Martinez Ruiz 1

Zaida Martinez Ruiz

Mrs. DeBock
English 4
10 November 2016
Cheerleading
Cheerleading was only about pom poms and chants but when competition cheerleading
was created, the whole idea of what was first cheerleading changed. Competition cheerleading is
made up from different sports, just like: dance, cheer, acrobatics, and gymnastics. Cheerleaders
and their coaches perform a routine of 2 min and 30 seconds containing dance, cheer, acrobats,
and gymnastics and compete with it against other teams to win first place. Coaching
cheerleading will demonstrate all the skills, drills, ability, technique, and exercises that will
prove cheerleading meets the requirements to be a sport.
Cheerleaders and cheerleading coaches write letters to school and local newspapers to
explain the athletic demands of cheerleading, and people are listening. States are listening, too,
but it is not always easy to know exactly which ones are paying attention. According to Howard,
Somewhere between 17 and 20 of the 50 states defined cheerleading as a sport in 2002 and
now working to get more states to agree to define cheerleading as a sport. Although not
recognized as a sport by the NCAA, a study demonstrated that the physical fitness of a
cheerleader is similar to that of any other collegiate sport by comparing results on various
physical tests (push-ups, V02 max, body composition, etc). Just like any other varsity sport,
cheerleading has summer camp, tryouts, regular practice schedules and competition. Comparable
to gymnastics, a high level of strength, agility, power, and flexibility are required for the

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acrobatic-like maneuvers, cheerleading stunts and pyramids. After watching teams at
competitions, camps and events and it became very clear that athletes are the product of their
coaches. Kids follow the examples of the adults around them, and as coaches they have a great
amount of influence on their athletes. How coaches create an environment of encouragement is
the key to successful coaching and player performance. Coachs primary job is to be encouraging
individual athletes, as well as the whole team. According to Athletic Insight, the relationship
between a coach and a student-athlete determines overall motivation and stress levels. Coaches
and players also must work together to achieve success, but it is up to coaches to be dependable
leaders who genuinely connect with and encourage players.
On the other hand, sports injuries are occurring and it is to be expected that similar
injuries can occur in cheerleading. Many cheerleaders work as hard, if not harder, than their
counterparts on traditional sports teams. Traditional sports include: squad practices, gymnastics
classes, individual training sessions, and even the physical injuries. The Consumer Product
Safety Commission reported an estimated 4,954 hospital emergency room visits in 1980 caused
by cheerleading injuries. By 1986 the number had increased to 6,911, and in 1994 the number
increased to approximately 16,000. The most common cheerleading injuries are busted lips and
broken arms. The NCAA Injury Surveillance System (ISS) is currently the largest collegiate
athletic injury database. An injury database is a resource to base safety and risk management
decisions and to further injury prevention research. Schulz states that, Although cheerleading
has been around since the 1960s, it has only recently become a sport involving gymnastic and
acrobatic maneuvers that have significantly increased the amount and severity of injury. This
necessitates control in guiding the rules and regulations especially at the university level where

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more difficult stunts are being performed and this can only be possible if cheerleading is
supported and recognized as all other varsity sports are. Being under regulation of an athletic
department will aid in injury prevention including mandating qualified coaches, certified athletic
trainers, number of spotters, restricting those who are less experienced from pyramids and basket
tosses, and providing safer practice locations and times. A 40% decrease in injury has been
shown when trained coaches are present. Parents of cheerleaders have founded the National
Cheer Safety Foundation to help manage risk in their cheer athletes. They have created a website
that allows for cheer injury reporting and support for cheerleaders and parents. Egan states, This
foundation is setting the stage for injury prevention, and hopefully after some time it will have
gathered enough data to influence the school systems and cheerleading organizations to offer
their support . Like the National Cheer Safety Foundation, parents, athletes and health care
professionals must take the time to be well educated on the sport, the potential for injury and
possible preventative methods.
On the one hand, cheerleading is about team spirit and positive attitude. That is where
cheerleading's roots are. It is a way to support a team that is struggling to win a game, and a way
to celebrate a team is accomplishments on the playing field. It is about developing
self-confidence and personal excellence, setting goals, and working hard to attain them. It is also
about learning to work with other people in a team environment. Even at the highest levels of
cheerleading competition, non-athletic concerns take center stage. Cheerleaders and coaches
know that if the smiles aren't bright and wide enough, if the eye contact with the judges isn't
there and the hair and makeup aren't just right, their team will suffer on the scoring sheet.

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Cheerleaders and coaches both believe that cheerleading can be a highly demanding
physical activity that qualifies to be a sport. Cheerleading gets discriminated because people
reference cheerleading to what it use to be and now to how the sport has grown to be. Not only
does cheerleading have all the requirements and skills to become a sport but it also has
competition events which teams around the nation compete in. It started as a club but grew to
become a sport that was created from parts of other sports. Organizations have come together to
make sure that cheerleading stays fair, safe, and has strict regulations. There is more to
cheerleading than just pom poms and chants, there is competition and the hard work of athletes
to win.

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Work Cited
Bagnulo, Angela. "Cheerleading Injuries: A Narrative Review Of The Literature." Journal Of
The Canadian Chiropractic Association 56.4 (2012): 292. Advanced Placement Source.
Web. 19 Oct. 2016.
Egan, Nicole Weisensee, and Amy Mindell. "Is Cheering Safe?." People 71.2 (2009): 73.
MasterFILE Premier. Web. 19 Oct. 2016.
Howard, Sara Catherine. "Competitive Cheerleading." Teacher Librarian 3 (2005): 30.
Academic
OneFile. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.
Peters, Craig. "Chapter 3: Spirit Or Sport?." Competitive Cheerleading (2003): 22. MasterFILE
Premier. Web. 19 Oct. 2016.
Schulz, Jason "Cheerleading, Preventions In Injuries Out." (2011): Credo Reference Collections.
Web. 19 Oct. 2016.
"Welcome To American Cheerleader's WHO's WHO OF U.S. Cheerleading Coaches 2011."
American Cheerleader(2011): 170. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.