Cheerleading Is A Sport | Teen Ink

Cheerleading Is A Sport

May 29, 2014
By Skyy_Kennedy BRONZE, Marlborough, Massachusetts
Skyy_Kennedy BRONZE, Marlborough, Massachusetts
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Have you ever tried holding someone either equivalent to your size or bigger? That's what cheerleaders have to do all the time and still people don’t consider it a sport! The actual definition of a sport is “an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature.” Also there are requirements for something to be a sport. For instance It must be a physical activity, which involves propelling a mass through space or overcoming the resistance of mass, Cheerleaders do STUNTS. Competing against/with an opponent is required, high school and competitive cheerleading compete in COMPETITIONS. Governed by rules that explicitly define the time, space, and purpose of the contest and the conditions under which a winner is declared, there are TIME LIMIT/CO, MAT SIZE, SCORE SHEET/DEDUCTIONS. Acknowledgement that the primary purpose of the competition is a comparison of the relative skills of the participants, there are different parts of a cheerleading routine, STUNTS, TUMBLING, DANCE, PYRAMID, JUMPS, “TRICKS”, ETC. Cheerleading meets all of these requirements. A cheerleading coach at Indiana Tech believes that cheerleading is in fact a sport “I think if you look up the definition of sport it meets every characteristic,” Stout says. “Every specification defined as sport.”

Cheerleading is the number one sport for injury
whether its stunting or tumbling cheerleading is the definition of dangerous. All though we make it look easy stunting and tumbling takes a lot of work. According to an article in Huffington Post, “66% of “catastrophic" sports-related injuries among women in the US are due to cheerleading.” They also reported Emergency Room visits have quintupled “Going from about 5,000 to over 26,000 in 2007, ER visits have more than quintupled.” Additionally announced "There were a total of 110 head and spine injuries resulting in "permanent brain injury, paralysis or death" According to the data, the majority of the injuries happen to those who serve as the bases or backs (the ones who prop up, launch and catch the fliers) rather than the fliers (the ones who get flung in the air).


Cheerleading doesn't have offense or defense but cheerleaders need certain things to be successful flexibility, facial expressions, perfect timing, and memorization. Its almost like plays for football players.


Cheerleading doesn't have plays, offence or defense like football and other sports but it has things that have the same importance to them when you’re a cheerleader. Flexibility, facial expressions, timing, and memorization in cheerleading are all important things to have.


Cheerleading isn't a sport!
Other people may say that cheerleading isn't a sport and if you’re a cheerleader, like i am, you get really defensive. I've had arguments including these comments: “If cheerleading was a sport they were trying really hard they wouldn't be wearing makeup or doing their hair, and even if they did it would be messed up!” “In sport, you get hurt trying to win. In cheerleading, you get funny looks trying to be taken seriously.” This may seem true to any person against cheerleading, but as i have said before cheerleading is the number one sport for injury. Therefore ANY comment anyone says against this sport shall be proved wrong from facts!



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