10 Ways to Prepare the Day of - for a Game Day
As professional dancers and professional cheerleaders - game days are a whole-day event. We may not be at the arena or stadium all day, but mentally it is all all that we have on our minds! As fun as game days are, they can also get a bit stressful, especially if you are running behind or you haven’t finished your checklist of things to get done before you head out.
As NBA dancers and NFL cheerleaders - dancing is our side job. Majority of professional dancers and cheerleaders are working full-time, are full-time students, or have various obligations throughout the day. With that, it is so important to make sure that you are not cramming everything you need to get done into the day of (on top of everything else that you may have going on.) You want to make sure that all you are thinking about on game days is:
How exciting the day is knowing you get to be doing what you love most for your dream team.
Any additional preparation/packing before the game.
We are going to walk through the must-dos for game days to be your absolute best both mentally and physically - things to be focusing on, executing, and preparing from start to finish. The last thing you want to be doing is scrambling around trying to get everything done last minute. Even just per-organizing the night before and being able to focus on the bigger things mentioned below will make all of the difference on game day.
Make sure to eat healthy and take care of yourself the day before
How you are taking care of yourself the previous day will affect how you feel going into the next day. Make sure that you are living a healthy and nutritious lifestyle the day before your game so that you can wake up feeling your absolute best.
A healthy diet and staying hydrated
2. Get a good night’s sleep
I have definitely been guilty of not getting the full 7 or more hours of sleep but let me tell you - it really makes all of the difference for a long game day, especially if you don’t have the luxury of sleeping in past 8am.
It is so important to be well-rested so that you have the energy required, not only to get through the day without feeling tired, but also high/constant endurance for the game later. You may be fine for the first half of the day but as soon as mid-day hits, the last thing you want is to feel a crash when it is time to start getting ready for a long day/night.
You’ll notice a drastic difference in energy level and mentality the next day going to sleep no later than 10:30pm. (any time before that, even better!)
If you have trouble sleeping here are a few things that typically help me:
Tea
- Make sure to get the “sleep” teas with zero caffeine
Melanin
- Be careful with melanin - If you take them later at night or a certain amount, you may end up feeling groggy in the am.
3. Start the day with a nutritious breakfast and make sure to eat before your game
Sometimes we’re starting our day in a rush and skip breakfast but it is a necessity, especially for a game day requiring so much of your energy. If you don’t have time to make anything in the AM, make sure you have a pre-prepped or on-the-go nutritious breakfast!
Make sure you are eating throughout the day and most importantly eating before your game. There have been times I have had busier days and don’t eat before a game and trust me - it is not fun!
I always suggest prepping your main meals, having nutritious snacks ready, and if you want to cook - making sure you have the time for whatever it is you want to make.
Make sure you have breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner before the game planned and ready to go so you don’t find yourself having to skip any due to limited time.
4. Stay hydrated and drink lots of water!
This makes such a difference and it’s so important to keep your body hydrated in preparation for a day/night full of dancing.
If you struggle with drinking a good amount of water throughout the day, try:
Investing in a bigger sized water bottle (I love my hydroflask! I use it throughout the day and bring it to games with me!)
Find a water bottle with a straw lid - it’s just easier to drink out of consistently and so convenient.
Add some lemon juice or fruit into your water to give it some flavor.
5. Pack your bag the night before or early in the day
Don’t be the dancer that packs their bag right before they have to leave and realizing they forgot something at the game - or worse, showing up with a missing uniform.
Some dance teams during the pandemic have had it easier, with only having to pack a small clear bag with necessities but with a normal game day you are packing multiple uniforms, shoes, poms, and much more.
You want to give yourself time to really think about what you need on game day, the uniforms required, and all of the additional items you need to bring along. Also making sure you have time to look around for items and make sure they are clean.
This takes more time than you may think so make sure you are preferably doing this the night before - just to make sure that not only you are fully packed with everything you can think of, but all required uniforms are clean and ready to go!
Also - PACK SNACKS! Something easy/nutritious to snack on when you’re hanging out in the locker room.
We want to make packing your game day bag SIMPLE - so we have an article coming soon that will walk you through some of the necessities in your game day bag. Similar to: Audition Dance Bag Essentials (+checklist)
6. Give yourself enough time to get ready
There is nothing worse than not having enough time to get ready, change, and pack last minute items into your game day bag. Get your mental schedule ready at the beginning of day so that you have enough time to get ready before you have to leave for the game. If you work full time, make sure that your employer knows the time you have to leave (and don’t feel bad for leaving early, staying longer than you actually can, and end up stressing over time.) It is so important to not only be on time for game days, but being early to have the time needed to: walk routines, walk sidelines, organize your space, etc.
Know the time you need to comfortably get ready before heading to the arena/field to keep your stress levels down.
7. Make sure you are ready to go on routines and sidelines
Routines and sidelines should be the last thing you are stressing about come the day of a game. If you know you don’t feel 100% confident in the routine, cleans, or style - make the time to be practicing on your own time the days/nights before a game day.
On top of work or school before the game, a lot goes into getting ready for these days so make sure running routines or sidelines is not a necessity on your to-do list for the day. It is always good to run them a couple times or in your head for review before getting there but make sure it is not a necessity of the day.
8. Have your phone fully charged
You never know how the night will go: You may get stuck in traffic and need your phone to call your manager, you may need to transfer your tickets over to friends/family, you may want to meet up with friends after the game, or you may want something to do in the locker room before you go out. Don’t have to stress about having a low battery or having to search for an outlet to charge it.
Make sure you are charging your phone the night before and during the day, so that having a dead phone when you may need it is the last thing on your mind.
9. Arrive to the arena/stadium early
Unless you have no choice due to work, it is important to arrive to game days early. Not only is it for your benefit but it is an unspoken rule to arrive at least, around 30 minutes prior to the call-time. You want to make sure you give yourself enough time to get there (traffic, lines, etc.) while also being able to unpack your bag, make sure you have everything, and review routines/sidelines.
10. Always go in with a positive mentality
Mentality is everything when it comes to game days because it will feed into your environment, your teammate’s environment, and ultimately affect how you perform. It is our job as professional dancers and cheerleaders to be upbeat, energetic, and friendly - so make sure you come in feeling your best to execute the job at hand. If you had a rough day, that is the time to put it behind you and enjoy the magic of game days, not only for yourself but for everyone else around you!
We all go off of each other’s vibes and energy is so important. Make sure to bring positivity into that space!
Happy Game Day Dancers!
XO,
The Sideline Secrets