Stereotypes And Competitive Cheerleaders

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What is a cheerleader? Are they the most attractive person? Are they the most popular ones? Are they ditzy and bubbly ones? She or he is neither one of those stereotypes sometimes. When it comes to cheerleading there is more to it then what meets the eye. Cheerleaders are motivational leaders.
Cheerleaders really get the fans pumped up and excited at events; they also keep the fans engaged and bring fun to sporting events. Their job is to get the fans energized and hopefully cheer the team to victory. If they do their job well they inspire the fans which in turn inspires the athletes, propelling them to greater heights and to victory. Even when a team is losing by a wide margin, cheerleaders keep sending the message that victory is possible …show more content…

Competitive cheerleading involves a great deal of gymnastics, which takes on an athletic ability. Pro cheerleaders, like the ones at NFL games, are really just there to serve as eye candy for the men watching. Also as the cheerleaders are cheering for the men on the field, it heightens their sense of self and makes them feel honorable that people are cheering for them.
For women cheerleaders play a separate role. Some women actually look up to cheerleaders; many women actually desire to be on cheerleading squads. They try out for them; they work really hard on their bodies, their dancing, and athletics. Cheerleading helps women develop self-esteem and confidence. Also in the process some teams get to travel the country, even the world giving women the opportunity to become more cultured and build new friendships.
Cheerleading in reality requires strength, stamina, balance, and much more. But because the jumps of a cheerleader appear effortless to the audience, the word strength and work are seldom acknowledged in cheerleading. In boxing and wrestling, the athlete’s skills are evident by their strength and fighting ability. Yet traditionalist don’t believe that women should exhibit such …show more content…

The misconception of cheerleaders being weak, nonathletic, and crowd entertainers makes people believe cheerleader are not athletes and that cheerleadering is just a hobby but cheerleaders that compete at a competitive level are in fact athlete’s because it meets the standards of what a sport is, which includes rules and regulation and overcoming air resistance. Similar to any other athlete cheerleaders are athletic and physically fit. Pike, toe touch, eagle spread, left herkie, and right herkie, these are all forms of jumps in cheerleading. When doing these jumps the cheerleader jumps high up into the air bringing both legs up and out simultaneously in a specific shape or form while pointing the toes. The jumps that cheerleader perform can easily be compared to the dunking of a basketball player. All of these jumps require adequate leg, thigh, and abdominal muscle strength. Cheerleading requires athleticism like all sports as you must be in shape and at a great fitness

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