Photos by Jenelle Fritz

STUNT:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto

In three months, girls flag football will make its SGV area debut.

There were a select number of teams that competed last year, but nearly everyone is signed, sealed and delivered for the fall of 2024.

While there is plenty of excitement in the air, being the first at anything will organically create hiccups along the way that will need to be dealt with.

If STUNT is any indication of what’s possible, though, girls flag football has every reason to believe they too can become a successful new sport.

Former San Dimas Assistant Principal Rita Kear, and current Glendora AP, Rod Tilton, both contacted me and asked that I did an introductory story on the ins and outs of STUNT, and how its exploded in popularity.

What are the basics of STUNT?

STUNT, which was created by USA Cheer, is a four-quarter competition.

A STUNT game features two programs on the competition floor at the same time.

Each quarter features four choreographed routines.

They perform the same routine simultaneously.

The following is a list of routines by quarter:
First Quarter: Partner Stunts
Second: Pyramids & Tosses
Third: Jumps & Tumbling
Fourth: Team Routine

Two officials sit near the top of the gym, while another judge is on the floor directing the competition.

All four routines in each of the fourth quarters can garner one team point per routine.

Both programs are graded on skill, technique and execution of each routine.

STUNT is exploding in numbers and popularity.

However, until the sport has 20 percent of CIF Southern Section schools participating, CIF will not sponsor a championship game.

As of today, there are 90 southern section schools competing in STUNT.

That is up 25 from the 65 programs that competed in 2023.

They need approximately 26 more programs for CIF to run postseason competitions.

Until then, USA Cheer runs the playoffs in a manner of speaking.

In 2025, leagues will change, and STUNT hopes to expand enough that allows it to add new teams and leagues to reach that 20-percent threshold.

The number of SGV area leagues doubled from 2023 to 2024.

Wilson, Los Altos, South Hills, Diamond Bar, Walnut and Rowland make up the Hacienda League.

The Valle Vista League includes Covina, Charter Oak, Northview, West Covina, San Dimas and Glendora.

And the West Valley League features a number of schools from the SGV area, including Baldwin Park, Nogales, Workman, La Puente and Sierra Vista.

According to a few coaches, West Covina, South Hills and Diamond Bar are currently the top three programs in the area.

As mentioned, former SDHS AP Rita Kear reached out to this reporter to give the sport some much-deserved publicity.

Kear was so impressed by what she saw that she became a So Cal STUNT Official Board Member and Assigner.

“I fell in love with STUNT Cheer when I was an AP at San Dimas,” she said. “Seeing the two teams going head-to-head and competing at the same time out on the mat is exciting, and the amount of athleticism displayed in the tumbling, jumps and partner stunts and pyramids is so fun to watch and cheer these girls on. I love seeing the students in the stands cheering these girls on because they deserve it.”

In addition to the 90 schools in the southern section, there are 16 LA City schools and four in San Diego.

Aside from the huge individual benefits of being part of a team and meeting the cardiovascular level required to compete in such a physically demanding sport, talented members of STUNT programs can now earn college scholarships.

Cal Baptist, the 2024 NCAA Division 1 National Champions are joined by Concordia, Hope International, Vanguard and Riverside City College as Southern California schools that have STUNT programs.

One of the area’s rising programs is at Glendora.

Alexis Aguirre and her staff have fostered a family-like atmosphere, where hard work and a commitment to one another go hand in hand.

In just their first year in the Valle Vista League, GHS finished above Covina, Charter Oak, Northview and San Dimas.

The only VVL program that had a better team season than the Tartans was West Covina.

GHS also made their first appearance in the postseason.

In spite of a first-round postseason exit, the Tartans were competitive, and that has the program amped up for what’s to come in 2025.

Glendora coach Alexis Aguirre spoke about her experience leading the Tartans into battle in a new sport.

“This STUNT season has been nothing but absolutely amazing,” she said. “This is my third season coaching at Glendora High School, and this is by far the most dedicated, passionate, and determined team I have coached on campus. The drive that STUNT gave these 20 kids made them fall in love with the sport again. These athletes went through all the ups together and all the lows, and they remained humble through it all. I am beyond proud to say these are my athletes. I’m blessed that I got to experience and witness Glendora High history with the class of 2024.”

The GHS STUNT advisor, Audra Aguirre added the following: “This year’s team has humbled me in more ways that I can fully detail. They have worked so hard to become as skilled as possible in a sport that is very new to most. The dedication our young team put forth to make it to CIF was inspiring and made our entire campus proud. Our wonderful coach, Alexis, created a winning environment that was focused on teamwork, shared goals, and appreciation for the sport. I would consider our coach and our athletes to be trailblazers and I am honored to be associated with GHS STUNT.”

Along with the criteria to earn team points, this is a list of possible deductions in a STUNT competition.

Lastly, I asked four Glendora athletes to answer the following: How/why did STUNT appeal to you? How has it impacted your life? Would you encourage future Tartans to consider competing in STUNT? If so, why? And what’s your favorite thing about the sport?

GHS freshman, Ava Brennecke:  “I first saw pep’s Instagram post about stunt tryouts and decided I wanted to try out since I didn’t get the chance to try out for sideline. I had previous background and missed the sport, and this was a good way to get back into it. I have made so many new friends and started working on new skills since starting stunt and it has really changed my life for the better. Yes, I have suggested both stunt and pep to girls coming to Glendora because the program itself is very fun, but the team and coaches make it even more fun. My favorite thing about stunt was making new friends and seeing how we all support each other and want the best for everyone on the team.”

GHS sophomore, Ashley Krosevic: “I really enjoy the competitiveness of this sport. It made me improve very quickly and have so much fun learning new skills. Schedule wise, it has impacted me very slightly since there would only one or two games a week, and they didn’t last long. Other than that, it has improved my friendships with the people on the team. I would encourage people who are unsure if they want to try out for cheer.  I usually recommend stunt. It lasts a shorter amount of time and is still just as fulfilling. It is also a sport with many different levels, so it makes it easier for someone to decide if they are unsure of the difficulty. My favorite thing would have to be the stunting. Even though I have improved tremendously in both, my stunting and tumbling, I feel as though the stunting is more enjoyable. I enjoy working as a group to do difficult skills, and the happiness we feel after is so amazing.”

GHS junior, Madi Zubo: “As an ex-gymnast, I’ve always loved tumbling around and when I saw stunt tryouts, I was excited to join a new sport with my best friends and try new things like basing and stunting. As someone who’s tried about every sport, stunt has brought me some of the most joy I’ve ever had as an athlete genuinely bringing me so much happiness through new experiences, friends, and coaches. GHS as a school is really great from school events to everyday class. I personally love the teacher connections and the block schedules allowing longer classes, not to mention the amazing pep program. It would either have to be learning a new routine/stunt, and then hitting it or the games when the entire team is cheering and celebrating really just making core memories.

GHS senior, Hailey Fuentes: “I enjoy stunt because it’s a team-growing sport, and nothing compares to the adrenaline rush when stepping onto the mat.
Stunt has impacted my life by showing me hard work and dedication pays off in the long run, and of course, learning how to work with others in any environment. I would 100% recommend trying out for stunt. It’s definitely an experience you won’t want to miss out on. Stunt is all about the dedication you put in on and off the mat and the support you give one other as a team. Some of my favorite things about stunt are the connections you build throughout the season and watching all of our dedication and hard work rewarding us and taking us to CIF.”

To view a photo gallery of the GHS STUNT team by Jenelle Fritz, click on the Facebook link here: Facebook

Just below is footage of the quarter-by-quarter routines of a STUNT competition.