Two cheerleaders stood on the sideline, each holding a raised fist, while two male supporters crouched below holding them at waist level. The camera caught the bottom row's faces at the exact moment where their expressions shifted from team spirit to the strained concentration of two people discovering that holding another human being above your head requires significantly more core strength than anticipated.
Cheerleading stunts require bases to hold flyers from below while maintaining perfect balance, steady grip, and a facial expression that does not betray the fact that their arms are on fire. The position is functional. The grimaces produced by the position are involuntary. These two bases committed to the stunt and to the laws of physics, both of which demanded more from their shoulders than the pep rally rehearsal had prepared them for.
