I had been an entertainer for as long as I can remember, and although my sport has changed over the years, performing continued to be a major part of my life up until my sophomore year. I started dancing when I was only three years old, but I decided to do cheerleading instead when I was seven. Despite being naturally quiet and reserved, the stage has always been the one place where I have felt comfortable being the center of attention. I have done both school and competition cheer, but the latter was my whole world. There was no better feeling than winning with my team, which is why I was devastated when a tumbling injury forced me to quit for the season. Tearing my ACL last year was one of the biggest challenges that I have ever faced because …show more content…
When most people think of cheer, they picture girls in short skirts waving their arms around at football games. However, All Star cheerleading is much more serious and vigorous. My team practiced three hours a day, four days a week, all year round. We conditioned until we puked, we did full outs until every muscle in our bodies ached, and our coaches yelled at us until they were blue in the face. Jumping, stunting, and tumbling puts immense strain on bones and joints, so it makes sense that sports-related injuries are common. Despite the possible dangers involved with cheer, I always pushed myself to improve my skills and become a better athlete. In fact, it was at a tumbling class that I landed a full twisting layout wrong and tore my ACL and meniscus in my knee. The recovery time for this type of injury is usually around half a year, so unfortunately I was going to be out for the whole season. After a long discussion with my parents and coaches, who had doubts about my ability to fully and rapidly return to health, I decided that the best option for me was to step away from competitive cheer for a while and focus on my
While getting all this training cheerleaders get injured yet they don’t stop cheerleading because they don’t want to let their team down or they don’t want to ruin the routine. Doctors try to point out the fact that cheerleaders get hurt as much any other sport. Sometimes their injuries are worse than those of football players. In the article Is cheerleading a sport? The American medical association think so. Dr Samantha says “Cheerleading is a leading cause of catastrophic injury in female athlete at the high school and college level” (Rose). She is saying that Cheerleaders get hurt just like in any other sport. Some of the cheerleaders won’t even know they’re hurt or they’ll know but they won’t go to the doctors. they won’t stop competing until the competition is over. Cheerleaders don’t use any kind of protection unlike many of the other sports. So if they fall while trying to do a dangerous move they could get seriously hurt. These cheerleaders challenge the limit of their body to do all the maneuvers that they have to do. Knowing these, people still believe cheerleading is not a sport. Even when cheerleaders risk getting injured to be able to
“They’re snobs.” “They’re ditzy.” “They are just brats.” Cheerleaders. There are many problems with stereotyping, and cheerleaders are no strangers to it. Every cheerleader could probably tell you a time when someone stereotyped them, whether that be them as a person or an athlete. While on some occasions cheerleaders really do fit the stereotypical vision of a cheerleader off of a movie, most are not your typical “cheerleader”; intelligent, polite, and athletic are all characteristics of these individuals. Making judgements about a person based on what sport they played is not deserved. Most people in high school would say they knew, or thought they knew how cheerleaders were, but if taking the time to get to know the kind of people they are, then people’s opinion would change.
Before I get into “why”, you must first hear my story. You must understand how I began cheerleading, where cheerleading has stood in my life, and what it has meant to me before you can understand why I do it and why we, cheerleaders collectively, do it.
To stay on the JMU cheer team or to quit was a very hard decision that I had to make this past month. Knowing I had leadership responsibilities as a third year veteran on the team made this decision extremely difficult for me. I had to consider all the parties involved which consisted of myself, my teammates, and my coaches. Several factors fell into play when deciding what was best not only myself but for my team as well. The first and most important factor I had to consider was my physical health as I have back problems that requires annual back procedures in order to be able to cheer. A relatively new factor in my decision making progress was the hiring of the new JMU cheer coach, which was extremely difficult for the upperclassmen to adjust to. My last few personal factors that played a role in my decision consisted of getting a job and focusing more on my school work. Next I had to consider what was best for the cheer team. I knew as an upperclassmen I needed to support the cheer program to help keep it strong and consistent during the coaching transition. This was hard to do when several other upper classmen were quitting the team due to this change. I also knew I had a responsibility to teach the incoming freshman new skills the same way the juniors and seniors taught me when I was a freshman. Not only did my team need me but I also took into consideration the contract I signed when making the team my freshman year. After taking everything into consideration
Movies portray cheerleaders as the popular girls that everyone likes and aspires to be. But when reality hits at Salem High School, it’s a completely different story. Cheerleading was taken as a joke by the other athletes and even students. It was considered a hobby, but to me it was a passion and something I worked hard to be. Being on the cheer squad in high school was difficult to deal with in school because we were constantly being snubbed by the other athletes and students in our school ever since we were kids in junior high which should not happen because everyone has the right to do what they love and they should not be judged for it being different than everyone else. It was always us versus them up until my junior year of high school when we finally earned the respect of our peers.
A study has found and proven that as a result of the amount of contact activity involved with cheerleading, “two thirds of very serious sports injuries suffered by girls in the United States” (Global Issues in Context). This inevitably highlights the rigors and risks cheerleaders endure as a result of their participation. In effect of cheerleading not being recognized as a sport and cheerleaders not being recognized as athletes, there is little awareness and support for the injuries cheerleaders encounter. Furthermore, according to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, “cheerleading is also among the top 20 sports with highest rate of head injuries” (Huffington Post). These head injuries include but are not limited to skull fractures, cervical spine injuries, brain injury, concussions, paralysis, and in severe cases, death. Nonetheless, as a result of cheerleading lacking recognition, injuries are typically underestimated despite their severity. It is important to consider the exertion a cheerleader must put in when completing a stunt. Being tossed or held in the air is the flyer who is then supported by two bases and a back spot. Despite being held up by a minimum of four people, one wrong move can result in the stunt collapsing, which can sometimes result in injury to both the
Mozes, Alan. "As Cheerleading Evolves, Injuries Mount." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 28 June 2013. Web. 08 Dec. 2013.
“Cheerleading involves skills which require the strength of football, the grace of dance, and the agility of gymnastics” (“Sport”). Many categorize competitive cheerleading as just an activity without any skill needed: there is nothing further from the truth! Competitive cheerleading is a sport that is dedicated to competition, fits the definition of a sport, and possesses a goal.
There is two things in this world that you should be scared of. The first thing is spiders, and the second is a cheerleader who has just been told cheerleading is not a sport. There are approximately 400,000 individuals in the Unites States in this day and age that participate in high school cheerleading (www.varsity.com). If you ask, most of them would tell you that they work their butts off, and they would say that cheerleading is a sport. In some cases some cheerleaders are fighting for their right to be called athletes because their school districts tell them that they aren’t. By doing this the school districts are portraying the message that cheerleading is a joke, and that it isn’t a real sport. It sets stereotypes for cheerleaders, and they have to work to overcome those stereotypes everyday. The school districts all over US not classifying cheerleading as a sport are in the wrong. For several reasons, all school districts should recognize cheerleading
Cheerleading is a controversial topic when it comes to being classified as a sport. Cheerleading has been around one hundred plus years. Cheerleading was not always as developed as it is today— just like many other sports into today’s culture. Some of today 's celebrities, such as George Bush, started their glory days being a cheerleader. The definition of cheerleading is in the name itself-- to lead cheers. There are different types of cheerleading such as spirit basketball, spirit football, high school competition, and competitive club cheerleading. All of which have different skill levels and qualifications. Most high schools offer many different types of cheerleading and not all classify as a sport in some people 's eyes. Spirit cheerleading
Some states have accepted competitive cheerleading as a varsity sport, but cheerleaders still have to fight for recognition as an athlete because of stereotypical views. Fellow athletes do not see why it should be considered a sport because “it is not as demanding as other sports” ("Competitive Cheerleading Fights"). The definition of an athlete is “a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina” ("Omni Cheer Blog"). As an athlete students must demonstrate their skills in front of a crowd. As a matter of fact competitive cheerleaders meet all the requirements to be considered athletes, so why do they have to continue fighting for recognition as athletes?
The start of seventh grade, I was far from the image of the typical cheerleader. I was clumsy, would spill anything and often tripped over my own feet. I also had a speech impediment, so people could not usually understand me. The thought of me being a cheerleader was laughable. However, my best friend convinced me to just try it, and
From being tossed into the air in stunts, to bouncing off the mats when tumbling, cheerleading is everything I love and enjoying doing. At the University of Alberta, I hope to join the team and become one of the liveliest supporters of the U of A’s Bears and Pandas. By joining the cheer team, I can make many new friends, stay in good shape, and partake in my favourite sport, all while cheering on and supporting my fellow students. Not only do I plan on joining the team for the strengthening practices and invigorating competitions, but I am also looking forward to helping out around the campus organizing fundraisers and such to support the team and
Every minute of the day we are doing something, whether we recognize it or not. How we spend our time can determine where we go. If I waste my time I will look back and wonder where it all went. Through all the practices, games, and extra events, it seems I am wasting my valuable time on something not worthy of my time or making a bad investment of my time. If you asked me if cheerleading was my life my answer would be no, but I spend a lot of time going to practices, games, and events that it is difficult to believe otherwise. Many people, including my sister, would say I should be spending my time doing something more productive than wearing short skirts and throwing girls in the air. However, I believe that I continue to cheer because it is worthwhile in my life.
Confucius once said, "he who does not do well is less guilty than he who pushes too hard." People found that competitive sports are often physically straining and it is detrimental to proper emotional development. This blows away the misconception that competitive sports create a healthy and engaging atmosphere for kids. This and an overly strong obsession with winning create a toxic mix for the child’s wellbeing. People have begun to realize the world of competitive may be doing more harm than good for their children. Parents have also begun to notice that competitive sports often injure their children severely and also make the child feel left out, which in turn is detrimental to the child 's emotional health. Therefore, competitive sports