This year, Farmington High School is taking its athletic program to new heights and making history with the introduction of its first-ever STUNT team. STUNT is an exciting sport that combines stunts, jumps, and tumbling. Teams compete head-to-head, performing identical routines to earn points for each round. This new addition marks a groundbreaking moment in Farmington’s athletic history! Instead of performing to cheer on another sport, athletes focus on working as a team to compete at a higher level.
“STUNT is an all-female sport created by USA Cheer that removes the crowd-leading components of traditional cheerleading and focuses on the technical/athletic aspects of cheer,” said Coach Casie Armstrong, the STUNT head coach. “STUNT is made up of four quarters: partner stunts, pyramids and tosses, jumps and tumbling, and team routine. Every team learns the same 18 routines and performs them side by side. The team executing the routine the best receives the point.”
Coach Armstrong believes that STUNT is a very versatile spot that allows any kind of athlete to excel.
“I believe STUNT allows every athlete to shine in a unique way, regardless of overall
performance or capabilities. Even the smallest team can win an entire game based on
technique and execution,” Armstrong explained.
Kiera Hayes is a former FHS cheerleader. She graduated in 2024 and joined the Maryville STUNT team to continue her athletic career. Many people confuse STUNT with Cheerleading, but there are several differences between the sports.
“The biggest differences between traditional cheerleading and STUNT are the competitive aspects, the routine differences, and the reasons why the athletes do what they do,” said Hayes. “In traditional cheerleading, the athletes are seen as the faces of the schools and are expected to cheer on every other athlete at their school. However, in STUNT, our team competes separately rather than just on the sidelines.”
STUNT is a highly versatile sport, and Armstrong believes there’s a place for athletes of all skill levels. She emphasizes that the team is open to anyone with dedication and a passion for learning, whether you’ve cheered for years or are new to the sport altogether.
“Every athlete, regardless of previous experience, is encouraged to try out for STUNT. Our coaching staff is looking for athletes willing to try new things and
passionate about improving their skills,” Armstrong said. “We are looking for athletes who are dedicated and who want to push their teammates to be the best version of themselves. Even if
you have never played a sport, I am confident that STUNT will provide any athlete
a chance to unlock their potential.”
While STUNT does require a time commitment, the financial commitment will be kept to a minimum.
“Due to the nature of this sport, we expect our athletes to hit the ground running,” Armstrong shared. “We have a short window of time between tryouts and our first match, so our practice schedule will be mostly 5 days per week. Most of our matches and tournaments are away and will require travel on weekends.Our generous school district and school
board will cover our buses, jerseys, and required equipment. Our coaching staff is
dedicated to keeping the cost on the athletes and their families low with minimal costs,
being shoes and individual uniform basics. We already have plans for fundraisers to
offset further expenses as well.”
Farmington will be the first school in Southeast Missouri to offer STUNT as an athletic option and the coaching staff is hopeful that the program will thrive.
“STUNT is very new in Missouri at the high school level,” said Armstrong. I think success for our program this year would be establishing a good foundation for our program, creating a positive and driven team environment, seeing individual growth in every athlete on our team, and hopefully gaining our first win in program history.
Getting athletes excited about STUNT and making a name for the FHS STUNT team would be a huge success for us. As for our
long-term goal, I believe every goal of an athletic program is to create a successful
foundation for many years to come, become a cornerstone for excellence and finish
each season with the completion of our overall team goals,” Armstrong stated.
Practices will require hard work and dedication, focusing on a variety of essential skills that are crucial to the team’s success.
“Our weeks of practice leading to our first match will consist of learning routines, going over gameday expectations, and drilling technique,” said Armstrong. A typical practice would consist of learning 1-2 routines, focusing on the technique of individual skills, and performing full-outs. After our first matches, we plan on cleaning up already-learned routines, and learning skills for the higher routines.
The most important thing to note for any potential athlete is to come with an open mind and know that anyone can have a place on the FHS STUNT team,” Armstrong remarked. “This is a historic moment for FHS and the start of an incredible program. STUNT has been a monumental addition and has officially been added as not only an Emerging MSHSAA sport but also a sport amongst the NCAA and NAIA. This creates huge opportunities for high schools adding the sport and future college recruitment and scholarships!”
The STUNT team will host tryouts Monday, March 3rd through Friday, March 7th.
March 3: 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Fieldhouse Lobby
March 4: 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Fieldhouse Lobby
March 5: 5:45-7:45 p.m. in the Old Gym
March 6: 3:45-5:00 p.m. in the Old Gym
March 7: 3:45-5:00 p.m. in the Old Gym
