ESPN cameras all around, hundreds of screaming fans, pride and a big trophy at stake; no, the described scene is not that of a football championship. The excitement buzzing in the air escalates as the next team steps up to put all they have into a two minute and thirty second sprint to the finish. As a competitive mix of various other sports, cheerleading is a new sport on an international rise in popularity. Some may argue cheerleading should not and cannot be considered a sport, but according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary cheerleading follows the definition of a sport and therefore should be widely considered one because of its high level of physical activity, competition, and set of rules and conventions.
Cheerleading requires an especially high level of physical exertion with an equally high risk of injury. In order to even make a team, cheerleaders must participate in an extensive tryout process often taking more than a week. Athletes must also meet a series of physical requirements concerning skills and fitness. Members of the North Allegheny varsity cheerleading squad first had to run a mile in under 8 minutes and demonstrate their ability to meet the requirements for stunting, cheering, dancing, and tumbling. Cheerleaders also keep busy practice schedules in order to maintain their physical condition. The nationally ranked Villanova University cheerleading squad holds various practices at least five days a week to work on strength and skills. In addition to the
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
“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
There are risks in absolutely everything we do. More people die in cycling than football. And guess what, that is not a contact sport. In America cheerleading is the most dangerous sport. And that is not a contact sport either. Everything we do have risks. We don't ban them just because there are risks involved, that's jsut apart of life. Again, we don't need to ban it just because it is risky. We have safety measures, protective gear and rules in place already to ensure risks are to a minimum. Safety measures include first aids, physiotherapist and medical crew on the fields at all times. We have protective gear such as helmets, mouth guards, strapping and bodily pads. Finally we have rules in place to avoid injury such as games off after
They also specify the rules and guidelines for all of competitive cheerleading. Teams are created by the age and the level of every individual athlete at whichever cheerleading gym they may choose. This being said, “All Star Cheer is the name referred to cheer groups created just for competition and not associated with any school or team.” (Cheer Debate: Is Cheerleading a Sport?) The sole purpose of competitive cheerleading is to put together a two minute and thirty second routine to compete against other teams in your same division around the state, country, and even world. This is just minute portion of what cheerleading is but are some of most important parts of what it is.
Ten years ago, if someone had told me that I would be a cheerleader at the collegiate level, I would most likely have laughed in their face. Now as I sit here getting ready for practice, I laugh thinking of how I entered the world of cheerleading. Going into my freshman year of high school, my mother told me I had to try out for cheerleading. So, naturally, I cried. There was no way I would be a cheerleader. But as they say, mothers know best. Growing up, I participated in every sport imaginable; gymnastics, basketball, track, lacrosse, and even golf. Changing activities often became familiar for me, as I would get bored quite easily. After I had made the decision to take up cheerleading full time, I felt like I was downgrading. I felt
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
Cheer practices can sometimes only be two hours, but they can also be up to a long and hard seven hours. This requires athletes to sacrifice an extraordinary amount of time, often on weekends for them to succeed at a high level. In an interview recently conducted with a local cheerleader Rebecca Ruddock, who competes with a traveling cheer gym called Terre Haute Cheer University, (THCU) she said that she practices an average of nine hours a week with her different teams and an additional four hours a week on her own.
The adrenaline passes by and you just can’t stop, boom, you hit that stunt and everything lands perfectly. But, those aren’t the only perks of being a cheerleader. Some people may even only think about the cons of being one but, the pros overshadow them anytime. Not having enough money is not a problem, unlike many other sports you choose from many different varieties.
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
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.
Cheerleading is commonly not consideres a sport because the inablility to compete against an opponet. Many people don't consider ''routines'' a sport etheir. People think that cheerleading might not be a sport might think that the activity is solely dedicated to entertain and movivate the crowd . Hartford, Connetict says ''Competitive cheerleading isn't an official sport that colleges can use to make gendar equalitiy requirments''. Salon.com says that '' Just because you're an organized team that regularly competes on a national level in physiscally demanding activity doesn't make it a
However cheerleading has been officially declared a sport in over 10 states, continuing the debate in the remaining states. Cheerleading is a sport because it requires rigorous training, dangerous activity, and some cheerleaders get paid. Cheerleading is not something one can simply get out of bed and decide to do. Cheerleading takes months of training and dedication. “You don't just walk in and start doing the splits- it's something you must work towards and it's painful but it's worth it.”
The audience in this is the people who do not think that cheer is a sport. A specific gender would be mostly boys. I often find myself into specific arguments all the time whether or not cheer is a sport. A specific age group is normally between the age of 10-20. The average reader is anyone who does not think that cheer is a sport, or that it is fairly easy. For example, in this common situation here at snow the football players always complain how hard their practice is. They expect us to sit down and feel sorry for them. If we say anything about how hard ours is, they get all offended and argue that cheer is not a sport.
“Cheerleaders are the strongest athletes, for they must fight for gold while they fight their stereotype”Cheerleading began during the late 18th century with the rebellion of male students.[3] After the American Revolutionary War, students experienced harsh treatment from teachers. In response to faculty's abuse, college students violently acted out. The undergraduates began to riot, burn down buildings located on their college campuses, and assault faculty members. As a more subtle way to gain independence, however, students invented and organized their own extracurricular activities outside their professors' control. This brought about American sports, beginning first with collegiate teams.In the 1860s, students from Great Britain began to cheer and chant in unison for their favorite athletes at sporting events. Soon, that gesture of support crossed overseas to America.
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.