Martinez Ruiz 1

Zaida Martinez Ruiz

Mrs. DeBock
English 4
18 October 2016
Considering Cheerleading as a sport
Cheerleading has become wildly popular sport that has been growing more throughout
the years. The debate is still present to whether the new law is or is not good for cheerleading.
Like many club sports, cheerleading is a year round venture for many, making it difficult for officials
to decide in which season it should fall. Cheerleading is transforming from being a school club to a

sport because of increasing popularity of athletes, USASF cheer regulations, and the study of
physical ability. Cheerleading meets accepted criteria for being a sport.
Cheerleading was first practiced in ancient Greece. Greeks were encouraged and
supported their sporting games with cheerleaders. In the 19th century, men were the first to
attempt cheerleading in America at the college of Minnesota by wanting to support and motivate
their football team. Women did not get involved in cheerleading until 20th century and changed
the nature of cheerleading. De Alba states, Gymnastics, dance, tumbling, and acrobatic
elements were introduced to the program of cheerleading (line 15). USASF began laying down
rules to protect cheerleaders and before it was officially presented to high schools as a club.
According to "Cheerleading a Sport? You'll Know It When You See It," many physical abilities
can qualify a person as an athlete (article). However, a particular form of cheerleading is
distinguished by halter tops and pompoms, which is simply a cheer squad and can be titillated
that its not a sport. The more women who go to college, forming a greater majority of college

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students, the more womens sport we must have, and that is hard for a lot of male athletic
officials to deal with. All of more reasons, to certify cheerleading, states Deford (10).
However, some coaches wary about cheer becoming a sport. Cheer coaches believe that
the consequences that the program of cheerleading will have if it turns into a sport. Connolly
argues that Because specific guidelines for cheerleading have yet to be produced, cheer coaches
don't know if, or how, such conflicts might affect their sport. Several coordinators of the cheer
industry already do everything they can to make the sport safe. Many schools will require cheer
coaches to be certified like every coach on campus. Cheerleaders and cheerleading teams will be
required to adhere to rules and regulations that govern, among other things, who can participate
and how long participants can practice and play, states Connolly (4). Turning cheer into an
official sport also raises questions about coaches' pay. Before cheerleading was classified as a
sport, it was a year-round activity, meaning some coaches could be paid monthly. But as a
sanctioned sport, cheer coaches will be paid like other high school coaches, a one-time stipend,
and they'll only be able to coach at a single school when in season. My biggest point is, why do
we need to be considered a sport? You earn the respect. It doesn't come just because they say
you're a sport Bowers claims. Cheer coaches say that the sport can be hit harder by the rules
because the sport policies limit the amount of hours an athlete can play and practice during a
week. The USASF cheer and dance all-star federation programs, initiatives, rules and policy
development begin in the Standing Committees and are brought to the Board of Directors for
review to insure that the USASF mission is upheld before being carried out. They strive to
support and enrich the lives of our All Star athletes and members. We provide consistent rules,
strive for a safe environment for our athletes, drive competitive excellence, and promote a

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positive image for the sport. The organization credentials coaches, certifies safety judges,
sanctions events and maintains and adjusts (as needed) safety guidelines, all with the goal of
providing the safest possible environment for cheer and dance athletes to train and compete. On
balance, even though some coaches do wary that if cheerleading does become a sport it will
bring more consequences than benefits, the USASF federation program has been earning respect
by all the regulations they have been making for cheerleading to become a sport.

One of the most important elements in coaching is being organized and knowing the
training that fits your team. Gym owners from around the United States get together to attend
a mandatory meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. ASGA is set up for all gym owners and coaches to
share ideas, resources, and knowledge. At the meeting, All-star cheerleading coaches prepare
for cheer coach certification and to update on all regulations that were changed for the
upcoming season. It begins with open discussion questions that are asked to large crowd of
coaches for them to answer and debate. The questions are based on problems that coaches
encountered throughout the last season and as talking about managing the gym and the right
way to talk to parents. The ASGA conference is beneficial to all uprising coaches and gym
owners because they explains more about cheerleading which includes knowing the
background about cheerleading, staying updated with new rules, implying new drills to better
technique of athlete, learning to manage gym correctly, how to talk to parents, ways to deal
with athletes and parents in different situations, and more. Coaches attend this conference to
better their coaching their own athletes, how they should manage classes, how to apply new
trainings, and to grow in their coaching ability for the athletes. It is important for a coach to

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be keenly aware of the impact that they have on their cheerleading teams. Not just in high
school, but in life, long after their cheerleading days are over. The management techniques
vary depending upon age level, but the team always looks to the coach for confident
leadership.
Overall, Cheerleading has evolved to become a bigger club sport because of the
increasing popularity of the athletes. Cheerleading has met the criteria for becoming a sport
by demonstrating their capacity when the athletes have by competing and performing all the
skills they do at practice. Cheerleading is a physical activity that is governed by rules under
which a winner can be declared and its primary purpose is to compare the skills of
participants. Hopefully, cheerleading will become as well-known a sport as football and
basketball, and even appear in the Olympics since cheerleaders are just as athletic and
physically fit as those involved in the more accepted sports.

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Work Cited
"Cheerleading a Sport? You'll Know It When You See It." Morning Edition 28 July 2010.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.
Connolly, Kenny. "Some Coaches Wary about Cheer Becoming a Sport." Orange County
Register, The (Santa Ana, CA) 13 Oct. 2015: Points of View Reference Center. Web. 21
Sept. 2016.
De Alba, Miriam Lopez Hernandez. Cheerleading : Technique-Training-Show. Maidenhead,
UK:
Meyer & Meyer Sport, 2009. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 21 Sept. 2016.
Siegel, Jon. "Schools Support Cheerleaders as Athletes." Girls and Sports. Ed. Karen Miller.
Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. "No Longer on the Sidelines." Washington Times 16
Feb. 2005. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.