I’ve been wondering this for years, and viewing a picture on prompted me ask. In the picture, the male cheerleader seems to be holding up the cheerleader with one hand. In this version, he is getting some support with the other hand. But I’ve actually seen it with just one hand, and no other support.
The hand’s not up either of her cracks, if that’s what you’re getting at. It’s under her tailbone. It shouldn’t be painful for her for the short time she’s up there - his arm would fatigue before her butt got sore enougn to matter. I don’t know if they wear padding, but I suspect not - it shouldn’t be necessary, and it could lead to things shifting around resulting in loss of balance. His hand has padding built in.
I just read your response and tried it myself. This chair in my office has an armrest that’s just about the size of a hand. It’s got an adjustment mechanism so I was able to turn it outwards. I tried to balance myself on it similar to the manner of the girl in the picture. For one thing, it hurt. Also, I can’t see how the hand won’t come into contact with her nether regions, unless she was sitting at an angle. The girl in the picture is sitting straight up. And lastly, it really hurt. I also think I ripped my suit a little. Good thing I was smart enough to close my door.
That picture demonstrates why, if I had it all to do over, I would forget about athletics and become a male cheerleader.
Go Spartans!
Looks to me like he is supporting most of her weight with his chest. Her heel is resting on his chest somewhere.
Former male cheerleader checking in*. That stunt is called “the chair.” I became pretty good at doing it. His right hand has the thumb and pinky spread apart as much as possible, trying to create as much of a bicycle seat shape as possible. Her butt cheeks are pinched as tightly as possible to keep that surface firm enough to keep steady. The left hand goes around her ankle, and isn’t there for much support, mostly for balance. If she starts to tip, he’ll be able to detect it immediately. The guy in the photo probably is using his chest to support her because he’s likely holding her for an extended length of time.
*And, for those who are wondering, the “former” refers to “cheerleader,” not “male.”
And if you think they have it rough, try being a ballet dancer or figure skater.
I just want to thank you, Jackknifed Juggernaut, for not only trying this “experiment” on your chair, in your office, while at work, in a suit - but also for sharing the results. I don’t actually know you but the mental image of “office worker balancing precariously on the arm of his chair to see how much it hurt his butt” made me giggle. 
I don’t have anything to add, but I want his job.
Not a cheerleader myself, but my best buddy in college was. he often bemoaned the fate of being the biggest guy, because that meant he was paired with the biggest girl. None of the girls were huge, of course, but he often commented on how much easier it would be to toss and catch the tiny pixies than the more normal-sized girls he was paired with. And yes, he dropped them occasionally. And said - ahem - “the view” got to be pretty old hat pretty quickly.
Something that male cheerleaders and gynecologists have in common.
I’m occasionally lucky enough to get free NCAA basketball tickets, and the particular seats in question are right behind the cheerleaders. Aside from echoing the “I wouldn’t mind trying that maneuver” thoughts of some previous posters, I usually spend my time trying to get my head around just how tiny those girls are. They almost look like a different species to me. And those itsy-bitsy voices…
The daughter of a friend of mine is one of those pixies and was offered a full tuition scholarship to a major university for cheerleading. I had no idea. She is one of the girls who gets thrown around, though - I guess they are hard to come by.
A friend’s daughter is a varsity HS cheerleader. I believe they call the smallest girls who are lifted and thrown the most “fliers.”
As far as “different species” goes, many moons ago at a college party a “flier” observed that she weighed 90 pounds. My honest reaction was to blurt out, “90 pounds? That’s the size of a large dog!”
Earned me a beer in the face, that comment did!
Yeah, and they go through them pretty fast. Ooops, there goes another one…
OK, I just wasted, er, spent several minutes looking through the cheerleader photo galleries. Did I ever miss out, going to school in England…
“Flier” is the person supported or thrown. They are supported or thrown by one or more people usually referred to as a “base”. Most HS rules also require people who are neither called “spotters” to be positioned near the stunt to protect the flier if she loses balance. During competition judges will deduct points if they see a spotter’s eyes are not trained on the flier when she is off the ground.
A flier’s injuries can be more severe but base and spotters are more frequently injured by falling fliers.
Bubba
Father of a former often bruised base
After a semester of cheering experience, I tried out for the next semester. My stunting partner didn’t try out, so I was partnered with someone with whom I hadn’t done stunts before. This girl was tiny. I lifted her and straightened my right arm, and she literally went above my hand and then landed on it, even though my elbow was locked into position. I couldn’t believe how light she was, especially since I had previously been partnered with the heaviest girl and she was the lightest.
The key to these stunts is doing them quickly and with confidence. You “pop” into position. If you have to slowly muscle your partner into the air like that, it’s going to be a major challenge, even with the tiny girls. You would, after all, be lifting a 100 pound living weight over your head with one arm. If you do it right, there isn’t much lifting, but there is holding. But the right timing and “feel” of it makes it work every time. We always counted it out in practice, “One-two-down-up” and she jumps as you lift, right on the “up.” So, you’re basically adding power to her jump so that she gets the height, then you focus on holding and balancing until the stunt is over, at which point you focus on “catching” and slowing her descent. Music is helpful to routines because it keeps everyone’s timing synchronized. That’s why cheerleading routines have to have a thumping beat, besides it just sounding cool.
Juggernaut, are you a guy? That would explain why it hurts for you. Sitting like that doesn’t hurt me.
I don’t know what is el espagar called in English and don’t want to google for it (at work), but it’s just opening your legs all the way, either on the floor or during gymnastic exercises. I’ve known one guy who could do it and who wasn’t a professional dancer; all the girls in my HS class could do it without any pre-warming and while wearing jeans. There’s certain bits that simply don’t behave the same way in a guy and a girl, you know.
Or a rugby forward 