Stunt Takes Flight

When Sunbird athletics announced in May 2024 that STUNT was coming to FPU, the big question was—“What is STUNT?”

STUNT is described by USA Cheer as one of the fastest-growing female sports in the country, removing the crowd-leading element of cheer to focus on the technical and athletic components, including partner stunts, pyramids, basket tosses, group jumps and tumbling. FPU’s program will officially kick off in the spring of 2026.

While STUNT may look like an amped-up cheerleading routine, it has its own specifications that set it apart from the cheer squad. USA Cheer created STUNT as an opportunity for colleges, universities and high schools to meet Title IX team sport requirements.

“It’s basically taking every element out of cheer like the tumbling, the stunting, pyramids and the jumps, and eliminating the dancing,” says Alyssa Troutt, FPU’s head STUNT coach.

Troutt came aboard the athletics team in the summer of 2024. Not only is she in charge of recruiting talented individuals for her 50-person roster, but she has been developing the program along the way. One of her objectives is to showcase the talent of local student-athletes.

“My goal is to teach technique,” Troutt says. “Get those solid to have good building blocks for the harder routines and to be able to perform them.”

A game of STUNT is four quarters, with four rounds each quarter. There’s a referee in the middle and two officials on hand. Both teams go out simultaneously and perform the same routine. Whichever team succeeds with a lesser number of deductions wins.

“It’s more like gymnastics,” Troutt says. “If the base takes a step, that’s a minor deduction. If a flyer falls, it’s a major deduction.”

Since the National Collegiate Athletic Association recognizes STUNT as an official women’s sport, FPU can win titles and championships. Director of Athletics Kyle Ferguson believes STUNT will bring tremendous value to both FPU and the Valley.

“We are creating a program that will allow us to compete at a high level while also offering local student-athletes an opportunity close to home,” he says. “STUNT’s growing popularity aligns well with our mission of providing opportunities that develop student-athletes holistically. I’m confident that this program will energize our campus, attract new support and deepen our engagement with the community in meaningful ways.”

For Troutt, reaching that goal is part of a 10- year plan. “I’ve done cheer for so long, I know all the elements,” she says. “I know how to teach the technique, now it’s just taking what I know and putting it into a different box.”

Troutt does have an extensive background in cheer. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, where she did competitive dance and cheered throughout college. Troutt attended Fresno State, where she was a cheerleader between 2005 and 2007. She has worked with FPU’s cheer team for seven years, helping with STUNT clinics and choreography.

The most challenging part of building a new team will be competing against established programs up and down the state.

“I love winning,” Troutt says. “I’m super competitive, however, I am teaching life lessons. I’m not just coaching. Some of these athletes need more than just a coach. They are a student-athlete for a reason, they are here to be a student first, athlete second.”