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Cheerleading Is A Sport

Decent Essays

Some play, others cheer. This formula has remained for decades in many sports such as soccer and football, in which cheerleaders are represented as “bimbos” animating the game and entertaining the crowd. Cheerleading is a regrouping of three sports: dancing, stunt and gymnastics, yet most people do not believe it is a sport. But what exactly makes something an activity, a hobby, a sport? According to the Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors, a sport is “a physical activity or a competition against an opponent, governed by rules and conditions in which a winner is declared and the main purpose of the competition is a comparison of skills”. This discipline originated in the United States over a century ago . It started around the franchises of football and basketball, but already began in the 30's of the last century to become an independent sport and to separate from the entertainment. The competitive cheerleading is different from the animation that is usually seen in professional sports. The teams are valued for the skill they demonstrate in their choreography, in which they perform somersaults, pyramids, jumps and different types of acrobatics. There are different modalities and the execution combines elements of courage, physical exigency and, sometimes, risk. There is no way that anyone could be a cheerleader if they are not athletically prepared. Cheerleaders are required to lift girls their weight or even heavier, to lift, spin, jump and lay

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