Athletes have the ability to choose which sport they would like to participate in and there are many to select from. Some decide to do football, others do baseball, and some actually choose to join cheerleading. Each of these sports require similar skills such as strength and endurance, which is why many cheerleaders get angry whenever they hear people say “cheerleading is not a sport”. According to author Lauren Rubin, who wrote the article, “Cheerleading Is A Sport” she states
A sport, according to the Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors, is a ‘physical activity [competition] against/with an opponent, governed by rules and conditions under which a winner is declared, and primary purpose of the competition is a comparison of
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Every team member must use all their power and strength in them, in particular, during a competition because if they drop their flyer, then multiple points will be deducted. While the bases are holding up their flyer, she will have to do her part, and use her core strength so she does not fall either. But, if or when the flyer does fall, under any circumstances, the bases cannot let her hit the ground, that is the worst that could happen; since this could result in a serious injury. Physical strength is not the only skill that cheerleaders need, cheerleading also requires endurance.
Another main element in cheerleading is endurance. Cheerleading is the only sport that is all year long. In Neill’s article, she states that “The tumbling, dancing, stunts, and jumps that comprise a typical routine require stamina, endurance and lots of practice.” Although some say cheerleaders are there to help cheer on the crowd, there is much more to it. As Lauren Rubin states in her essay “We work harder than most sports, hours upon hours of practice all year is what it takes for a team to win first place at the NCA national competition.” An average practice cheerleading session is about three to four hours long with no breaks except to drink water. Coaches also encourage cheerleaders to make and keep a steady exercising schedule on and off of the cheerleading season so that the athletes do not fall behind on their cheers
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.
I am a cheerleader, and was taken away from what I love due to an injury. When you think of cheerleading you imagine the make-up, the pom-poms, and the groups of people throwing cheerleaders high in the air, but cheerleading is more. Cheer is the performance of athletic skills, jumps, dancing, and chanting to get feedback from crowds at events, games, etc. Cheerleaders can be featured at games in support of sports teams, or at cheerleading competitions to earn points. According to varsity.com, which is a foundation that makes articles, social media, and supplies cheer groups with equipment/clothing, frequent drama that speculates when we tell people we cheer they say “cheerleading is not a sport”. Cheerleading fits all the criteria to be considered
According to Joe Hatton, the author of the article, “Sports Beat - The sport of cheerleading: It’s more than just pompoms and smiles,” cheerleading is a sport because it requires strength, balance, and coordination. The major claim of the article is “cheerleading is a sport - plain and simple - and cheerleaders are true athletes” (Hatton C-04). The article offers the following arguments in support of the claim. Hatton claims because cheerleaders are athletes, cheerleading is a sport. Hatton also says cheerleading is a sport because of the competitive aspects. We believe cheerleading is not a sport, because not all cheerleaders compete. Most cheerleaders rarely, if ever, show athleticism. Cheerleading
The competitive sport of cheerleading is not all about jumping up and down and yelling “Go team, go!”. It’s about using your strength to perform a variety of skills that form together to make a routine. These routines are performed by many teams to be judged during competitions. Practice is required to do well at competitions. In order to become a cheerleader, you need to have tumbling skills, endurance, and flexibility.
To begin the argument at hand of whether or not cheerleading is a sport, it must be recognized that there isn’t truly a set/official definition for what a sport is. There are no set of regulations that have been universally agreed upon in which all activities can be examined against in order to determine whether those activities is a sport or not. It’s difficult to put under simple terms and rules what exactly qualifies something as a “sport” without disqualifying any currently agreed upon
Cheerleading might be considered to be an extracurricular activity to the average individual, but have you tried it? Even though four years ago, a federal judge ruled that competitive cheerleading is not an official sport, this physical activity includes all of the elements and more of a defined coed sport.
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
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
One of the main reasons why the NCAA hasn’t picked up cheerleading as a sport is because it “doesn’t meet all the criteria of a sport”. That is true in some aspects of cheerleading, but for competition cheerleading it meets all of the needs of a sport. What actually is a sport though? According to Webster’s Dictionary, a sport is “ an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.” But according to the NCAA a sport has to meet all the following criteria to be considered a
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.
Cheerleading is more than cheering on the sidelines at a football game or bringing the crowd to their feet. Cheerleaders do not have to run around three bases or skate their way to a puck, but they do, however, lift their teammates, jump, dance, tumble, and perform. There was a point in my life where I would eat, sleep, and breathe cheerleading. It is debated whether cheerleading would be considered a sport. Nevertheless, cheerleading has been a passion of mine for most of my childhood, and these experiences made me the person I am today. Before cheerleading, I was incredibly shy, be bullied in school, and did not have many friends.
Cheerleading is one of the most demanding and dangerous sport there is. When you look up the definition of a sport in the dictionary, it says “physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively”. Cheerleaders compete at the Cheerleading World every year that is
Many people think the term “cheerleader” is a group of girls that dance, jump around, and do cool moves in the air. They may think it’s not a sport because of the fact we don’t exactly attempt to hurt or take the opponent down to the ground physically. But little do they know the hard work and dedication that comes with being a cheerleader. Cheerleading is a sport because some of the things you need to be considered aren’t exactly what everyone may have, as well as other sports. From needing to be able to toss people 5 to 10 feet in the air, being able to follow them if they shift to one side or the other while in the air, the tricks girls pull in the air, to the amount of conditioning we do, etc.. cheerleading is a very intense sport.
Cheerleading is one of the most dangerous sports in the game. Besides throwing people in the air and launching themselves into tumbling passes, cheerleaders take hits like a champ and fall down to jump right back up. Being a cheerleader myself, I attribute this perseverance to one of the many lessons learned from being involved in the sport. Cheerleading is not only a way to better oneself physically but also as a person. Through cheerleading, people learn the importance of teamwork, dedication, and responsibility.
Cheerleading may be dangerous, but aside from all the injuries the sport is filled with love and excitement. The definition of a sport is ; an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against others for entertainment. Since the 1890’s the controversy whether cheer is a sport has always been an argument, recently in an interview with athletic director Kevin O’brien at Merrimack Valley high school , when asked if he thought cheerleading was a sport he answered with “ i think it is definitely considered a sport, when they were doing sideline cheerleading in the 70’s and late 80’s it was not considered a sport in terms of the competition.