How Cheerleading Is A Sport

Most people think cheer is not a sport, but they are only half true. All-Star cheerleading is considered a sport because you have to compete against other teams, and travel to places as far as Europe or Asia. Sideline Cheer, however, does not compete and is not technically considered a sport. Depending on what type of cheerleading it is, cheer can be considered harder, and more dangerous than football and basketball. “In high school cheer or sideline, it can be a lot of waving pom poms and doing back tucks and front handsprings.

Cheer leading isn’t a sport. They mostly perform at other sporting events, it’s not in the Olympics, and they don’t have games and only support teams. They mostly perform at other sporting events. The recognition of cheer leading as a sport needs further research for injury prevention. (Chiropr para 5)

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.

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.”

Cheerleading isn’t a real sport When people think of sports they think of homeruns being hit, touchdowns being thrown, goals being kicked, hockey players beating each other up, and hearing the swish of the net. Not a bunch of girls running back and forth doing flips and tricks. I believe cheerleading is not a sport for one of many reasons. First of all when a sport is being played whether it’s Baseball, Football, Soccer, Hockey, or Basketball there’s always periods, halves, quarters and the game usually takes about 3 hours. With cheerleading, they perform for about 3 minutes to a song in front of a couple judges.

On March 11, 2017 the world’s best all-star cheerleading teams will be at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in DisneyWorld for the most prestigious cheer competition of the year. The teams there have qualified by getting bids from regional and national competitions, similar to how gymnasts qualify for large meets by competing well in smaller meets. Throughout the competition hundreds of teams will perform their routine filled with the most elite tumbling and stunting sequences ever performed. The tosses and baskets will be so high that if they were performed in a smaller building the flyers, or girls in the air, would hit the ceiling. The tumbling will be so fast and so powerful that if someone was to radar gun the pass, they would be going over

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.

Today, people often think of cheerleading as a sport meant for girls, even though girls didn’t start cheering until the year of 1923. It was only when women joined cheerleading that they began to use

So like in What is A sport? By Topend Sports, “A human skill involving physical skill or exertion.” This definition of a sport explains that this is a qualification and COMPETITIVE cheerleading meets the standard criteria by how we have tumbling and stunting, which requires a skill or exertion. Another statement by Topend Sports in the same article from before, that states “Governed by a set of rules or customs.” This meaning of the qualification of a sport is that it must be ruled over, which is time limit, score sheets and mat size.

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.

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

We’re not here to show you high school cheerleading. We’re here to show you the young women and men putting all of their free-time into a stuffy old gym. Trusting each other with their lives and defying gravity. We’re not here to show you the average athlete.

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.

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.

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.