Cheerleading Research Paper

The physical activity must have five elements, some include overcoming the resistance of a mass, competition against an opponent, and the rules must define time, space, the purpose of the activity, and the conditions under which a winner is declared. In addition to, acknowledgement that the competition is an evaluation of the skills of the participants and the key purpose of the activity is for competition. Competitive cheerleading fits into all five of these categories through stunts, tumbling, competitions, score sheets, time limits, and mat size. Cheerleading also fits into these categories through the Entertainment and Sports Programming Networks (ESPN) comparing cheerleading routines and a competitive cheerleader’s sole purpose is to compete. Most people in the world do not think cheerleading is a sport for several reasons. Some they think cheerleading does not have a strategy, while others think cheerleaders do not have enough physical ability. However, cheerleading fits into all of the categories of what must take place in order to deem it as a sport (Cheer

Cheerleading started as a male endeavor in 1898, when a University of Minnesota football fan led the crowd in verse in support of their team. It was not until World War II, when men shipped out to war, that women took over. Then cheerleaders came to represent the American ideal of femininity: wholesome apple pie with washboard stomachs, perfect teeth, and flawless complexions. Stereotypes cast them as blond, petite, and impossibly perky. “From its humble beginning cheerleading has blossomed into a competitive athletic activity with a serious image problem” (Forman 52). But today’s post-feminist youth have put a new, diverse face on cheerleading. Cheerleading in America is no longer a matter of waving pom-poms, a cute smile and being overly

Adams, Natalie G., and Pamela J. Bettis. Cheerleader an American Icon. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. 2 April 2014

Because of the physical demand, skill set needed, and the rules set to tumble, stunt, and jump, competitive cheerleading should be considered an official sport. Yet cheerleading has rules, guidelines, training, and many other things other sports also include. It also is definitely a physical and contact sport which has caused countless injuries throughout the years of the sports existance. But, most people only know cheerleading as sideline (school) cheerleading and have not had a glimpse into the world of competitive (All Star) cheerleading.

Science is in cheerleading, just like technology, engineering and math is too.You just have to look closely at cheerleading to find them. In cheerleading, you have to level out the different weight types.An example of this would be, you would not have a 84 pound girl lift a 129 pound girl, all by herself. Pyramids are main in getting weight even, the base has to be especially strong. Flyers, which are the people who are thrown in the air, have to be very light, so they are easier to throw in the air.Ease and balance is good too.Also, you have to use dynamics while doing flips.The support bases have to absorb the force from catching the flyers, after they do their stunts.

Unlike any another high school sport cheerleading is a year round sport not including how much we practice during the summer. Every time we throw up a stunt, pyramid, or tumbling sequence we are risking everything. We are risking Strains and sprains account for more than half of all cheerleading injuries. Of these, ankle sprains are the most common, and that is followed by strains or sprains of the neck, lower back, knee and wrist. Also Back injuries: when we are throwing up Stunts and basket tosses like lifting other cheerleaders above our head, tumbling and dismounting while twisting and rotating can all place significant stress on the lower back, which can lead to back pain. A more serious injury that can occur over time is a stress fracture to the vertebra, one of the bones that make up the spinal column of our body. If the stress fracture occurs on both sides of the vertebrae, the bone can become weakened and

Many have seen her. Many know her. But who is the American cheerleader? Is she a blond haired, blue eyed sex symbol? Is she a drug-addicted girl with no brains and even fewer moral values? Maybe she is just your average, pretty, girl-next-door with a loud voice and lots of spirit. What is clearly true is that cheerleading and cheerleaders have evolved greatly over a century-long history. What started as one bold college student has turned into an activity with over 3 million participants (Brady 1); one that is backed by a $150 million industry (Williams 2). Modern cheerleading has come a long way from its historic roots, but large differences still exist between the iconic cheerleader, the stereotypical cheerleader, and the truth.

When most people think of cheerleading, they think of the spirit squads that attempt to pump up the local crowd at high school basketball and football games. People are not aware of what these athletes are doing when they are not in front of these crowds. Strangers to cheerleaders who do not follow the sport extensively do not know the exact involvement of the athletes in this sport, at all ages. Cheerleading requires athleticism like all other sports as you must be in shape and at a great fitness level to be involved in most circumstances. Cheerleaders have to know what they’re doing at all times; while knowing what everyone else on the team is doing as well, which involves a high level of mental preparation. Cheerleading, high school or

When people say that cheerleading is not a sport they fail to realize that “the numbers translate into a rate of 2.68 catastrophic injuries for every 100,000 female high school cheerleaders, compared with 1.96 injuries per 100,000 for high school boys football over the same period.”(Kevin Voigt) Tumbling is one of the main causes of all these injuries. When cheerleaders flip through the air it may look impressive, but it is extremely difficult. To understand the physics of tumbling, we look towards projectile motion, gravity, and force.

Unlike football players we go out onto to the mat without any padding or protection. Football players use shoulders pads, knee pads, helmets, and much more safety equipment. Every time a cheerleader goes out to perform their mind is not only focused on hitting the routine but, also wondering what might happen to them. They know that within the next 2 minutes and 30 seconds they can walk off the mat with a smile on their face or with an injury. Football players do also get hurt but, when they do, they have protection, unlike cheerleaders. The National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research at the University of North Carolina reports that 65.2% of all catastrophic injuries in youth sports occur in competitive cheerleading. Football players lift a 15 ounce ball, whereas we cheerleaders lift human beings. We throw, catch, and lift mortals. Not only do we work just as hard or even more than football players but, we also aim for the same objective. In all sports, you clearly want to win. Winning makes everyone feel confident and makes them work harder to accomplish this. Not only does cheerleading require physical skill and talent but, it also requires dedication and

A contact sport is a sport in which the athlete’s bodies come in contact with each other. An article written by David Ziemer, “Wisconsin Supreme Court: Cheerleading Is a Contact Sport,” brings to light that cheerleading should be considered a contact sport. However, if cheerleading were to be considered a contact sport and not just a regular sport, schools would have a higher level of liability when it comes to the injuries of the cheerleaders. Within recent years the cheerleading related injuries have increased significantly. The most common injuries in cheerleading are concussions, wrist and ankle sprains, and lower back injuries (orthopedics.childrenscolorado.org).

Similar to all other “real sports,” you have to have a sense of coordination. Cheer isn’t all about standing there to look pretty. It involves strength, stamina, balance, and timing (reasons). To make sure they have all of these things, cheerleaders condition. Conditioning usually consist of some type of squats, running, v-ups, planks, and more. According to one of the elements brought up by the Women’s Sports Foundation, a sport is a physical activity that involves throwing something overcoming the resistance of mass (being). Some stunts include throwing a person up in the air. This is an example of throwing something, or someone, to overcome the resistance of mass.

Cheerleading is a very competitive sport and takes a lot of effort. There are several types of cheerleading that a person can participate in. Unlike most sports, cheerleading is not just limited to male or females. Both can participate separately or together. In addition, cheerleading can be a recreational sport for some, provide an education, or even be done as a full-time job. Cheerleading is also offered at all age levels. Children as young as 2 can participate in competitive cheer. This paper will not only persuade you that cheerleading is the best sport, but also persuade you that the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders are the best cheerleading team in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders (also known as the DCC) is the best cheerleading team in the NFL because more than 500 women come to tryout each year, their ages range from 18-40 years and you have to try out each year to maintain your spot on the team.

From an outsiders perspective one may see brainless and beautiful robots, which scream and perform neat tricks. This is not the case from the inside; cheerleading is so much more than that. Many people are under the impression that cheerleading is not a sport. I am the voice of reasoning that will let you in, and I will show you that cheerleading, in fact, is a sport. Cheerleading requires much physical demand from the body just as any other sport would. Cheerleading, in general, is a team effort. There are many sides to cheerleading, which make it a versatile sport. When it comes to cheerleading there’s more to it than what meets the eye.

A high school cheer team on average stunts about 75% of the time according to cheer company, Varsity Spirit. During this time most concussions occur. One major way the concussion rate can decrease is by allowing access to stronger tumbling and stunt mats. A cheer stunt mat is normally a foam mat that rolls out to allow support during stunting. A cheer stunt is defined as a building performance. According to Terry Ziegler “ the only safe surfaces for high-level stunts are landing mats, foam mats,