for every home game. Each pep rally consists of a class cheer competition, cheers and chants by the cheerleaders and at least one game. Here are some of the things we have done:

1. Teacher Competition: Tie two teachers together at the knee. One has to dribble the ball down the court and the other has to make a basket. The first team back to the center wins.

2. A girl and boy from each class sit in chairs in the middle of the basketball court. Each person must blow up a balloon, dribble it to the basket, and shoot. Then they dribble back to the chair and sit on it until it pops.

3. Jigsaw Puzzle: Write a few spirit or victory slogans on a large pieces of poster board. Cut them into pieces and give one piece to different people and see which team can put their slogan together faster. The tricky part: they don't know which team they're on until the pieces start fitting together!

4. Have each class choose 3 guys to represent them at the pep rally. Those guys have to make up a chant with actions. The class with the best chant wins.

Glen Elder Junior High