Cheer seasons are long and photogenic. All-star teams travel to competitions from late fall through spring; school squads cheer football in the fall and basketball in the winter, then compete. There are bows, uniforms, stunts, pyramids, and a hundred photos of the same flyer at the top of an extension. The bases and back spots who hold everything up are rarely in focus.
A fair banquet slideshow fixes that. Here is how to plan it from the first practice to the banquet.
Cheer season timeline
Uniform day or the first practice
Share the season link with the practice calendar. Team photos in new uniforms and bows make a strong opening chapter, and every athlete is in them.
First competition
Competitions are where most photos are taken. Ask parents to add their favorites within a day or two, and to include warm-up and backstage moments, not only the routine.
Mid-season check
Look at coverage. Flyers will be well covered; bases, back spots and tumblers often are not. Copy the reminder naming the athletes who need more photos and send it in the team chat.
After the final competition
Set the deadline about a week before the banquet. Award jackets and banners from the last competition belong in the final chapter.
Making the slideshow
Create the season for the team
Enter the team name as athletes know it, the banquet date and the deadline. Paste first names; cheer uniforms rarely have numbers, so leave those empty.
Respect consent and gym policies
Many gyms and schools collect photo releases. Mark any athlete without consent so their photos are hidden from other families and kept out of the video.
Ask parents to tag the whole stunt group
Stunt photos show four or five athletes. When parents tag everyone in the photo, one great pyramid shot counts for the whole group.
Keep an eye on the coverage list
With a squad of twenty or more, it is easy to miss someone. Check the list after each competition and nudge with the ready-made reminder.
Review and export
After the deadline, each competition weekend becomes a chapter with the best shots chosen and every athlete reaching the minimum. Rename chapters with competition names, check the roll call, and export.
Cheer moments to include
The moments that mean the most to cheer athletes often happen away from the mat. Bows being tied in the hotel room before a competition, the team holding hands backstage while the previous team performs, the walk to the warm-up area, and the circle of athletes on the floor waiting for the awards: ask parents to capture those. If your team has a tradition, such as a team chant or a secret handshake, photograph it. When results are announced, the photo of the team clutching each other is often the most emotional image of the year. For school squads, game-day photos on the sideline under Friday night lights add a different feel from competition photos.
How long should a cheer banquet slideshow be?
Cheer rosters run from 12 to 30 or more athletes. For 20 athletes appearing three times each, plus team and stunt-group photos, plan about four and a half minutes. Larger programs with several teams should make one slideshow per team, each three to four minutes, and show them as each team's awards are presented.
Song length plannerFit your photos to the music, song by song.Cheer teams love music, but competition mixes are licensed for the routine, not for a video. The track library has energetic music cleared for slideshows, with credits added automatically, and the Rink style's quick, high-contrast cuts match the pace of a routine.
Banquet checklist
Before the banquet
- Download the video and test it on the venue screen.
- Plan the order: slideshow first, then awards and senior recognition.
- Bring the team banner for the photo after the slideshow.
- Make sure the sound system can handle bass-heavy music without distortion.
- Share the private link with families the same night.
Privacy and safeguarding
Faces are never scanned or recognized. Children are matched to photos by the tags their families add and the numbers on their jersey. Only first names are stored, location data is removed on the phone before upload, the season’s link is private and never appears in search engines, and anything inappropriate for a youth sports setting is hidden automatically. Any parent can report a photo, and the organizer has the final say on every photo in the video.
Questions from cheer parents
Can we add competition score sheets or placements?
The slideshow is about the athletes, so it uses photos. You can rename a chapter with the competition and placement, such as "Regionals, 2nd place".
Can coaches upload from a team account?
Yes. Anyone with the link can upload as "just a supporter" and tag the athletes in each photo.
Our team has athletes in two programs. Will they be in both videos?
If they are on both rosters, yes. Each team is its own season with its own link, roster and video.
Can seniors get a special section?
Mark them as seniors on the roster. Paid plans add a tribute at the end with a title card for each senior.