Cheerleading Research Paper

“In a day and age when cheerleaders are leaders in their community, role models in school, and must maintain the highest GPA out of any other activity it is ridiculous for all states not to classify them as a sport. Jaw-dropping stunts, whip-backs, and thirty-foot- high basket tosses help cheerleading earn their acclaim and steady ratings” (Rondon 97). Yes, just like any other sport, cheerleading competitions are broadcasted on ESPN. Substantiation of the popularity of cheerleading is because it is featured on one of the largest sports broadcasting networks in the world. “On ESPN, cheerleading competitions draw an average audience of 455,000 homes, comparable to the National Hockey League” (Ebersole “Thrills and Spills”). “Cheerleading on ESPN earns steady ratings (a .5 versus a .3 for Major

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.

When you see us you probably think shorts skirts, big bows, the girls who are yelling on the sidelines of the basketball and football games showing school spirit, but we’re much more than that.

Both cheerleading and basketball players must work out throughout the week. Cheerleaders build stunts and put each other up and that requires a lot of muscles and strength; therfore, most cheerleaders lift weights. Constantly screaming, jumping, and moving requires a lot of energy. If a person has not been working out to get in shape, she might not be able to do it without being out of breath. Basketball players run up and down the court yelling at each other to get the ball. If he did not work out, then he might be out of breath doing that. A basketball player has to be able to be strong in case someone push them they will not fall down.

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.

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

For my 20 time project I choose to go in a direction of cheer, growing up i've wanted to be a cheer coach so I found the perfect project to coach tumbling to a younger girl, Mere that looks up to me. I want to be a role model and have a different coach approach see what works and what doesn’t. Through this I wanted to grow in tumbling techniques and what my coaches and all coaches do. I spent a good amount of time researching coach outlines and practice stuff from other coaches. Talking to coaches I know and thinking more at my own practices what they do. I found some good people that were helpful my cheer coaches and my mom who is close to many cheer coaches and me she listened to me and gave me advice.

The second thing that makes cheerleading a sport is the amount of time and practice these boys

Cheerleading is simply entertainment for viewers and is a social club for its participants. “Sports Beat - The Sport of Cheerleading: It’s a lot More than Just Pompoms and Smiles,” points out that a main benefit of cheerleading is the ability to “easily transition into the entertainment industry” (Hatton C-04). This statement supports our belief that cheerleading should not be considered a sport. Cheer-leading, the leading of cheers at sporting events is not a sport. Entertainment, versus athleticism, is more of what cheerleading is. Team supporters are present at games/events to raise school spirit and encourage cheering. Cheerleading generally requires a competition to be in progress, so the cheerleading itself can occur. This is not an activity which can take place alone.

The media has created a stereotype for cheerleaders. The way that cheerleaders have been portrayed in the media has made cheerleading one of the most disrespected and underrated sports in the industry. The media has made cheerleaders out to be the unintelligent, mean girls, that no one likes. It has portrayed cheerleading itself to not even look the slightest bit like a sport. Most movies make it look like cheerleading is just jumping around and yelling at other sporting events. A good description of this stereotype is explained in an article from TVTropes as “From evil to slutty to dumb, any cheerleader in North American media can be expected to be portrayed as shallow and superficial, because popularity is her first and only concern.”. As a cheerleader, this is extremely frustrating. The growing cheerleading industry has been working hard to show the world what cheerleading really is about. Bring It On: In It to Win It is an interesting movie that actually portrays some of the real aspects of cheerleading.

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.

Every cheerleader gets fired up when someone tries to argue with them that cheerleading is not a sport. Whether it’s a football player, a teacher, or a even friend who doesn’t understand why you’re not involved in something else. Cheerleaders just want people to know that being a cheerleader does make you an athlete! Cheerleading is a sport due to the athleticism and flexibility needs to be apart of this well known activity. Many may say it does not take a lot of effort to smile and wave your hands in the air while yelling ,"Go team!" But what really stresses cheerleaders out is that people don't see all the bruises, hard work and dedication they put in behind that beautiful smile they put on for their team. Not only do cheerleaders get tossed in the air and lift other cheerleaders, they also compete and do it all with a smile. Cheerleading might seem easy to some, but once people see what goes on at practice, their opinions usually change.

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.

My biggest life lesson has come from the sport that I love, Competitive Cheerleading. I started cheering when I was three years old. Like every athlete I started from the beginner level and made my way up. The skills came faster and easier to me then they did to other athletes. By the time I was in second grade I traveled every weekend to competitions, I did team and individual performance competitions, and I was a National Champion.

Cheerleading is a very dangerous sport. If the body is not well-conditioned, the athlete can severely injure themselves. Cheerleaders represent the teams they cheer for, which in most cases are football and basketball. Cheerleaders are not just about being “beautiful” or “popular,” but are more often known for being role models. With concussions being extremely high risk in cheerleading, it’s important for cheerleaders to be dedicated, and have proper strength and knowledge to make them successful in cheerleading.