A toss-to-hand is a co-ed cheerleading stunt in which a cheerlifter throws a cheerleader from the floor to their hands, creating a platform above their head for the flier to stand on. Members of the Paoli cheer squad Coy Busick and Taylor Patton have been perfecting this maneuver since they began stunting together during their sophomore year.
Last season, male cheerleaders returned to the sidelines at PHS for the first time in over twenty years. Busick was the first male addition to the team during his sophomore year, along side two other lifters, then sophomore Peyton Baker and senior Braydon Hayes. After graduation, Hayes would become a lifter at Vincennes University.
This year during Busick’s junior season, he trained four new freshman lifters and worked towards improving his own skills to participate in college cheer after graduation. This included attending two camps, first at the University of Southern Indiana and then at Butler University.
In February, Busick and Patton attended their first college cheer camp at the USI. The camp was made to heighten members’ interest in college cheer and demonstrate some of the practice needed to be a member of a college cheer squad. While at this practice, attendees practiced group stunts, co-ed stunts, and tumbling and learned the USI fight song.
“I enjoyed hanging out with Cameron, an alumni at USI who helped me and Taylor learn more,” said Busick.
Patton also learned a lot while at the USI camp.
“We improved our stunting techniques, and learned a lot about proper stunting terms and drills to improve our one-mans,” said Patton.
Busick was contacted through social media and invited to attend a second camp at Butler University in March, where he practiced stunting with current Butler cheerleaders.
“I was excited to learn how to do more advanced skills, and to see how their cheer program is,” said Busick.
This season, many colleges have been reaching out to the Paoli cheer squad in hopes of teaching them how to improve their cheering, stunting, and, for the lifters, their lifting. In particular, multiple colleges and competitive cheerleading gyms have specifically reached out to the cheer squad to offer them chances to join camps and learn more about cheering outside of high school.
All of this practicing is in preparation for Busick and Patton’s hopes of joining a college cheer team after their senior season on the Paoli cheer squad. The pair plan to continue their future in cheer throughout college and hope to continue improving their skill set for the collegiate level.
