How many people think cheerleading is a sport? According to the Google Dictionary, a sport is an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another for entertainment, and cheerleading follows these guidelines. There are a three different types of cheerleading. The first one is sideline cheering, which is like high school cheer. The second one is competition and the last one is college cheer.
A sport says that you must physically exert yourself. In cheer, especially competitive, you work on routines a hundred times to make them perfect. Cheerleaders also do stunting, which is basically like lifting weights. Cheerleading also requires a certain amount of skill. Flyers need to have
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Competition cheer works on two minute routines for hours at practices for weeks before there competition. They make their routines so perfect that I'm sure every cheerleader could do it in their sleep. They also do jump sequences, which is about four jumps in a row and they do them over and over again until everyone is doing them at the same time. Their jumps are also hyper extended. This means that their legs can go above your hips. They also have much more complicated stunts. They throw the fliers twice as high and do more complicated stunts like liberties and scorpions. In addition to all this they do conditioning. Conditioning is basically workouts designed to make everything easier in cheer. They can be very difficult after you've had a full evening of cheerleading. After getting the routines all ready the teams compete against each other in competitions that can be local, regional, national, or worldwide. The national competitions tend be more and important and can also be shown on TV.
Sideline cheerleading is the type of cheer done in high school. This type of cheerleading is not considered to be a sport. It is not taken seriously and there is not as much work put into it as competition cheer does. The stunting that is done is the basic half and extensions and sometimes they have baskets and liberties. Sometimes, depending on the school and coaches, sideline cheering could be very
I have been cheering for five years now. I can not remember the times when I was not a cheerleader, it is hard to imagine myself doing anything other than cheer or simply not cheering at all. I fell in love with the sport and within time, my passion towards it grew even more. Cheerleading consumed my life, it was my only focus. I was fortunate enough to grow up with coaches that pushed me to reach limits I did not even know I had, as well as teammates whom I shared the same passion towards the sport with.
Specific training is required to learn how to stunt correctly and safely. If something goes wrong in a stunt, there is a very high risk of someone injuring themselves. Communication is also crucial in a stunt group in order to fix any stability issues that occur when in a stunt. In order to be a cheerleader, it is necessary to have a loud voice, a strong memory, good timing, flexibility, and excellent communication skills. Since I had a traditional dance background prior to starting cheerleading, I was very flexible, could remembers long routines and was able to stay in synch with the rest of the squad.
There are usually just 2 or 3 competitions a year. Finally, I believe that cheerleading is not a sport is because when you go to a football game or basketball game, you’ll see the cheerleaders on the sideline cheering their team on. They will have a bunch of makeup on, try and make their hair look perfect, and wear short skirts while cheering the for the actual sport being played. They aren’t getting all dressed up to compete against anyone or try to win anything but rather to feel good and look good.
The technical definition of a sport, defined by the Oxford Dictionary is, “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment” (“Sport”). Cheerleading requires these key characteristics that determine a sport. Cheerleading is split into several different types. The most commonly known type of cheerleading is
When it comes to competitive cheer, there is a lot more than yelling chants. Cheerleading requires sharp/quick motions, strength, along with perfect timing. Cheerleaders have to have the ability to throw 100+ pound girls in the air and be able to catch them. In conclusion, cheerleading is dangerous, competitive, and takes time and dedication. These are all the components of what society considers a “true sport.”
As the season goes on the stakes get higher and each team hopes to receive a bid for the most prestigious competitions, Worlds and the Summit. The World Championships are held at the end of March; competing in this competition is the equivalent of a baseball player playing in the MLB’s World Series. The Summit is a worldwide competition for younger teams that do not qualify for Worlds based on their difficulty level. In addition to regional and national competitions, there are hundreds of other smaller competitions and showcases that allow teams to get used to competing without as much pressure. So cheerleaders compete but does that really make it a
Cheerleaders have competitions which they physically work together to perform and compete to win awards. “The word sport is defined as "an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment” (Tori Jackson). Also cheerleaders don 't get points by scoring a touchdown or making a basket, but they get points by performing a perfect routine, like other sports. “They also note that competitive cheer squads are judged on their skill--just as in figure skating, gymnastics, diving, and other sports” (pom pom shake up). Lastly cheerleaders have rules to follow just like football does, like no going off the mat just like football players can 't go off the field.
Being a cheerleader takes a positive attitude and the willingness to work hard! It takes commitment, self-discipline, and dedication. It takes energy and skill and it takes each of us working together to be our very best! Cheerleaders are role models at school and in the community.
Cheerleading and Gymnastics is a display of discipline, practice, and dedication, determination, and athleticism. Many people say that cheerleading and gymnastics are the same thing. I say that they’re not the same thing. They both have some similarities, but they have differences too. Cheerleading and gymnastics have many traits in common, both are very athletic.
Competitive cheerleading has never been called a sport. There has been an ongoing debate as to if cheerleading fits the definition of a sport which is “an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature” (Dictionary.com n.d.). By that definition you could interpret it to mean cheerleading is a sport, but there is much more to being a sport than meeting a definition. Competitive cheerleading does require specialized training, extensive practices, and a dedicated team; but to become a sport there are several problems that must be addressed. There is not a consistent set of competitions, no standard set of rules, and no regulations for judging.
Cheerleading: Is it a sport? Basketball players are known for their height. Football players for their strength.
Pom pom’s, short skirts, and lipstick. This is probably what first comes to your mind when you hear cheerleader. However, there is a lot more to cheerleading than that. Throughout these past four years Columbia athletics hasn't just taught me my physical strength, but also the values of commitment, hard work, dedication, leadership, and trust. These values have shaped me into the person I am today and I will continue to use these skills to guide me through my future life.
What is Cheerleading? Many may think it’s a sport that you dress up, apply makeup, slick your hair with a bow, and simply put on a smile, and yell as loud as you can to keep the crowd pumped. Cheerleading includes all those easy and pretty factors, but it is also a sport that you stunt, tumble, and jump. Jumps and tumbling may seem really easy to many people, but there’s more work done than most might think is possible. Stunting is also a major element in cheer, and that’s what really pleases the crowd, but stunting takes tons of work.
Cheerleading can not be done by one person, but with the help of several athletes. School cheerleading is also done to show sportsmanship and spirit. Cheerleaders are a reflection of their school, and must act like it. I promise to always represet the school in a positive way and to always show righteousness to each an every athlete. Cheerleading is not always seen as a “sport” by everyone.
To be on the cheerleading squad there is a required try out. For the tryout you perform a dance, cheer, and three chants within a small group. The other requirements are that you assemble a cheer and perform it by yourself along with three to four jumps. At my last tryouts I made varsity for football and basketball cheerleading. Another team that I participate in is volleyball.