...stamina involved. There are many different aspects of cheerleading. They must be able to perform for 4 full quarters, regardless of whether offense or defense is playing. Ask that of a football player, and he most definitely will whine. It’s about time that people wise up and realize that cheerleaders and cheerleading are and is a sport. Cheerleading takes dedication, sweat, and tears just like any other sport would require. They are tired of being judged for doing something that they love. What many people do not realize is that cheerleading comes with responsibilities. You are representing your school/team whenever you tell someone you are a cheerleader, or wear a piece of clothing that says you cheer. You have to act appropriately, and in many schools you may have to make the grades to be on the team. Cheerleaders are not those preppy little girls anymore. They are a whole other type of athletes. They go to tiring competitions to compete for titles such as State, or National Champion. These “competitions” are no walk in the park. They can be up to 4 days long, and last all morning and evening. You usually only get two minutes and thirty seconds to perform your routine, which to cheerleaders that time seems like the longest time ever. Apparently, cheerleading is not at all what people say it is. For high school girls, and college women, cheerleading is far more dangerous than any other sport. High school cheerleading accounted for 65.1 percent of all catastrophic sports...
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...Oblong Cheerleaders…More Than Just Standing on the Sidelines By: Brooke Goodwin The Oblong High School cheerleaders have been competing for eight years in the small varsity division. We compete at about four competitions a year, depending on how well we are doing that year; we could go to more competitions. The competitions are usually about two to two and a half hours away. Oblong cheerleaders have qualified for the IHSA state competition during the last four years and for the ICCA championship two years in a row. To qualify for the IHSA state meet the squad must make it in the top five at their respective sectional, this year ours was in Highland, Illinois. For the ICCA championship, a squad must make seventy-five percent of their overall score. This year OHS cheerleaders went to six competitions. Oblong went to three ICCA competitions and qualified at all three. OHS also placed fourth at the IHSA competition and was lucky enough to get to go to state. We also qualified to move onto the ICCA championship. Oblong is in the small varsity division due to our enrollment of under 660 students in our high school. There are also other divisions such as medium, large, and co-ed. The small varsity division consists of twelve or less girls or eleven girls and one guy. The medium division can have thirteen to sixteen girls or less. The large varsity can have seventeen or more on the floor, but also like the other divisions, they can have less. The co-ed division may...
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...Ashlyn Bourn ENG 1113, Period 3 Mrs. Meeks 11 September 2013 Cheerleading Cheerleaders are mainly known for standing on the football field while cheering their team on, and trying to make the crowd to cheer along. However, there is much more to cheerleading than that. Cheerleading involves hours of practice, and cheerleaders need a variety of different skills to succeed. One of the skills a cheerleader needs is being able to stunt. There are many different types of stunts, some of these are: a basket, a pyramid, a one-man, a two legged stunt, and a one legged stunt. A standard one-legged stunt is four to five people holding up one person in the air. There are many different positions in cheerleading for stunting; however, the three main positions are: flyer, base, and back spot. The flyer is the person on top of the stunt; therefore, the flyer holds the main focus of the stunt group. A flyer is in the air to entertain the crowd, and to show some skills in the air. A flyer must have almost perfect balance to keep the stunt from falling to the ground. There are many different exercises that flyers can do to make sure that their balance is perfect. A flyer also needs to be very flexible to be a successful flyer. The flyer pulls different stretches in the air to keep the crowd entertained; pulling stretches also adds difficulty to the stunt. A flyer also needs to know how to keep their muscles tight in the air; keeping their muscles tight will make them lighter...
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...Most say that cheerleading isn’t a sport but I am about to tell you the difference. There’s cheerleading for the football and basketball teams which is basically just for fun. Honestly when people say cheering isn’t a sport I tell them that sideline, which is when you cheer for football, isn’t a sport but when you compete I and others consider it a sport. Everything you do no matter what sport it is, you should have fun doing it. Friday night games is when you go out there and perform your best for you, your team, and your audience. Cheering for your school football team is the best feeling ever when you can you just be able to go out there and cheer on your team. Being a cheerleader you are usually the football teams number one supporter because we will always be behind them 100 percent win or lose. A cheerleader pretty much represent the school, you are expected to have the most school spirit, represent your school with pride. When you are out in public you definitely need to present yourself well and act right because if you look/act badly out in public someone will call you out on it and then you just represented you, your squad, and your school badly. Competition cheer for the school has to be the best decision I have ever made in my high school career. Walking out on that mat for the first time ever is the most nerve wrecking feeling ever because you want to put your all out there on that mat just for two minutes and thirty seconds of your life. But first you have to...
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...The History of Cheerleading Believe it or not, but cheerleading started in the late 1800’s in Great Britain when people were cheering at competitive sporting events which then spread to the United States of America. In the United States, the first cheerleaders were from a group of six men from Princeton University, which was called the Princeton Pep Club. The man that organized the Princeton Pep Club was Thomas Peebler. Thomas Peebler was a graduate of Princeton University who started a cheer/chant of “Sis Boom Rah”. Cheerleading has come a long since the Princeton Pep Club, but yet it is still not receiving the respect it should be receiving in today’s world. The history of cheerleading over the past century has evolved from six men in the Princeton Pep Club chanting at a football game to one of today’s most popular and difficult sports for both girls and boys. Cheerleading started as a man’s sport and overtime evolved into a sport that is based mainly on females. When people now a days think of cheerleading, they think of girls flaunting around in their short skirt and tight uniform top, but cheerleading began as a male sport. During the year of 1903, at a University of Minnesota football game, there was a group of six males that created a yell squad, which led to a male cheer fraternity called Gamma Sigma (iSport, History of Cheerleading). The Cheerleading State, which consisted of a group of males who led crowd chants during basketball and football games,...
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...English Comp. 2 March 15 2015 Is cheerleading a sport? Somehow everyone is still talking about is cheerleading a sport, I guess they aren’t convinced yet. Cheerleading is something that is active and just about any and everybody can participate in, others think it is not a sport because it is not as active as track, football, and basketball. This sport can give people courage and can bring out the best in you and it can make you feel great inside and make you want to work together with people and as a team just like any other sport. Teamwork is the dream work. Cheerleaders are commonly seen on the sidelines at football and basketball games supporting their teams. Fans just see them as other people supporting their team. However, the cheerleaders have to go through rigorous training and practice all the time to perfect the routines displayed at games. Along with cheering on the sidelines at games, most cheerleading squads participate in heated competitions to show their athleticism. Although it is not officially defined as a sport by the NCAA, it obviously should be for many different reasons. Dictionary.com defines a sport as "an athletic activity that requires physical prowess or skill and often a competitive nature. Cheerleading is defined as” the action and skill of a cheerleader.” So what is a cheerleader? A cheerleader is’ a person who leads spectators in traditional or formal cheering at a pep rally and athletic events. Cheerleading definitely fulfills this criteria...
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...Cheerleading is and very good sport, that has been around for a long time. Cheerleading started in the 1800s. (www.varsity.com,2016))A lot of the people who did cheerleading did it because they really enjoyed it and really took it serious. The people who coached the cheer teams had it good because they didn’t have to make the girls do the things because the girls was all about cheerleading they live, sleep, eat cheerleading. Women/ young lady’s wasn’t allowed to cheer until 1923 which was the first time they can cheer at the university of Minnesota/ u of m. (www.varsity.com,2016). Cheerleading roots are also closely tied to football. During this decade cheerleaders added tumbling, and, acrobatics to their routines (www.varsity.com,2016). “History of cheerleading to say” Cheerleading was really popular when it first came out back in the 1800s. The reason why cheering is so popular know because when it started it was at a university at a football game and the game was showed on television and it made it look pretty and it perfect and it eventually moved to high schools and then they made All Star Teams and cheer teams outside of school. (Http://answers.yahoo.com,2016) At that time only men did cheerleading. (www.varsity.com,2016). Most of everyone that is not in to cheerleading say...
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...workers that compete against other teams. Do you think cheerleading is a sport? I do! Cheerleading requires all of the abilities of a sport. Sports require you to be strong, flexable, and confident. People who are cheerleaders compete just like any other sport and win trophies or medals. According to seventeen.com, cheerleading became an Olympic sport in December 2016. The first Olympic cheerleading competition will be in the summer of 2020. In my own experience, cheerleading is as hard as any other sport. Cheerleaders have to train and work hard to accomplish your there goal in cheerleading. Some people have to lift other people which takes a lot of upper body strength. Then, with these talents you have to put together a two and a half minute dance together. Cheerleaders have to be in sync with there moves which makes it difficult. It is harder than it sounds, because other people on the team have to learn it and remember it. To make the team look good,and they have to be together. Cheerleaders are hard workers. They have a big season through football and basketball. Not only do they cheer at football and basketball games, but also, they have three competitions. Sometimes they go out of state for competitions. They do their dance that they have been...
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...We’ve Got Spirit, Yes We Do! When people hear the term “Cheerleading” they think of preppy girls from the movies, wearing short skirts and being somewhat unintelligent. Research shows that this is simply not the case. Cheerleaders have been around since the 1890s. Some of our most famous presidents have stood on the sidelines, cheering their teams to victory. Franklin D. Roosevelt cheered at Harvard. Ronald Regan cheered for the basketball team at Eureka Collage, and even both Bushes cheered at Yale and Andover (Graff 526). Through the years, the sport of cheerleading has evolved, yet the majority of people still do not consider cheerleading a real sport. In 2010 David Whitley published an article in aolnews.com stating that “Just because you work hard at something or just because there is a risk of injury involved does not make it [cheerleading] a sport.” Although schools and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) do not consider cheerleaders as athletes, they make them abide by the same rules and safety guidelines of all other recognized sports (historyofcheerleading.com). Cheerleaders have some of the same concepts of gymnastics, and gymnastics is considered a sport. The perceptions of Whitley and the NCAA as well as many others are reasonable to some; however, it is my belief that cheerleading is a real sport. Cheerleading like any other sport requires an enormous amount of strength and agility, grueling hours of practice, and extreme dedication. Cheerleaders...
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...Cheerleading has been around for years, whether it was to cheer for a sports team or to compete in competitions. People have argued for many years debating whether or not cheer is a sport. Most agree, but there will always be the group who disagree. Cheer is very competitive, so why would it not be. Cheerleading is a sport because of how physically demanding it is, the risk people take, and how much time is used for practice. Cheerleading is a physically demanding sport. First, cheerleading is a sport that needs a lot of muscle. Cheer is not just a sport where cheerleaders stand and chant. In cheer, the cheerleaders have to be capable of lifting girls of 90 lbs and up, without muscle, no one would be able to do that. Without correct physical training, cheerleaders would not be able to lift up the girls, so the show/performance would not look exciting....
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...Cheerleading has changed a lot over the years and is no longer what people think it is. It isn’t shaking pompoms around and yelling to the crowd anymore. What do you think of when you think of a sport? Many people begin to think of rigorous competition between two teams. As for cheerleading, it doesn’t often get considered a sport because a lot of people think just because they’re not scoring against other cheer teams, it can’t be considered a sport. Some people may be asking their selves, “What’s the big deal with cheerleading not being a sport?” Well since some schools don’t consider cheerleading being a sport, they don’t require a lot of equipment. More recognized sports get safer equipment, medical care, certified coaches, and longer practice times. At some schools, just because they think cheerleading doesn’t require physical activity, cheerleading doesn’t get much safety equipment, but cheerleading should be considered a sport because it’s physically demanding, requires teamwork, and involves rough competition. The main reason people think cheerleading isn’t a sport is because...
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...When most people hear the word “cheerleading,” they think of teenage girls walking around school in their uniforms, and doing cheers while walking down the halls, right? Well, normally, that’s only in movies. Thankfully, the group I myself take part in is a competitive, extreme, sport. Don’t think of it as just a ‘hobby’ truly, people dedicate their time and lives to this sport. Honestly, it all matters on which group of cheer you join. Cheerleading originally started in 1898 when a student decided to cheer on their team at a football game. A student with the name Johnny Campbell, gathered a group together to start yelling and cheering for their team. People often say cheerleading is ‘girly’. Believe it or not, after cheerleading became an official sport, this was a sport only men were allowed to participate in. It wasn’t until 1923 that women were allowed to take part in this sport. (Site Page) Why exactly is cheerleading not considered a sport? The Women's Sports Foundation makes it clear that “any physical activity in which relative performance can be judged or qualified can be developed into a competitive sport.” (site page) Cheerleading meets all the athletic specifications too. It must be a “...physical activity which involves propelling a mass through space or overcoming the resistance of mass. ‘Contesting’ or competing against/with an...
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...Cheerleading is a Sport. Priscilla Scott Eng. /102 1/31/2013 Vicki Lynn Samson Imagine bright lights, screaming fans and the floor vibrating beneath your feet. It is neither a football game nor a basketball game- it is a National Cheerleading Championship. Thousands of competitive cheerleaders around the country practice all year round to compete in the Nationals. In a large arena, surrounded by ESPN cameras, their hundreds of hours of grueling practice come down to how well they perform their two-and-a-half minute routine. The slightest mistake by any member of the team and their dreams of awarded "Champions" vanish. Most people confuse the girls and boys who yell chants such as "Go, Team Go!", or "Rah, Rah, Rah" to the crowd at sporting events, with the true athletes of competitive cheerleading. Cheering at sporting events is an activity in most school curricula, which is not a sport. However, because many people have not been introduced to competitive cheerleading, a true sport, they are led to believe that this type of chanting encompasses all forms of cheerleading. Although, the NCAA has not formally recognized cheerleading as a sport, competitive cheerleading is and should be considered a sport. Many people confuse sideline cheerleading with competitive cheerleading. Sideline cheerleading is an activity in which an individual cheers for a team. Sideline cheerleading consists of simple cheers where the crowd can cheer along with. It is fun and non-...
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...In the 7th grade, I decided to branch out of my comfort zone and try something new. This thing was definitely out of my “norm”. I’m used to kicking a muddy ball around a field or sliding through the rough dirt and pebbles to home plate. But that year I was determined to be spontaneous and give cheerleading my best shot. I know when almost anyone thinks of cheerleading they think of the generic American movies, Bring it on. I only know this because it is exactly what I always thought of too but it is extremely different than what Universal Pictures glamour’s it up to be and right from the start it was a whole new world than anything than I have ever set my mind to before. We practiced for the majority of the week and would eventually,...
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...Many people do not understand what cheerleading consists of. A lot of people think that one kind of cheerleading can be considered a sport but other ones are not able to be a sport a high school cheerleader, an all-star cheerleader, or a college cheerleader are all cheerleaders. Cheerleaders are very hard workers who a lot of times are told that what they do is not a sport by any means. The American Medical Association thinks that cheerleading should be considered a sport (Bonesteel, 2014). A sport is an athletic activity requiring skill or physical expertise and often in a competitive nature (Dictionary.com, nd). Now cheerleading is a highly competitive sport that consists of a high level of athleticism (Lennison, 2012). This can really hurt anyone’s confidence in what they are doing. Cheerleading should be considered a sport because of how much work needs to be put into it and how easy it is to get injured.Cheerleaders put in many hours of work for only a two and a half minute performance. They also are in something that is thankless, whether it is cheering for a team or competing there is not a lot of respect shown to them. Cheerleaders have to work hard for where they are at, they had to earn the spot on the team they were not just handed it. Even after...
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