Quick answer: a stunt group is the small team of athletes - usually a flyer, two bases and a back spot - who build a stunt together. Most competitive cheer routines have several stunt groups performing at the same time.
What Does the Role Do?
Rather than a single role, a stunt group is a unit: typically a flyer, two bases and a back spot, sometimes joined by a front spot for larger or higher-difficulty stunts. The group trains and performs together so that lifts, transitions and catches happen in sync.
Responsibilities in Stunts
A stunt group is responsible for building a stunt as one coordinated unit - from the load-in, through any transitions, to a controlled dismount or cradle. Every member has a distinct job, but the group is judged as a whole.
Responsibilities in Pyramids
When stunt groups connect to form a pyramid, each group keeps its own internal timing while also matching the wider pyramid's timing, since a wobble in one group can affect the stunts connected to it.
Responsibilities in Tosses
For toss skills, the whole stunt group works together on both the release and the catch - bases and back spot generating the toss, and the same team (sometimes joined by a front spot) catching the flyer safely afterward.
Skills Commonly Associated With the Role
Stunt groups are associated with the full range of stunt skills - preps, extensions, single-leg positions, transitions and tosses - since these are always performed by a group rather than an individual.
How the Role Works With Other Athletes
Multiple stunt groups typically perform at the same time within a routine, and their formations, timing and difficulty are judged both individually and as part of the whole team's performance.
Common Misconceptions
It's sometimes assumed a stunt group is just "the flyer's team." In reality, every role in the group carries distinct technical responsibility, and the group's success depends equally on all of its members.
Can Athletes Change Roles?
Yes. Athletes can be part of different stunt groups, in different roles, across different routines or seasons.
Related Roles
See Flyer, Base and Back Spot for the individual roles that make up a stunt group.