Cheerleading Stunts

You have been training all summer. You have been in the weight room almost every day and wake up so sore you can barely walk. You give encouraging words to your teammates and pump them up right before a game. You are tough and fearless when you take the field. You strive to do your best and want to win. How would you feel if every time you took that field your peers didn’t believe in you and did not respect your sport? Cheerleaders go to the gym and work just as hard as other athletes do, and are not receiving any credit. This makes us frustrated and let down. There are many aspects of cheer that people are unaware of. Being a cheerleader, you have to be able to tumble, stunt, be competitive, have teamwork, and most of all dedication. Cheerleading is a sport because it is physically demanding, requires teamwork, and is very competitive.

Cheerleading is a sport and this is why. Cheerleading was invented on November 2, 189. campbell was the very first person to make organized cheering. Campbell cheers are still used in today society. The first to do it was Minnnesota.

The first good example of the cheerleader trope is Cheryl Blossom from the television show Riverdale, which began airing in 2017. In episode 1 of season 1, titled “The River’s Edge,” Cheryl is the “Queen Bee” of the cheerleading squad. She is seen as snarky, demanding, and deprecating throughout many of the episodes, particularly to Betty Cooper, another character of the popular TV show. It is mentioned in the episode that Cheryl won’t allow Betty to join the cheerleading squad because she is “too fat” when it is clearly seen that Betty is not overweight and Cheryl was just trying to be hurtful or deter her from joining the squad. In the show, Cheryl's “minions,” Ginger Lopez and Tina Patel, are always seen by her side while following her

The first intercollegiate American Football game was played between Princeton university and Rutgers University in 1869, and cheerleading began in the 1880s with Princeton's all-male pep club. In 1923, women were allowed to become cheerleaders at the University of Minnesota, and during the 1920s, cheerleaders added acrobatics to the cheers (Being a Cheerleader). The first Cheerleading National Championship was held in 1982, hosted by the Universal Cheerleaders Association, and since then there have been many cheerleading competitions and events worldwide (History of Cheerleading). Cheerleading takes physical strength, coordination, and teamwork, and in 2009, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that it is legally classified as a contact sport (ESPN). Yet, despite these things, many people do not consider it to be a sport. They give many reasons it is not a sport, but despite these claims, cheerleading takes a lot of hard work, and should be considered a sport.

Just like anything else, cheerleading has quite a history behind it. From the first chants at Princeton University to one of today’s most popular National pastimes, cheerleading has come a long way the past ten decades. In ancient times spectators cheered for runners in races held during the first ever Olympic Games in ancient Greece. In the 1860's students in Great Britain began cheering at competitive sporting events and soon the idea spread to the United States.

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.

To begin, all-star cheerleading was approved from NCA to be a sport, some non-sport fans say that cheerleading isn’t a sport. NCA approved of all-star cheerleading being a sport because they face more challenges and competition than any other sport will face. There are two types of cheerleading, which are- all-star cheerleading and school cheerleading. School cheerleading isn’t as demanding as all-star cheerleading; as an all-star cheerleader you have to compete for your spot on the team, unlike school cheerleading, almost half of the individuals get cut from this competitive

With 7.8 million student athletes, some are bound to get injured. On average 2 million student athletes are injured each year. Although there are regulations in place, athletes compete to be the best that they are able and push the boundaries of the regulations, and they still end up injured. The NCAA looks over college athletics and controls the regulations that athletes are obliged to follow. Without regulations, sports would be “a-wall”, athletes would become even more injured, that might be why cheerleading is the most dangerous sport for females, and on average 26,786 cheerleaders are injured each year. The NCAA does not count cheerleading as a “sport” which means that they do not govern the cheerleading rules and regulations. If the NCAA would adopt cheerleading as a sport, the cheerleading regulations would change, and it would become a safer activity for all participants.

Whether cheerleading is considered a sport has become a very controversial topic over the past few years. Due to lack of education of the sport, it is very frowned upon by other athletes. Other athletes seem to feel that cheerleading isn't difficult and requires minimum to no effort. These accusations can be very hurtful when coming from a cheerleader’s perspective. Based on their strength and skill, the amount of practicing and maintaining health, the number of injuries, and its competitive aspect, cheerleading should be considered a sport. The talent that these young men and women have is phenomenal. The performance of their skills looks extremely flawless but no one truly knows what goes on behind the pretty stunts and synchronized

Some states have accepted competitive cheerleading as a varsity sport, but some cheerleaders still have to fight for recognition as an athlete because their school refuses to recognize cheerleading as a sport. Other athletes that do not participate in competitive cheerleading do not see why it should be considered a sport, because “it is not as demanding as other sports” (Competitive Cheerleading Fights). The definition of an athlete is “a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina” (Omni Cheer Blog). Competitive cheerleaders meet all the requirements to be considered athletes, so why do they have to continue fighting for recognition as athletes?

Imagine bright lights, screaming fans, and a huge ESPN camera in one arena with a huge trophy at stake. No, it’s not a football championship. It’s the UCA College Nationals. This is where all a team’s hard work pays off as they step on the mat to perform their routine of two minutes and thirty seconds. Tumbling, stunting, and performing, teams try their very best to impress the judges and receive as much points as possible, hoping to be placed number one in their division.

Cheerleading is a fascinating sport that is done all over the world. The sport has many interesting aspects and some cheerleaders have even been put in movies and T.V. shows. Some of the most important parts of cheerleading are:jumps,stunts,tumbling,outfits,and the all star and college divisions.

In the 1860, students from Great Britain began to cheer and chant in unison for their favorite sporting events (Golden, Susie J.). This is exciting because I have been envolved in cheer since I was young, and cheerleading has been the part of my life since I was young. Cheerleading started as an all man activity (Golden, Susie J.). I never knew that cheerleading started as an all man sport, I thought that the cheerleading started as an all-girl sport, until I read more information. In 1903 the university of Minnesota created a “yell squad” (Golden, Susie J.).

The lessons I have learned from serving as a cheerleading director and creating a new cheerleading program will certainly help me in the future. Not only can I use this in my personal life, but also in my professional life. For instance, these skills would be helpful for any club or business that relies on recruitment and or retention strategies as a way to draw in their members. My experience with questionnaires and advertising will help me, because I can determine the needs of future participates and increase the accessibility of a variety of programs. What I have learned will make me valuable for business that is looking for someone to help them increase their participation and grow their company through the use of flyers and information booths. I will be able to teach another program director how to use questionnaire results to form strategies that will make their program grow.

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