Voice

If you are cheering right, it’s likely that you will lose your voice.  I personally struggle with this issue. My school has a volleyball game on Tuesday and a football game on Friday. As a result I sound like a pack-a-day smoker for about 4 days of the week. On another personal note, my sophomore year for a playoff game against our rival I yelled so hard I lost my voice before the end of the first quarter.

Keeping your voice throughout a game and getting your voice back as soon as possible after you lose it is very difficult but it is possible.

To keep your voice the biggest tip I can offer is to shut up. Unless you are cheering, keep your mouth shut. Pointless chit chat with other people will hurt your voice and it will distract you from the game.

There are other benefits to less talking too. For example, cheers will sound louder in contrast to silence than to a dull roar.

Next way to keep your voice: yell low. If you make a high pitched squeal you will lose your voice faster than a low yell. It also sounds better. If your student section sounds like a bunch of middle school girls around Justin Beiber no one will take you seriously. If you sound like a hoard of Vikings about to attack people might just listen in.

My next tip is to stay hydrated. Water works best to keep you going. Pop and other drinks can hurt more than they help. Carry a bottle full with you and take a drink after each cheer. You’ll be amazed how long you can last when you aren’t thirsty.

The very best way to keep your voice for the whole game is to get other people involved. One person yelling at the top of their lungs isn’t as loud as two people yelling fairly loud. The more people cheer the louder it will be and the less you’ll have to exert yourself to stay loud.

Getting your voice back after losing it can be tough. Unfortunately there isn’t much you can do. The best treatment is time. But if you don’t have time, there are a few things you can do.

Speak softly, not silently. It’s best to talk a little bit. Not loud and not excessively but using your voice will help it recover. I don’t know the science behind it I just know that it works for me, so it might work for you.

Another thing you can do is drink water. Same principle as before. I know it sounds repetitive but water is good for you so you should drink is as much as you can anyway.

Cough drops can help. This isn’t what they were designed for but they do have medicine that reduces some of the pain/soreness that makes you talk strange. Do not over use these. They are medicine and its never a great idea to use medicine when you aren’t sick. But if you have to give a speech or some other public speaking and you don’t want to sound like you have gravel in your throat you could suck on one and it will help.