Cheerleading Is a Competitive Sport

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Cheerleading has changed a lot over the years and is no longer what people think it is. Cheerleading is no longer shaking pompoms around and yelling to the crowd (Tanner). It is becoming a physically athletic sport, with higher demands than most realize. Cheerleaders deserve the same credit as other athletes, but unfortunately don’t get that credit they deserve. What many americans think of cheerleading, is a stereotype. Cheerleading has become a sport, and not many people see how.

Cheerleading started with only males in 1898, and started accepting few females in the 1920’s. Cheerleading teams didn’t start having a lot of women until the 1940’s. Many women started cheering then because so many men left to serve in World War II (“History of Cheerleading”).

Cheerleaders from the University of Oregon, started the popular trend of using flashcards to get the crown more involved. When cheerleading first started, the cheerleaders only would lead cheers, but in 1923 tumbling and acrobatics got involved in cheerleading. By the time the 1960’s came around cheerleading was found in almost every high school across the country (“History of Cheerleading”).

The Universal Cheerleading Association, also known as UCA was founded in 1974 by Jeff Webb, UCA still plays a big role in cheerleading today. The main goal of the Universal Cheerleading Association was to teach more advanced skills to cheerleaders. Just 13 years later, the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators also known as AACCA was founded, the goal of the AACCA was to teach coaches how to coach safely (History of Cheerleading).

What most people think cheerleading is, is a bunch of peppy girls with megaphones rallying their team to victory. The...

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....about.com/cs/health/a/athletes.htm>.

Pennington, Bill. "As Cheerleaders Soar Higher, So Do the Risks." The New York Times. The New York Times, 31 Mar. 2007. Web. 08 Dec. 2013. .

Quinn, Colleen. "Is Cheerleading a Sport? A Massachusetts Bill May Make It One." Sun (Lowell, Massachusetts). 20 Jun 2013: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 14 Nov 2013.

Rider, Mandy. "The Dangers of Cheerleading." The Dangers of Cheerleading. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2013. .

Tanner, Lindsay. "Cheerleading Needs Sports Safety Rules, Docs Say." Sun-News. 22 Oct 2012: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 14 Nov 2013.

Westport, Luke Z. "Cheerleading Is a Sport." Teen Ink. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2013. .

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