Why does it matter if cheerleading is a sport

However, many athletic associations do not designate cheerleading as a sport, often resulting in less funding and resources. Regardless of whether cheerleading is recognized as a sport, institutions should provide cheerleading teams with equitable resources to ensure student safety and prevent liability. Although there are similarities, these are distinct activities.

Spirit squad is the more traditional form of cheerleading, in which students cheer for school teams. Although their displays may be strenuous, cheerleaders on a spirit squad do not usually compete. Their main purpose is to support others. Competitive cheer , also called STUNT or competitive spirit, combines gymnastics, cheer, and dance into a team event often requiring year-round training and practice.

Teams compete at regional, state, and national events for prestigious honors. In the school year, over , high school students participated in competitive cheer. Competitive cheer may be considered a sport for Title IX purposes. OCR makes that determination on a case-by-case basis.

There is movement toward recognizing competitive cheer as a sport nationally, especially at the high school level. In , the International Olympic Committee designated cheerleading as a sport and assigned a national governing body. The movement toward national recognition is not as clear at the college level. Without NCAA recognition, college cheerleading will continue to face barriers to resources. While cheerleading may have started on the sidelines and this form of cheerleading is still alive and well , it has grown into its own competitive sport.

Over the years, cheerleading has developed into one of most complex sports out there and it only continues to evolve and push its competitors to new heights each year. Cheerleading combines some of the most difficult elements of gymnastics, dance and acrobatics to create a 2 minute and 30 second routine that displays each competitors peak athletic abilities and their collective ability to work cohesively as a team. Cheer is a Netflix original series centred around the experiences of the athletes and coaches of the Navarro Junior College cheer team, which is widely considered to be the best of the best in United States college-level cheerleading.

We see the trials and tribulations the team and its individual members face in pursuit of the first-place trophy at the NCA College Nationals in Daytona Beach, as well as the challenges they overcame in order to get to where they are now.

Until Cheer, there were hardly any shows or movies in the mainstream media which showed cheerleaders as actual athletes. But Cheer looks at cheerleading and its top-tier athletes in a way like never before. Cheerleading has been named the most dangerous sport for female athletes and it is easy to see why. Cheer viewers see the intense and uncensored physical trauma these athletes put their bodies through in order to be the best. And the physical aspect is only half of it.

The mental fatigue can be just as, if not more, intense. There were many times in my career that I left the gym crying and never wanting to go back. Fear of letting your team down, fear of not being able to do a skill correctly or fear of getting hurt are all perfectly reasonable, but they will be your worst enemy as a cheerleader.

By letting doubt creep in, you are sabotaging your potential and stifling your own abilities. Through tumbling, athletes throw their own body through the air as they perform flips such as back hand springs, tucks, and fulls.

The tumbling aspect of cheerleading is related closely to the tumbling in gymnastics, which is also a sport. Cheerleaders practice as much as any regular athlete would, as it also comes with physical, mental, and emotional challenges. They push themselves so that they can achieve specific skills and move on further with different levels of stunts, tumbling, and jumps. In order to have a successful routine at competitions, cheerleaders give it their all every practice and go through intense physical activity and conditioning to prepare their bodies for the upcoming cheerleaders they will face at each competition they attend.

By Jessica Palmer , Staff Writer. Battle of the Junior Highs Girls Varsity Volleyball vs. Loyola Academy. Boys Soccer vs. Glenbrook North. Cancel reply.