Is Cheerleading a Sport?

yat our school they think the same thing!!!!!!!!! The pta won’t even pay 4 uniforms!!!! AND CHEERLEADING IS A SPORT!!!! just remember… athlethes lift wheights, cheerleaders lift athletes!!

I love to cheer, but it is most definately not a sport.

Keep in mind:
1. There is no offence or defense in cheerleading
2. It is impossible to administer points without a judge (it can’t just be played)
3. There is no interaction between different teams
4. A routine is predetermined. There is no way that the outcome of the routine will be any different than it is planned to be.

So although cheerleading is intense exercize and takes a lot of skill, it is not a sport.

WILL NOT RECOGNIZE CHEERLEADING AS A SPORT UNTIL TOTAL STANDARDIZATION OF RULES.ONE SET OF RULES FOR ALL.

Rachel – I guess you would then not consider Ice Skating, Gymnastics, Swimming, Running, Snowboarding, Skiing, Ski jumping, Bob sledding (etc) sports. In these sports there is no offense or defense, there has to be a judge or timer to admin points – now on to your other #’s, you for sure are not talking about All-Star cheer because there is a lot of interaction between all the teams and routines get changed on the day of competition all the time with new girls learning the routine right before they go onstage in order to replace a team member that is injured. The routine may be “pre-determined” but the outcome can always be different than what it is planned, a stunt can get dropped, a girl can fall, lots can happen!
Joe – for allstar cheer there is a set of rules for all that compete, they are governed by the USASF (United States All Star Federation) that oversees all competitions, all sponsors, all gyms that compete and makes all the rules that we compete by.

I have to totally agree with CHEER GIRL! How can you say cheerleading is not a sport, just because it has offense or defense doesn’t say anything about it not being a sport! I guess golf isn’t a sport either, because not only does it not have an offense or defense it sure doesn’t have any type of physical demand like your so called REAL sports do! I think everyone here should think before they speak. Cheeleading is definitely not easy and not everyone can do it. Believe me I am a coach I see it all the time. And with that said CHEERLEADING is definitely in the sports category!

my brothers and i get in this arguement everyday! cheer is most defiantly a sport. i myself am a cheerleader and everyday after practice im sweating my butt off! just because we dont do what the ohter “main sports”(hockey{my brothers play}, football, baseball, soccer, basketball) do, doesnt mean anything. guys dont understand because they dont actually do it. and girls, SUPPORT A SISTA!

Cheering is a sport because when you throw girls in the air you really must catch them just like in baseball when you throw a ball someones there to catch it! If you don’t thing cheer leading is a sport you must be mental!

NO CHEERLEADING IS NOT A SPORT, NO RULES….
NO SPORT.

EVERY OTHER SPORT HAS A SET OF RULES, CHEERLEADING UMMMM I THINK NOT…

GOLF HAS RULES, CHEER DOSEN’T…. SO BITE ME.

ummmmm…… well i think cheerleading is a sport because in competition cheer we go against other teams and get judged in front of tons of people.we have to lift weights, and poeple, dance, tumbling (flips) and all sorts and things!!! if you think it isnt a sport then your a freak!!!!!!!! and there are rules.

in any other sport if you drop the ball all you miss is the catch. in cheerleading if you miss the catch you could kill someone!!!!!

Well, Jackson…just because you don’t know the rules..or don’t know there are rules..doesn’t make you right! I have been coaching cheerleading for 20 years. Altough cheerleading has changed from an extra curricular activity to a sport over those years, it is a SPORT! This is not my opinion, it is a sport and is recognized as a sport in my state, SC, and in the World.
In SC the high school cheerleaders compete at regional and state events, and because it is a sport they are only allowed to compete at the state level just like the football, basketball and other sports at school. The band and the dance team however are allowed to compete or perform outside the state because they are not a sport.
Cheerleading involves much skill, and technique. It is not something you know, it is something you are taught by an professional instructor who knows the rules of the sport in motion, jumps, stunts, pyramid building, tumbling, and dance.
If you don’t follow the rules, you lose.
They is a winner, there are losers…and there are rules, and strengh and knowledge about the game is important to winning! Cheerleading is a sport…Get over it!

Well, Cheer gym owner/ director, if it is a known, proven fact that cheering is a sport, then what is this whole conversation for? Since you proabbly have more experience, people are going to take you serious, but i most certainly am not. People who cheer and think it is a sport, obviously only say that because they can’t play anything else. I am the captain of the soccer, basketball, and lacrosse teams in my high school, and those are sports. You need to be physically fit and fast. Now i may be wrong about other schools but in my school, the cheerleaders suck. Everyone hates them and they got “booed” at the pep rally. I mean, COME ON!! Waving your hands in the air doesn’t take much. And i especially hate when people say “If cheerleading was any easier, it would be called football…” Like, are you joking? Football is so intense and my boyfriend is on the football team and he has to run, and lift weights, and work nonstop from the morning to night. Cheerleaders are just ridiculousy annoying. They come to school with their skirts up around their butt, and their fat stomach hanging out, flirting with the football players. GET THE PICTURE GIRLS, they don’t like you! They make fun of you. If people think that cheering is a sport, then they are obviously dillusional. IT IS NOT A SPORT!!

cheerleading is sooooo a sport!!!!!!!!

cheerleading=stregth and effort!
i am a cheerleader and i haqve been doing it since i wuz 8 iam 15 now so i have been doing it for 7 years! cheerleading is everything!

i most definately think cheerleading is a sport
there is competetion between squads, a few people at my school dont think its a sport either but it totally is. I got so inshape from cheerleading had the funnest time of my life in it. I dont see how people can think cheering isn’t a sport because it is!

okay..whoever said that there arnt rules is insane. There are so many rules to cheerleading because we dont just jump around and scream…we lift other people and girls that fly, base and backspot need to make sure that they are following UCA or NCA regulations if the competition is a uca or an nca comp. This is rediculous, everyone who doesnt cheer and wants to argue says that cheerleading is not a sport, and just like most things in life you dont know it if u dont do it so for all the cheerleaders out there we know that all the blood, sweat, tears, broken bones, sprained fingers and dropped stunts are for a purpose. We put up with all the drama because we are athletes with a little attitude. Cheerleading is a sport so everyone else who says its not can take a walk for themselves

To Sydney M.,
You clearly dont know much about cheerleading if you think that all we do is ‘wave our hands in the air’ becuase that is completely wrong. At my school, we run a mile before every practice. After that mile, we work hard learning new routines to perform in front of tons of people. And we stunt, one of the most challenging things to do. Having to hold someone in the air, making sure they dont fall, and that you move on the right counts all on the same time is difficult. Just because you may be captain of all those ’sports teams’ doesnt make you any better than a cheerleader.

I have played almost every single sport before. And Now im a cheerleader.
And i must say i put much more time and effort and strength into this sport. I learn more skills and i never learned in basketball, softball, volleyball, and track. We condition harder, and practice more.
WE Have games! They are just called competitions.
Even a girl whos amazing at EVERY sport at our high school, came to one of our gymnastics and CRIED.
In cheerleading we do soo much and strive to be better.
If its not a sport, than what is?

Any time anyone thinks cheerleading is not a sport, come to my practices. Cheerleading is the #1 injury causing sport in girls 10 to 18 years of age. Standing on the sidelines doing nothing is due to poor coaching…. See ya at Nationals…

me again cheerleading is a sport wheather you like it or not and everyone in my family agrees with me and its not just because i am a cheerleader cuz if i wasn’t a cheerleadeer they would still think it is a sport!!! and also i am a cheerleader and i am 100% not dillusinal, and who ever agrees with me YOU ROCK and who ever dosn’t YOU DON’T ROCK!!! enough said!!! Maybe:-)

CHEERLEADING IS DEFINITELY A SPORT. THE THING THAT REALLY SUX ABOUT CHEERLEADING, IS THAT IT IS SOMEONE’S OPINION. IN BASKETBALL, IF YOU SHOOT A BALL IN THE HOOP, THAT’S 2 POINTS AUTOMATICALLY. IN FOOTBALL, IF YOU RUN ALL THE WAY TO THE END OF THE FIELD, IT IS AND IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE 6 POINTS, A TOUCHDOWN. IF IT IS SOOOO EASY AND ANYONE COULD DO IT, THEN EVERYBODY WHO SUCKS IN AIR SHOULD BE CHEERLEADERS. U RUN TO BUILD ENDURANCE, STRETCH TO BECOME MORE FLEXIBLE,AND LIFT WEIGHTS TO BUILD STRENGTH. IF YOUR BASES DONT HAVE STRENGTH THEN THEY WONT BE ABLE TO THROW THEIR FLYER IN A NICE BASKET TOSS. IF THE FLYER ISNT FLEXIBLE, THEN THE TOE TOUCH SHE OR HE DOES WONT LOOK UP TO PAR. IF THE WHOLE SQUAD DOESNT HAV THE ENDURANCE THEY NEED, THEN THEY WILL PASS OUT BEFORE THEY COMPLETE THEIR 2 AND A HALF MINUTE LONG ROUTINE. IT DOESNT SOUND LONG BUT ONCE U HAVE EXPERIENCED IT THEN U WILL OBVIOUSLY KNOW WAT IM TALKING ABOUT. IF U ARE A CHEERLEADER, ESPECIALLY AN ALL-STAR CHEERLEADER OR COMPETITION CHEERLEADER, THERE IS NO WAY U CAN BUILD A STUNT WITHOUT THE PROPER TECHNIQUE OR ANY OF THE POINTS DISCUSSED ABOVE.
AND TO SYDNEY M. JUST BECAUSE U CLAIM UR SCHOOL’S CHEERLEADERS SUCK, DOESNT MEAN THAT FOR THE MILLIONS OF CHEERLEADERS AROUND THE WORLD. IT SHOWS HOW EDUCATED YOU ARE ABOUT THE SPORT. YES, I SAID SPORT BECAUSE IT IS. AND IN MY SCHOOL CHEERLEADERS ALSO PARTICIPATE IN MORE THAN JUST CHEERLEADING. EVERYONE ON MY SQUAD EITHER RUNS TRACK, PLAY TENNIS, PLAYS BASEBALL OR SOCCER, AND U CAN EVEN PLAY BASKETBALL AND CHEERLEADING AT THE SAME TIME! IN CHEERLEADING U ALSO HAVE TO BE PHYSICALLY FIT AND BE FAST. U HAV TO DO A JUMP SEQUENCE, TUMBLING SEQUENCE, GROUP CHEER, ANOTHER CHEER TO INCLUDE THE CROWD, STUNTS, AND DANCE ALL IN UNDER 3 MIN. ON TOP OF THAT U MUST HAVE A SMILE ON YOUR FACE,SHOW LOTS OF ENERGY AND BE AS LOUD AS U CAN. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE U THROW A CHEERLEADER PERFECTLY IN THE AIR, WITH A PERMANENT SMILE, AND NOT PASS OUT.CHEERLEADING IS ALSO INTENSE AND REQUIRES ALOT OF DEDICATION AND THE MAIN THING, TEAMWORK. YALL MUST HAVE THE WACKEST PEP RALLIES TO GO DOWN IN HISTORY BECAUSE OUR SCHOOL CANT WAIT TO SEE US PERFORM. WE HAV A DJ AND EVERYTHING. IF IT WERENT FOR CHEERLEADERS, THE CROWD OR TEAM WOULDNT BE SO ENTHUSED ABOUT A GAME OR EVENT. HMMM, I WONDER Y THERE ARE ALOT OF COLLEGES OFFERING CHEERLEADERS FULL RIDES TO THEIR COLLEGES. I CAN SEE THAT U R JUS BRAINWASHED BECAUSE OF THE WAY U SAY THE CHEERLEADERS AT UR SCHOOL ACT. THAT IS ONE REASON Y PEOPLE THAT THINK LIKE U, THINK THE THINGS THEY DO ABOUT CHEERLEADERS. AND NO I AM NOT DILLUSIONAL. AND JUST BECAUSE U ARE CAPTAIN OF ALL OF THOSE SPORTS TEAMS DOESNT MEAN THAT U R ABOVE OR BETTER THAN CHEERLEADERS. WE WORK AS HARD AS U DO ON THOSE TEAMS, I THINK EVEN HARDER.
RACHEL, THERE ARE SPECIFIC RULES U MUST FOLLOW IN ORDER TO WIN. YOU MAY NOT CONSIDER THEM RULES BECAUSE, I DONT KNOW, BUT, U R OBVIOUSLY NOT A COMPETITION CHEERLEADER. YES, A ROUTINE IS PREVIOUSLY DETERMINED. HOW ARE U GOING TO BE ABLE TO PERFORM WITHOUT A PREVIOUSLY DETERMINED ROUTINE. U MIGHT AS WELL NOT SHOW UP THAT DAY. AND SO MANY THINGS CAN GO WRONG. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT U WILL PERFECTLY STICK IT ON THE MAT. I HOPE U KNOW WAT THAT MEANS SINCE U ARE A CHEERLEADER. WE DIDNT KNOW THAT ONE OF OUR FLYERS WOULD CRADLE BEFORE THE REST OF THE FLYERS WOULD DURING OUR STUNT ROUTINE. YET, WE STILL WON THE VHSL EASTERN DISTRICT CHEERLEADING COMPETITION IN VIRGINIA IN 2006. DUH U CANT PLAY CHEERLEADING. IT’S CALLED COMPETING.
JOE RUDINSKI AND JACKSON UR JUS STRAIGHT UP NOT LITERATE. EDUCATE YOURSELF FIRST.
AND ANYONE WHO AGREES OR DISAGREES WITH MY COMMENTS I WOULD LOVE TO HERE FROM U EXPEDITIOUSLY JUST EMAIL ME AT kunfoozd1@yahoo.com

cheerleading is a sport because you have rules and certain stunt & levels .like right now on my all star squad were level 3 cause we have tumbling .

come on!!!! if bowling is considered a sports , why wouldnt cheerleading be consider a sport!!!!!!!!?!?!?!?!?! and for those who say that its a way for girls to get guys , well cheerleading is not only for girls, it was originated as a male thing but over the years it has become more popular for girls.

Cheereleading is DEFIENTALY a SPORT!! we work hard to get to a certain level just like other teams, we work hard to beat our opponents. My high school considered cheerleading a sport and i now cheer on my college competitve cheer team, and they also consider it a sport. I mean come on if Poker is considered a sport and is televised on ESPN, why dont peopl think cheerleading is a sport? Clearly we work wayyyyyy harder than poker players!

cheerleading is a sport.
it may not be a sport to some people, but it is to me.
cheerleading takes a lot. some people think its so easy. but its not.
cheerleading isnt all about cheering like at school. they have compitetion cheer. too.
you have to have the right skils to be a cheerleader. just like you have to have the right skills to be a football player or soccer player. not everyone can left people over there heads. or do a toetouch basket toss.
so to me cheerleading is a sport. )

Let me just say I am not a cheerleader and never was. For the most part I consider it to be a sport, but someone said something that kind of bothered me. They said not everyone can do cheerleading. I know cheerleading is hard work and it takes a lot of effort and strength, but I am pretty sure if I set out to be a good cheerleaderm I am going to do it! I really do not think others should say someone can’t do something. At my school there were no tryouts because there weren’t enough girls to make tryouts but a lot of those girls have never been a cheerleader before and all of them did fine! Besides everyone can become good at something if they practice!

CHEERLEADING IS A SPORT!Cheerleading is a sport because we do have 1 SET OF RULES lets see everyone that says its not throw a girl 7 feet in the air or be the girl that can do a flip in the hair or a full. Don’t tell me that doesn’t take skill and effort we train and we do much more then stand on the sidelines and look hot. cheerleading includes chants cheers routines jumps tumbing floorwork gymnastics parter stunts and dance. yet again a sport has to have 1 SET OF RULES i think cheerleading does! IN JUST ABOUT EVERY PRACTICE YOU WILL HAVE BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS! GIRLS BUT THERE HEARTS AND SOULS INTO CHEERING! AND WE DO HAVE 1 SET OF RULES THERE Jackson.. hun there are rules for every type of division! THANKS YOU VERY MUCH!!!! =]

cheerleading can be two different things. there’s competitive cheering, and then there is cheering on the sidelines. i do both. cheering along the sidelines going yaaay team is definitely not a sport. yeah its physical, but the definition of a sport is not just putting fourth effort to do something. that would make getting out of bed in the morning a sport. on the other hand, competitive cheering is a sport. just like any other sport, we compete, we practice, and there is a very large rule book. for those of you who think cheering is easy, you try it. and for those of you who think cheer isnt a sport bcuz its only girls… no no no. first of all, cheer started out with all guys. oh and fun fact, george w bush was a cheerleader =]

ummm….whoever says cheerleading is not a sport is totally phsycho….id like to see you so called “sport” players do the splits while being thrown in the air 7feet, or do a round off back hand spring tuck….dont know what that is look it up. And i even do basketball, track, vollyball, and softball….so cheerleaders can do that stuff to….

First… You go cheercutie… YOU Rock!
Second… It’s ok, Giovonni… calm down.

Now we can all admit Competitive Cheerleading is hard work. And (good) cheerleaders have to be athletic and physically fit (the cheerleaders at my high school were very much like those at Sydney M.’s). But what everyone is ignoring is the definition of “sport”. Sport is not defined by point systems, location, or even by your competition. Sport, in its ideal form, is a non-violent competition between two or more entities (team or individual) in which superior physical skill (however it is measured) determines a clearly defined “winner”.

It’s a simple conditional problem.

1) Can one entity compete against another?
Yes, teams of cheerleaders do compete with each other.

2) Is a winner determinable?
Yes… even if determinable isn’t a word.

3) Is the winner determined based on physical skill?
Yes. Well… ideally. As I understand: judges determine the winner (possibly along with other incorruptible means).

oh man. well i am a cheerleader and i have two different opinions. if you are a cheerleader then you will of course believe that what you do is a sport. not everyone believes the same things and you cant always change someones mind. if you believe that it is a sport, believe it and never change your mind. but if you dont, then believe that too. dont just sit here and argue with people about it, just believe what you want to believe, thats how life works.

i have this fight with people in my school about everyday and it does get annoying but i dont get too upset about it. just let it go and dont worry about what people say to you.

so all in all, if you believe that it is a sport, believe it. if you dont, then thats your opinion.

just let people do what they do and say what they say and think what they think, stop fighting about it and leave it alone.

oh, and also…

i believe that sideline cheerleading is not a sport because all you are doing is cheering for the team that is competing, you are not doing the competition yourself. but competition on the other hand, everything that people are saying is true. you compete against people and you work your butt off to win.

haha there ya go!

ok for those of you who say cheerleading has no set of rules….are you kidding me?!?!?!?! cheerleading probably has the most rules of any sport!!!! in fact if a cheerleader or a team were to break the rules by any fraction, they would be disqualified in a second.

grrrr..
i have been doing cheerleading my whole entire life and seriously, compared to basketball, track and volleyball, all sports that i have done, cheerleading was by far the most difficult and still is. and i have done competitive and now im on a high school team that competes. its the most challenging thing ive ever done.

Me and my sister Kai agrees with you! Our school doesn’t consider cheerleading a sport! We lift athletes and we also get scored at cheerleading competitions! Just because we don’t have an offense or defense doesn’t declassify us as a sport! We try-out for the cheerleading squad just like the football team does! We have a coach and we life weights just like the football team and b-ball team does! So the next time you think cheerleading is not a sport analyze it carefully!!

~Kai & Asherz

I think cheerleading is a sport…there are rule to cheeleading. If you think it’s not a sport your mental. In cheerleading you can also get hurt just like in any other sport but when you get hurt in cheerleading most of the time it’s worse then what other sports get depending on how you get hurt. I agree with everyone that says it is a sport…I love cheerleading it’s my life and I think it is a sport

xoxo
Ashley Nicole

I don’t think that half of you even know the definition of a sport. Most of you should look it up before you post on here. Competitive cheer leading is, with out a doubt, a sport. It meets all of the requirements of a sport and then some. Sideline cheer leading, however, is up for debate. It technically meets all but one requirement; competition. So whether or not is a sport comes down to how you define competition. If you could convince people that the objective of sideline cheer leading is to get your fans more riled up than the other team and could truly measure how riled up fans are, then sideline cheer leading would meet all the criteria of a sport. And if not, then its back to arguing, most of which is uneducated and ignorantly stated.

Cheerleading is so a sport me and my Brothers get in this fight all the time. My brothers plays soccer and football. He thinks that cheerleading is not a sprot he thinks it is just 2 get guys but its not. Every year we have a compition. If u have a compition it is a sport.

ok cheerleading is a sport and let me ask all this question what is a sport let me give u the definition an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature dont beive me go to http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sport and i believe cheerleading goes under all of them and as it says all of then do not need to make it a sport so ha and doesnt say anything about rules lifting wieghts offense and defense nothing about that in the OFFICAL DEFINITION OF SPORT for a noun

uh,jackson, i completely disagree with you, there are rules, in high school you cannot do alot of stuff, like take your hands off of your flyer, flyers can’t go head over heels in the air, you can’t do rewinds or any fun stuff, if you get caught breaking these rules, the cheer team gets benched for the rest of the year.

in the big book of sports, cheerleading wasn’t in it. Some of ya’ll say its a sport because its hard. So is digging a ditch but no one watches ditch digging on sportscenter. if it was a sport it would probably be on sportscenter or in the olympics. but its not. if cheerleading is a sport so is sitting in the stands cheering on your team

hey this is courtney i think i agree with you rachel ithink cheerleading is a sport because we do lots of stuff. and we flip. and some people cant do that. so yeah soe people say its not a sport they say that because they know that they could never make it through all the stuff that we do?

Okay, i can see both peoples side of this..
i have been a cheerleader for 12 years, im 16.
i cheer for my school, and competitively , adn i coach a optimist team.
Cheerleading can be considered a sport. Only if you do it competively or maybe college.
Anywhere that actually goes to competitions. School cheer is hard sometimes but nothing compared to national competitions. I know some schools are really good but its only school cheer. I mean you cheer other people on to victory (or to lose) not any skill there. maybe if you do very complex routines for pep rallies. but face it, school cheer sucks. GO JAGUAR CHEER ACADEMY.!!!!!

cheerleading is so a sport!!!! you have to train, you have to memorize, and it so does have rules!!! in competition you cant just go throwing a Single based split catch. its agenst the RULES!!

OMGG it deff is. i have cheered for 9 years my squad works there butt off we work just as hard as guys playin basketball. it pisses me off wen ppl say its not. and we get one chance at comps basketball players get like 72 chances to improve we get 1 1 mess up were done

uhm yyeh all yu needa shut yu mouth cheerleading is a sport ; if we drop suumone they could die so how are yu qunna tell me that cheerleading isnt a spoort . and sydney m. said tht our butts show ; uhm yeh yu can shuut up becasue yur just jellous becasue yur probly fat ; adn yu could never fit in to a cheerleading uniform . so yeh SHUT UP and ii kno im like 13 but yeh i have been cheering since i was 3 ; so yeh 10 years almost . so who ever thinkd cheerleading isent a sport is dumb .

all u ppls should shut up ! cheerleading is ssooooooooooooo a sport ! people can like die .so all u haters who say its not a sport… SHUT UP !!!!!

ummmmmm sydney m obviisly dont no nothing about cheerleading most cheerleaders r skinny as anything nd not everyonehates us cuz were cheerleaders they hate us cuz there jealous of us im 13 nd ive been cheering since i nwas 3 so i would think i would no alittle more then u would sooo do me a favor sydney nd shut upp!!!!!!!!
ok if u say its not a sport cuz it needs judges to be played whoooo cares alot of SPORTS DOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!if weeeee dropp sumone they could die no lieeeeeee its a serious SPORT nd it is oneeeeee nd im gettin sick of every one tellin me tht it aint a sport nd anyone can do it then u get ur lazy butts up nd be a cheerleader

I love to cheer, but it is most definately not a sport.

Keep in mind:
1. There is no offence or defense in cheerleading
2. It is impossible to administer points without a judge (it can’t just be played)
3. There is no interaction between different teams
4. A routine is predetermined. There is no way that the outcome of the routine will be any different than it is planned to be.

So although cheerleading is intense exercize and takes a lot of skill, it is not a sport.

no offense , but that comment is so wrong
1.There is no offense or defense in wrestling, golf and or gymnastics and they are all considered sports
2. At all cheerleading competition there is a panel of at least five judges adminstering points
3. There is no full contact interaction between teams but you are clearly competing against them such as in sports like track gymnastics and such
4. The rountine is pre-determined however, things such as stunts falling and tumbling not being hit can certainly go wrong and never be determined

and btw cheerleading is considered the most dangerous sport for woman athletes

http://www.livescience.com/health/080811-cheerleading-injuries.html

haha ok you people seriously are messed up. No cheerleding is not considered a sport, and honestly i don’t think it should be. You can’t just sit there and say cheerleadings a sport because you think it’s hard cause you have to lift people. Um last time i checked theres like 3 people lifting one, one hundred pound chick. BIG WOOP. In every other sport you have to think quik, especially soccer. In cheering everythings planned out, and the outcomes allways final. which if you dont mind me saying.. is gay. Cheering can’t be “played”. it’s not a game. You have to coordinate moves and dance. Yeah… i don’t really call that a game especially since you can’t “play” it with another opponet or without a freakin judge. Im sorry if i’m offending anyone, yes cheerleaders are great athletes but no cheerleading is not a sport.

just you tube level 5 cheer……. because these girls/boys are more athletic and in better shape than your average high school sports…. cheerleading is all about entertaining and having intense skills… i really only consider competitve cheerleading a sport

cheerleading is not a sport its a bunch of girls who think they r better than the rest of the other girls soooooo shut up about it being a sport

thus it is a sport… than shall it be contact sport?

http://sports.espn.go.com/highschool/rise/news/story?id=3864291

cheerleading is NOT a sport. it is just dancers and gymnasts gone retarted. Gymnastics is a sport though because ITS IN THE OLYMPICS! HA and i dont care what all you perky cheerleaders that think they are all that have to say about it. so like the other person said BITE ME

NO CHEERLEADING IS NOT A SPORT, NO RULES….
NO SPORT.

EVERY OTHER SPORT HAS A SET OF RULES, CHEERLEADING UMMMM I THINK NOT…

GOLF HAS RULES, CHEER DOSEN’T…. SO BITE ME.

to who ever wrote thattt
there is most deff a rule book.. its hugeee so get a life cause cheer is a sport

if cheer was easy, they’d call it football. (:

Okay, we are two high school cheerleaders. And both of us believe that cheerleading is a sport. And to Sabina:) to your little comment about “3 people lifting one” I hate to have to inform you that there are single base stunts, where one person lifts another person. Also your reference to “one hundred pound chick” yet again you are wrong..of every flyer on our team none of them weigh less than 120. Single stunts a girl weighing 130 picking up one weighin 120..yeah how bout you give that a try? Nowwww… as for #1 football player..as for cheerleaders thinkin they are better than other girls i believe that is a matter of opnion..what you choose to believe about cheerleaders is on you.. all in all every girl no matter if they are a cheerleader or not is going to think they are better than other girls.. now down to the point.. the state in which we reside relys on a RULE BOOK made by TSSAA.. Breaking a rule for cheerleaders, just like basketball players, results in suspension.. cheerleaders are toned and fit.. we do working out than most every ‘athlete’ in our school system.. we comete against other squads as well as cheering our teams on.. and as for us being annoying.. not everyone thinks such.. like to say that happens to also be a matter of opnion.. scoring systems? yes we have them.. and they are on a way harder scale.. do one thing wrong it could cost a competition.. and in stunting do one thing wrong.. it could cost a life.. so you can hate cheerleaders if you’d like and believe whatever you please.. but while you sit there and discuss it.. we’ll be practicing for the next win! we wont loose any sleep! (: byyyeeee

Bunch of things to say so this could take a while. First I am a guy cheerleader at my high school. (No I am not gay although a lot of the guys are) We just got fourth at state and my team does collegiate level stunts so I know fairly well what I am talking about.

1. Cheerleading is a sport and to the idiot who brought up that it is not in the Olympics, it will be in the next one so shut up and thank you for bringing that topic up.

2. Here is one of the definitions of the noun “sport” taken off the dictionary.com website
“an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.”

3. For those who say it does not have rules there are rules as I am about to show.
The AACCA has a set of guidelines which are for safety alone.
Ex. No tumbling with more than 1 full twist.
(That is high school rules right there)
There are also rules for the private teams known as All-Star teams and then there are collegiate level rules.

4. I will give you a brief outline of my coed team’s routine from hell.
We start with a motion sequence then go into partner stunting which is one guy hold one girl in the air. (We do walk up extensions) Next is group stunts and some more partner stunts (these ones are assisted toss libs) Then a set of three basket tosses and tumbling. After that some standing tumbling and then some more running tumbling. A jumps sequence and then the dance portion.

In that routine I do 3 stunts 2 passes of round off-flip flop-back, standing back, standing flip flop, and 7 jumps (3 in a row in one section)

I would love see a football player with half my freakin skill. Lets see those guys do a standing back and then go stunt and then do it 2 more times with no break.

5. Someone made the comment of 3 people lifting up one girl. You try being the flying that is balancing on a set of small hands and that are constantly moving around. (Basically liking standing during a medium to large size earthquake.)

6. People are making comments about the athleticism involved. For guys we lift weights 4 to 5 days a week to get strong enough for partner stunting and we also have to learn tumbling which is a whole hell of a lot harder basketball. (Try this sequence which I saw one guy do the other day. Round off-flip flop-full-flip flop-full.)

7. There are some points I will agree on such as the sideline cheerleaders. That is not a sport that is a bunch of people yelling plain and simple.

8. I’m gonna give an overview of how we get graded in high school cheerleading at a competition.
A. 10 sections each worth ten points (10.00
1. Points awarded based on difficulty and how well it was executed.
B. Deductions for screwing up.
1. If you touch down on tumbling its half a point or a flyer land on her stomache or hits the floor and there a ton of other one.
C. Legalities
1. If a team does something that is not allowed in the routine they take off 5 points from the score. (Considering that 3 years ago we lost state by .01 that’s huge.)

8. A bunch of people have been commenting about how the routine is organized and arranged before hand. That has very little to do with the outcome. If each routine is perfect then the pre-choreographed routine has a big influence but that never happens. Each time that it is performed it is different. While on the subject of learning things before hand what about football plays. Try playing football without them same thing for cheerleading.

9. A girl attempted to sue the school for injuries sustained during a cheerleading accident. The court ruled that the cheerleading is a contact sport and that as such there was no way for the school to be sued.

10. For those that think that no effort is involved there will be many a time when cheerleaders will come off the floor and throw up because their bodies couldn’t handle the workout. One hard routine is equivalent sprinting as hard as you can for the same amount of time if not harder. The amount of fast twitch muscles involved is huge.

11. For danger involved of deaths that have occurred because of sports in the last 20 year roughly 2/3rds of them have been from cheerleading.
Ex. Throwing girl 15 to 20 in the air and then landing on neck.

12. Check out this link to watch a all-star team perform and then imagine trying to do that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrtrlnR2xwU

I will quickly list a few points.
Only about half of sports have offense or defense
Many sports including gymnastics are judge based
Another large group of sports have only a little bit of interaction between teams
Etc. Etc.

If you have any questions post them and I’ll check this site every few days.
(If you think I’m a fag for being a guy and doing cheerleading just know that while you’re paying off college bills 20 years down the road I’ll be getting a full ride to a division one school.)

There were probable things I missed or went over multiple times, sorry about but it’s late at night and I’m tired.

YES IT IS!!!!

OK so cheer is definetly a sport. i am gonna join my BFFs teen nxt year. she works SO HARD!!!!! lyk 2 tumbling practices 2 stunt practices 1 open gym and one comp all in ONE WEEK. so if u think cheer isnt a sport, think bout this- ya sure sideline cheering takes effort and stuff, but its not an official sport. but all star cheer is SO a sport. u can come 2 one of my stunt tumble practices and do wat i do. can u do a round off back handspring or a full layout? didnt think so. cheer is WAY harder than it looks it takes alot to do a back tuck ITS NOT SIMPLE! and whoever thinks were just preppy snobs in short skirts needs a MAJOR reality check! reply if u dissagree. (btw i have done cheer 4 a long time)

OH MY LORDY!!
CHEERLEADING IS TOOO A SPORT!!
IT HAS RULES!!
YOUR SUPPERR STRONG!!
IT TAKES A LOT OF STAMINA!!
YOU HAVE TO BE SMART!!

have you ever tryed it? hmm?

there are rules you have to follow in cheerleading so there for it is a sport

okay all i have to say it who care who thinks its a sport or not. Honestly if you do not think its a sport then quit complaining about the people that do, becuase obveously it does not matter to you either way. I may self am a cheelreader and im tierd of hearing people argue about it. No what we do out on the floor at basketball games is not a sport, you are right, but when we go to competitons and compete against other teams from all around the state, or if your really good all around the united states,it is a sport. If you have never done cheerleading you can not judge us because you never went to our practices or cheered, danced, and screamed at our compitions and you do not know how intense they can really be. In any other sport if your tired you get to sit down and they put in a sub, you do not ever have a sub in cheerleading. So untill you know what its like to be a cheerleader STOP MOUTHING! oh and for the person that said we only cheer beacuse we can not do anything else, you are dead wrong, because i can do other sports as well as cheerleading, i jus find cheelreading more fun and exhilarating. one more thing, to sydney, i do not like how you called all cheerleaders sluts prety much by saying they flirt with the football players. number one, my school does not even have football, and not all cheerleaders are like that. I myself have a boyfriend and am in no way a slut and i kno girls that play other sports that are sluts and you do not see me saying any girl who play that sport is a slut, so watch how you phrase thing!

Okay, whoever thinks cheerleading is NOT a sport go get a life, because it IS!!! why dont you try and come to our practices and see what its like, oh thats right, you probably cant handle it! Ive been cheering for 8 years 7-13, and i am still doing it when im in high school! In cheerleading we have to throw PEOPLE in the air and CATCH them twisting down!! we have to shout a cheer, tumble are heart out too! People who dont think cheerings a sport ry flipping yourself backwards in the air, but i guess you shouldnt because you might break your little necks!! Well not us cheerleaders!! we take pride and hard work into cheerleading! Cheerleading takes skill! Our coaches make an amazing routine, we get judged on it at competitions by JUDGES!! And yes, we compete against other teams!! We have a dance, we have to do jumps, and motions too!! Cheerleading is DEFFINITLY A SPORT!!! if you dont think so good for you, but i suggest that you go look again, and you will find out the truth, that you are mad that you didnt call it a sport, becuase ohhh!!! Cheerleading IS! Cheerleader for lifee!!!

Okay, whoever thinks cheerleading is NOT a sport go get a life, because it IS!!! why dont you try and come to our practices and see what its like, oh thats right, you probably cant handle it! Ive been cheering for 8 years 7-13, and i am still doing it when im in high school! In cheerleading we have to throw PEOPLE in the air and CATCH them twisting down!! we have to shout a cheer, tumble are heart out too! People who dont think cheerings a sport try flipping yourself backwards in the air, but i guess you shouldnt because you might break your little necks!! Well not us cheerleaders!! we take pride and hard work into cheerleading! Cheerleading takes skill! Our coaches make an amazing routine, we get judged on it at competitions by JUDGES!! And yes, we compete against other teams!! We have a dance, we have to do jumps, and motions too!! WE have to work out alot to to keep fit!! Cheerleading is DEFFINITLY A SPORT!!! if you dont think so good for you, but i suggest that you go look it up, and you will find out the truth, that you are mad that you didnt call it a sport, becuase ohhh!!! Cheerleading IS A FRIGGEN SPORT! Cheerleader for lifee!!!

Ok Cheerleading IS A SPORT!!!! Fo SHo i have been a cheerleader for 8 years.. I would like to see some of you guys do the shit we do.. We have Rules just like yall do We have judgesto score us!! We practice probably 5 times harder than yall do! i would like to see people try to do the flips and stunt and try to learn all those dances and cheers..We have everythoing you guys do!! So Whoever says its not for real Stop cause it is! and We got a pretty amazing body to do it to!! We stay in shape…. CAUSE CHEERLEADING DOES NOT HAVE A OFFSEASON!!

i hate people lyk that im in cheer extreme but its not for school my bro says it aint but it is football players cant do standing back tucks we lift weights and people we run we tumble so much more than other sports players

mary jo, you are, in fact, pathetic. if cheerleading is “everything” then you obviously have no life. cheerleading is simply dance. people dance everyday. sure, you throw some people in the air. why? to ensure their death. flyers, and yes, i know my “cheerleader-vocab”, are always at risk. Truly, cheerleading is a perfect reflection of the circus, which is, indeed, not a sport. There is no objective to cheerleading. None at all. Unless you think getting a crowd of mindless fans just staring at your perfectly powdered thighs to yell louder than the whistle signaling any action of the game. People don’t need to be told HOW or WHEN to cheer.
And besides, cheerleaders are stuck up, annoying, arrogant, back-stabbing, attention-loving, air-headed, jerks. No one likes them. They talk about everyone behind their backs whether they really know them or not. I HATE cheerleaders.

Ok for all you all that say cheerleading is not a sport. Well your wrong because in most sports you have practices, uniforms to wear, you have to practice often and its VERYYYYYy dangerous!!!!!!!!!! i am a cheerleader and a girl on our squad broke her arm two times (the same arm) because of cheerleading!!!!! so yes it is a sport

This has never been a sport, and it never will be. It is hard. It requires tremendous skill and a cheerleader must be athletic, but so do ballet dancers and Cirque Du Soleil “performers.” It is a performance. Ya, you call your events competitions, but it is hardly competetive when you show up to an all day event to perform for 4-5 minutes and then sit and pick your favorite. When has a cheer team been down with 2 minutes to go and pulled out a win? When have they blown out a topped ranked team or when have they been blown out? When!?!? Never. They show up, dance and scream for 4-5 minutes, and wait for a judge to pick their favorite. Nice competition…

CHEERIN IS A SPORT N PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT . WE DONT CHEER TO GET BOYS WE CHEER BECAUSE IT IS FUN AND ITS GET U IN SHAPE. WE ALSO HAVE TO DO LOTS OF EXCERISE N LIFTIN WEIGHTS. I ATTEND THOMPSON MIDDLE SCHOOL AN AM A CHEERLEADER THERE N I CHEER FOR M.G.STARS WE ARE FIRST PLACE WINNERS AT KINSGDOMN. I SUPPORT THAT CHEERIN IS A SPORT AND NOT JUST FOR GURLS TO WERE SKIRTS AND JUST FLIP AROUND A GYM WITH BOYS. SO I SAY CHEERIN IS A SPORT

Yea our school only calls Cheer a sport when we win something other than that they don’t…. I don’t see why people think cheer isn’t a sport i want to see any other sport be able to put up stunts and throw gymnastics moves on a hard wood floor that most people wouldn’t ever think of doing

Cheer leading is a sport!
In a dictionary you may find the word “sport” defined as a “physical activity.” so Cheerleading is a sport!

give me a “Y” give me a “E” give me a “S” yes, cheer is a sport.
i have cheered my whole life and it takes alot! i love cheer

i do not think cheerleading is a sport and i don’t just say this to be annoying. I started a huge argument at my school just because i said i play a “real sport”

Listen everyone agrees cheerleading is a difficult sport but hat doesn’t make it a sport

So what I jump up and down too but i don’t call it a sport

cheerleading is so a sport..b.c competitive cheerleading(is what i do) gets scorse.and goes aginst other gyms. i go to united spirit all stars!! every one at my schoo says its not..but it really is . u can get hurt like other sports.and i think ” IF CHEERLEADING WAS ANY EAISER , IT WOULD BE CALLED……… FOOTBALL…
-slmcheer26

hey! i’m a cheerleader too! and i was just told to prove to someone that cheer IS a sport. so i am through a persuasive speech in front of my whole class. i came on here, and read everything everyone had to say. i think it is a sport. but cheer is opinionated to others. to us, its facts. let ppl have their opinions, i mean seriously, they just wish they could do what we do! but yeah, if u have anything else to say, i will be on here everday checking this for my paper! hopefully ppl will listen to me.

IGNORANCE. The only people who say all star is not a sport are the people who know nothing or little about the SPORT. Learn a lil more and then you can talk all the shit you want. Anyone who knows anything about all star clearly knows its a sport

So what is it?Sport or not…?

Ok first cheerleading is not a sport! Second anybody that says cheerleading is hard or is so active is wrong! Football you have to learn way more then 12 13 cheers…try learning a whole playbook in less then a night! Third in any sport your working hard and sweating in cheerleading do u see any the girls swearing there butts off? NO!! There your anwser it should be a activity but not a sport!!! Btw if any sport was easy it would be called cheerleading!

Umm… to Jackson he is number 8 cheerleading does have rules. if we break them we get disqualified so bite urself

1st If it were a clear cut sport this argument would not even be an issue. No one argues if basketball or football is a sport.
2nd If it were a sport then Instead of a cheerleading Sponsor they would be called a cheer coach. I have never heard them refered to as a coach.
3rd-Any activity that is scored subjectively can not be considered a sport. It is biased.
Now when cheerleaders go to a competition they are competiting but that does not make it a sport. You can make anything into a competition.

4th Also so many girls so it is hard so it is a sport.Stop using that as a crutch to support your argument. Many things are hard that does not make them a sport.

Also in a post earlier someone said that they tried basketball and etc. and cheerleading was way harder. If it were way harder then you probably would not have stuck with it and still be doing it. The fact is the others were harder so you chose the easy route since you were better and basketball took much more work and practice to be competitive.

ok i sooooo think cheerleading is most definently absolutly a sport!!!b/c i dont hear anyone arguing if football/basketball/etc. is a sport and if those are cheer is cuz it takes just as much strength as those “sports”!!!!i think anything that takes strength,thought,work and all that jazz………than it is a sport!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheerleading is a sport. This is from a mom who has watched her 13 year old be on the rec squad, school competition squad and an all-star competition squad since she was 5 years old. The cheerleaders in our town practice as much as the football and/or basketball team. They even fight over who gets what space and time to practice. Out teams practice at least 3 times a week all year long. Thats if they don’t have a competition and /or performance in that week. Then they practice everyday. You show me how many football players can stand on the ground, jump in the air, tuck there legs and land on their feet. You show me how may basketball players can do 17 back hand springs across the basketball court and still stand up and yell at the end. Cheerleading is a sport which takes ability, endurance, tolerance, compatibility and the will to work all year long for the oportunity to go before thousands for 2 1/2 minutes and do things that I have heard many football players and/or basketball players say “How do they do that?” If you look up Sport in the dictionary is says “Any activity or experience that gives enjoyment or recreation.” “Activity when competitive, requiring more or less vigorous bodily exertion.” I’ve heard people say that they are not rules in cheerleading but judges. If that was correct why would we need judges if they were no rules? If you don’t believe that cheerleading is a sport you should come to an All-Star Cheerleading Competition and see all the kids get up there and try to be the best at this sport just to be told at the end just like your football, basketball, track, soccer players that “YOU KIDS DID GREAT.”

i think cheerleaders are fake and snoby!

If you think, seriously, that Cheer is a sport you must be really screwed in the head. Ok, sports are about accomplishing a common purpose (e.g., getting a ball in the net, a ball in the hole, a puck in the net, touchdown, etc.). We are athletes, not showman. Just because you bleed, sweat, and break bones doesn’t qualify you for a sport. Dancing is exhausting, you bleed and sweat, but you don’t consider that a sport. All cheerleading is, competitive cheerleading, is putting on a good show. What is your purpose, other than that?

The purpose is school spirit, getting the crowd involved and excited. Have you ever been to a practice? Do you understand how man girls i’ve seen get hurt in stunting. I’ve had multiple injuries and broken bones from cheerleading myself. It isn’t easy. And, have you ever tried filping and twisting in the air? Cheerleading involves stunting, tumbling, jumps, dance ability, conditiong, and lots of inuries and hard work. Now, why isn’t it a sport?

Okay… before anything I am going to say I really dont believe cheerleading is a sport.

Okay to clear something off…

-Cheerleading does have rules.

-Cheerleading is not going to be in the Olympics.

- It is true it is competetive. But anything can be competetive… I can make a beer drinking competition o_O.

Now to what I believe.
Solely cheerleading is not a sport because

1. If cheerleading was a sport there would not be an arguement about it. Think about that for a second.
2. Dancing is not a sport therefore Cheerleading is not since cheerleading is “2 Dances & 1 Cheer” (My GF is a cheerleader and she tells me this).
3. Cheering is not a sport either again coming back to #2.
4. Just because it is difficult it does not make it a sport. Building a rocket is difficult and is not a sport.
5. Finally Cheerleading does not have what every Real Sport HAS. That is OBJECTIVE POINTS. Cheerleading is based on OPINION BY JUDGES. EVERY OTHER REAL SPORT REQUIRES THE PLAYERS TO ACCUMULATE THEMSELVES.

Do you comprehend?
And no, cheerleading is not a sport because it is not considered one Nationally in the United States of America! WHICH IS WHERE I LIVE AND I BELIEVE MOST OF YOU DO TOO!!!

cheerleading is totaly a sport.

&& if you think its not .

you try .

haha . cheer is so to a sport . yuh need great upper body strength . and with out it you are not a team.and for people who think that its not.YUH NEED TO GO TO A GAME ONCE IN A WHILE.bc then yuh will see how much tome and effort we have to put into cheerleading.im 13 i have been cheerleading for almost 5 years.i think i would know about cheerleading.and all the guys that are saying that its not a sorot. ypu really need to shut up bc all you do is throw and catch a ball.and run a score a touchdown.in cheerleading you have to throw a gurl 10 to 15 feet in the air. and that takes skill.
so all you people tht say its not a sport can SHUT UP AND STOP HATING ON THE CHEERLEADERS!

Cheerleading is most definatly a sportt. We lift people in the air, throw them around while they twist there bodies in pretzel shapes. Weave our arms to make them a basket shape to catch these girls that we throw 20 feet in the air. While keeping a smile on our face. We condition like CRAZYY. I know at my gym (ICE athletics) We condition so muchh. And we tumble, flipping and twisting our bodies and landing itt! Keeping our motions tight and be accuarate, learing chorography at a 3 or less day camp.
Heres the whole challenge..
Try lifting someone above your head and keep them sturdy while they twist there bodies in pretzel forms and try to smile at the same time…Try throwing a person into the air and watch them twist a couple times and catch them.Looping your hands together like a basket and throw them high enough to touch the sky. Getting hip, slapped, kicked, elbowed, kneed and having to shake it off cause you know you have to keep going. Breaking ssome arms and legs and still push yourself to keep going. Stay late at practices everyday to make sure you got it.Sweat so much from doing handsprings, tucks, and full or double twists and even when you run out of sweat you keep goinngg.Cry, bleed,bruise. Work so hard and pass out.. Now try and say cheerleading isnt a sport.

Theres more.

EXCUSE ME? I’ve been a Cheerleader since I was FOUR. I’m 12 now.I can most DEFINITLY tell you it IS A SPORT. It involves Physhical and Menal work, JUST LIKE BASKET BALL OF WRESTLING OR FOOTBALL. I mean… they call hitting a ball into a hole a sport but Doing HARD-CORE Routines, Stunting, Tumbling, and Plastering a big smile on your face a sport? I can tell you before my practices we run a mile, do weight lifting, do suicides and jumping jacks/ push-ups.
And to everyone who says Cheerleading is NOT a sport because it doesn’t have a set of rules UM HELLO? IS YOUR BRAIN ON?? CHECK THIS OUT. http://www.sportserve.co.uk/item.php?cat=114&i=554 WUT NOW THERE’S BASIC RULES! THERE’S MORE. If you wanna talk to me my e-mail is CatherineCheezIt@msn.com
CHEERLEADING IS A SPORT!

alright cheerleading is the only SRORT, i will ever care or even like! cheerleading is my life, noting else is important anymore! this is the one thing i would NEVER give up on!

here is a copy of a website proving myths wrong including that cheerleading is not a sport!

http://cheerleading.about.com/od/cheertrivia/tp/myths.htm

1. Cheerleaders Have to Be Thin or Skinny
It is a common misconception that cheerleaders have to be thin. Cheerleaders come in all sizes. What’s more important than size is their skill and ability.
2. Cheerleaders Can’t be Tall
Height is not a major factor for cheerleaders. It may affect your position on the squad, but not whether you’ll make the team.
3. You Have to Have Small Feet to Be a Cheerleader
Again, cheerleaders come in all shapes and sizes as do their feet. Don’t let your shoe size discourage you from trying out. Instead concentrate on the size of your heart and your love of the sport.
4. Cheerleaders Are Not Intelligent
83% of all Cheerleaders have a ‘B’ grade point average or better. A cheerleader has to be a fast thinker and able to concentrate on the task at hand.
5. Cheerleaders Are Not Atheletes
The skills involved in cheerleading leave no doubt that cheerleaders are exceptional athletes. To perform their activities, they must be as strong as any football player, as poised as any dancer and as flexible as the best gymnasts. They are athletes by every definition of the word.
6. Cheerleaders Are All Blondes
The color of your hair does not make you a cheerleader, nor will it get you a place on the team. You have to have the drive and determination to be a cheerleader, not a certain hair color.
7. Cheerleading Is a Popularity Contest
Cheerleading takes an extreme amount of physical work as well as a lot of practice. Most cheerleaders practice an average of 8 hours a week. Cheerleaders also have to be in top physical condition. Sure, they may be popular, but that’s because they possess outgoing personalities, not because it’s a popularity contest.
8. Cheerleading Is for Girls, Not Guys
Do you think you can lift a girl three feet in the air above your head with nothing between her and the floor but you? You’re expected to catch her and to save them from any injury. Cheerleading originated with men and male cheerleaders are a significant part of cheerleading.
9. Cheerleaders Are Snobs
Take for instance a school squad. The members spend a lot of time together, they practice after school many days a week, they attend games together and they might even go to competitions. They share their love of cheerleading and their goals are similiar. The squad has become their second family. It would be natural for them to want to hang out together at school, lunch and breaks. But just because you see them talking as a group, that doesn’t make them snobs.
10. Cheerleading Is Not Dangerous
With all the tumbling, stunting and dancing that present day cheerleaders do, there has been some speculation that the sport has become too dangerous. As with any athletic activity, cheerleading possesses some dangers, but if done correctly and if all safety guidelines are followed, it is not any more dangerouse than any other sport.

i’ve been a cheerleader for 11 years. in those 11 years, i have been injured many times, and worked countless number of hours. any person who works this hard on one solid thing is obviously very dedicated, and can also see how much hard work it takes. football games are a joke, which is why most people point and laugh at us. however, half of those people have never in their life seen a competition. blood, sweat, and tears goes into that 2 minutes and 30 second routine, to perfect it, and get one shot to prove yourself and hopefully move on. we wow people in the croud, and we get amazing reviews because half the things we do, we’ve heard “i couldn’t do that in a million years”, well you’re right, you probabally couldn’t. we work so hard, and for what? to get ragged on for what we work so hard for. cheerleading is a sport!

everyone on this thing that says cheerleading is a sport backs it up with “cheerleading has no rules”, well fyi, you’re wrong. there’s certain ways you have to do close to EVERYTHING, and there have been many cases when girls go to competition and have to change their routine minutes before because they’re doing and “illegal move”. your scored depending on how well you do, yes, but how well you follow the RULES. so before you asume there are no rules, look more into it.

I have been cheering for 5 years and i think that it is a sport because
1. we have to do jumps. ( i would like to see the people who dont think it is do these)
2. we have to learn cheers.
3. we have to learn a dance or dances.
4. we HAVE to learn how to do a back handspring or else we wont make it
so YA I THINK CHEERLEADING IS A SPORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

cheerleadin is totally a sport and i want to slap the people that think its not. thats how mad i am.

i really dont care wat anyone says because I love cheering. ive been cheering all my life && I’m loving it. so sport or not I’m still goin to do it.

Okay, Cheerleading is not a Sport…Maybe Competitive Cheerleading..But not Sideline. If you mean Competitive.. I agree. But make sure you say that you’ll just be on the sideline cheering for the people in the game doing alllll the action..You guys have a what 120 lb. Girl that ur picking up along with five other girls?..Try HAving a 170 lb. Laying on just you..You cheerleaders get hurt and you run to your Coach.. =[ Us basketball players stay in the game and tuff it out! Once I troke my hand in a game.. you know what my coach said? you get ur head in the game and play the rest of the quarter...So..No. cheerleading is NOT a sport!
I mean what rules are there in cheerleading? (Don't brake a nail)?? haha gosh give me a freaking breakk! Wow.. =]

dude..I was a competitive cheerleader for 4 years. and i still think it should be considerd a performing art.. like what is so wrong with cheer not being called a sport. take pride in everything you do and just know its damn hard.

omgomgogmgomg cheerleading is a sport and who ever doesnt think it is there is something wrong whith you .. i am a cheerleader for a state team .. and we do things tht i bet foorball players cant do ..w e run miles a day condition lift PEOPLE work our buts off tumble dance stunt we dont wave our hands in the air at all .. we are hardcore athletes and i think everyone should know this because it true it is the second most dangerous sport riht after hockey. hospitals have said that tere are more cherleaders in the ER then football players and so on.. heerleeading is a sport and eveynoe needs to know it ..

Cheerleading is not a sport, period. Get over it.

cheerleading is not a sport. all u girls do is pretty much the same stuff you do everyday. Cheering is the same as complaning to plp all day. prancing around and looking pretty to gain attetion same as your silly routines. Should be thankful you are allowed to leave the kitchen and another thing. only reason more girls end up in the hospital from cheerleading is do to the fact breaking a nail is a life crisis. If a football player breaks a finger hes not goin to the hospital he is taping that finger and goin back out there. these are the facts i apologize

wow this is so funny cause last time i checked..
- an athlete was a physically fit person who trains and competes or is involved in a sport
** how do you think a cheerleader fits into that skimpy uniform
* there are 2 types of cheerleading
School cheer- stand on sidelines cheer on teams, let’s face it be annoying. most girls on these teams do the second kind of cheering.. school cheer is just a way to stay involved with school activities adn practice for all star
ALL STAR CHEER- this is the big time cheer. bust your butt like crazy and compete against other groups of girls to see who is the best.
when girls say cheerleading is a sport they are talking about all star cheer.
** on average a cheerleader has 3-4 practices a week (rec football and basketball have 2-3
**on the other days they are running 3-4 miles to stay in shape, lifting weights, doing sit ups just like most ATHLETES do to stay in shape.
** at a practice cheerleaders run, tumble (flips and twists), jump and stunt.
** last i checked you have to be flexible to pull your foot above your head so add that to the list…
* stunting. now i’m not sayin we can bench 270 but give us girls a break we have to lift and catch girls weighing our weight or a little less but still up to 120 pounds above our heads.. that takes some physical strength you have to admit.
* and one thing that people don’t understand is that honestly even having the energy to complete a whole competition routine or even just a basketball game makes us sweat! its hot and your yelling or its hot and your tumbling and dancing but yet everyone expects us to look so perky and smiley and let’s face it almost flawless. when your on track or on football it’s okay to be all sweaty cause it’s part of being an athlete but what would you think people say if a cheerleader lifts her arms up and has pit stains and sweat dripping down her cheek. we work out hard so we CAN preform without breaking a sweat that’s what makes us amazing.
*** finally if your a big time cheerleader then your pretty good. lots of colleges like pretty good cheerleaders and even pay for them to compete for them and cheer for football and basketball. so guess what haters good luck beating out the ten thousand other football players to get your schooling paid for because lot of colleges will take lots of us and we won’t be paying one penny to go to them

i believe competitive cheer is a sport.
and football cheer, on sidelines could be a sport but its mainly just a hobby.

Well, i’m a cheerleader. Have been all my
life. Anything that makes you sweat is a
sport. Many people say it isn’t. It takes an
amount of aggresivness and flexibility
to be a cheerleader. Not anybody can be a cheerleader.

Just to let you know.:)

cheerleading? it may be a sport depending on how the cheerleader’s themselve’s represent it. here, at my school, the cheerleader’s dont really represent themselve’s to well and so therefore i honestly believe that cheerleading is NOT a sport. here, i believe that cheerleading is not a sport but an activity for girls to have a reason to flirt with the footbal boy’s. A reason to wear short skirt’s and high tops. A reason to be “popular”. but what is popularity? does it only occur with cheerleaders? NO. wrong. in my opinion everyone is popular. the “geeks” by the rubbish can’s are just as popular as the sluty cheerleader’s next to the drinking fountain. if getting guy’s attention is a sport then you can proudly say that cheerleading is a sport. if not, then .. haha. it’s not a sport. and beside’s anyone can yell. i can yell. i yell louder than the cheerleader’s on the squad. anyone can be flexible.
cheeleading is not a sport.

For those of you that dont think cheer has rules…explain to me why my team missed first place by a couple of points because we did something illegal. Cheer has rules and COMPETITION cheer is a sport. Look up the definition.

I just wanted to respond to Rachel’s comment at the very top (2).

1. There is no offence or defense in swimming, gymnastics, running or weight lifting. These are all sports that can be seen in the olympics. So just because cheerleading doesn’t have offense or defense, does not mean its not a sport.

2. My team has showcase nights where we just show off our new routines and tumbling to our parents. Theres no judging and we do it for fun. Swimmers swim for fun without keeping a score. So does ice skaters.

3. Im pretty sure everytime ive competed ive had intractions with other teams. Just because we arent all on the mat at one time does not mean its not a sport. Gymnastics is the same way.

4. A routine is predetermined. However, it does not at all turn out the way it was planned to every single time. You can plan on nailing it and end up eating matt. Stunts, tumbling passes ect are also changed frequently. Gymnasts also have routines, for everything they do. so gymnastics isnt a sport now? Basketball and football players go out on the floor or field with rehearsed plays in their heads, but do they always turn out the way they want them too? Don’t think so.

I just contradicted all of your reasons why cheerleading is not a sport. You obviously aren’t a competitive cheerleader or you would know all of this. Ive been competing for three years now and i learned this all in a matter of a few months. Learn your facts.

the definition of SPORT: Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and engaged in competitively.
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Cheerleaders do exactly what their name implies, they LEAD cheers!
_

Rules of Cheerleading:
Be kind.
Must warm up.
No talking between cheers.
Hair must be worn away from the face.
No jewelry.
_
Cheerleading is specifically meant for the audiences entertainment and to keep the players in a sport motivated.
_
In all sports, it is recommended that you don’t party, drink, or do any drugs.
I’m not implying that our cheerleaders do any of them, but I know plenty who do, outside of our school.
Cheerleaders are typically the ones that do not abide by the rules.
_
Cheerleaders mainly consider cheerleading to be a sport because it does require being active, but it’s only a competition if you are in competitive cheerleading. This is where cheerleaders that do not deserve the credit of just cheering on a sport but, they are actually very committed and are trained well enough to be in a competition against other cheerleaders.
_
so i’m going against the girls that say
“OMG! cheerleading is soooooo a sport!”
because they obviously don’t know the facts.
and just because you’ve been in cheer for 7 years… WHOOOOOTT, it doesn’t make it any more of a sport than chess club. so YEP. nice try cheerleaders.
and 95% of all the people that agree it’s a sport are either cheerleaders or good friends of a cheerleader.

CHEERLEADING IS NOT A SPORT!

Okay to # 101 I am on a varsity cheer squad and i have gotten a concusion during the performance all though i knew that i was hurt i did not stop i kept on going throughout the whole show i did not go to the hospital until after the game was over i stayed and cheer and did what i do best. i would love to see you lift us up and do the stuff we do before you go and make assumptions why dont you try it. and as for the whole breaking your nail thing, we are not even aloud to get our nails done. Girls break there necks, backs, arms, legs, knees, elbows, ribs, and bones that we wold never think of. We all have to have at least a 3.5 so we are not dumb an anyway. We practice more then even the football players do 4 hours everyday. and on game days we practice and then go out to the game. We compete just as anyother sport and we have rules and regulations and if we brake those rules we dont just get fouled out or benched we get completely disqualified. I am not saying that i could play football, soccer, baseball, or basketball. Those are hard as well and not meant for me, cheer is my sport

Well obviously Jackson is very dumn when it comes to cheerleading.
i do agree school cheerleading isnt a sport unless you compete, but alstar is def a sport. So you say that it has to have rules to be a sport. Well it does look it up. Get educated about it before you try to fuss about whether its a sport or not

forget everyone who says cheerleading isn’t a sport. cheerleading is a sport when it comes down to compentions. And i do more than cherleading, i also do feild hockey and track. no cheerleading isnt like it but we work just as hard as the other sports. People just need to stop hating on cheerleaders and exlpore something new.. THANk YOU ! =]

okay, ive been reading these coments for a while. just to realize how RIDICULOUS you guys are sounding. fighting over whether cheerleading is a sport or not is stupid! your not going to change other people’s thoughts about cheering. ive been cheerleading for 8 years. ive had a whole bunch of different coaches. some cheering is a sport, some isnt. ive had coaches who didnt work me hard at all, and the one i have now is like a drill sargeant. i 1000000% believe cheering is a sport. cheerleading is more dangerous than football, wrestling and basketball. football you have pads that help you when you run into another person, basketball, you dont even really make contact with people unless youre trying to get the ball or block. wrestling, you roll around the ground in tights with another guy…im not saying those arent sports,, they areee. but im saying cheering to me is. im a flyer, so when people say that football’sore dangerous, i laugh in there faces. when fb players are hit, again they have PADDINNG. when i fall out of a mount, its ground. nothing but me. i have to weight train and condition like hell! but we all get through it. some people would be able to get through it too, we have this thing called mr. comets. (comets=my team name) and thats when the fb players and maybe bball players and whoever else wants to come out and try to do our 4 hour practice. we go easy on them and they can barely do it. high school fball players, cannot do what we do. maybe if they did it for a while they could. man, this is lonnng! lol. anywayyss, my sqyad, and a bunch of others work hard. i have to, to live up to our name since were in the top 10 in illinois,,, but if you think about it, it must be hard. because theres a WHILE bunch of people playing sports like, basketball, football, baseball, wrestling, and so on, but in realityy, theres at the most 20-30 people on a cheerleading squad,,MAYBE. i have 14. thats IT. most have the same. so again, im not trying to convince you all that cheering is a sport. im just giving my opinion saying that i do, and fighting over it isnt solving ANYTHING. case closed. let people think what they want.

commpetitive cheerleading is sooo a sport

it take trust,courage,blood,tears,and sweat

to sydney m. you suck and if your cheerleaders are like that they too suck or are you lying!!!!
and there are rules if you dont beileave me go to http://www.sportserve.co.uk/item.php?cat=114&j=554

I have a half-and-half thought of that. Officially, cheerleading isn’t a sport. But a lot of people also think that cheerleaders aren’t atheltes. Theres the thing. Cheerleading isn’t a sport, but cheeleaders are most definitely athletes.

Cheerleading is a sport.These young ladies work very hard.People dont realize the time dedication it takes.These young ladies sport season is on going,they need to practice everyday for safety issues.People need to understand it is a sport.Its not just wearing a skirt. They are role models for their selves,our schools, and our community. They cheer for everyone’s
sports plus their own. No one realizes how much they do for their schools and communities.But let the girls not be their to cheer and everyone has a complaint.

I cheered for 9 years and in that 9 years I put lots of blood sweat and tears into it. Many people do not consider cheerleading a sport but they have not been to a cheerleading practice or competition. My whole family did not believe it was a sport until I started cheering. Ever since I started cheering my dad said his whole perception of cheerleaders has changed. So for those of you that think it is not then you should go to a cheer practice and you will be proven wrong.

alrighty..
i dont think cheerleading is a sport.
i think its a bunch of girls trying to show off there “nice” bodys.
do gymnastics.. thats a sport you dont do it for show you you do it for compitition.
ya you work out, but my grampa lifts weights and hes not an athlete. soo ya.
you prolly have the most injuries, beacuse we (athelets) prepare to not get hurt. so that might be smart.
if you could catch, the people prolly wouldnt get hurt. or if you coiuld do the gymnastics right maybe you wouldnt get hurt.
so ya i dont think cheerleading is a sport…

El Jean is so effing smart. all the way. smart smart smart!
all you cheerleaders need to quit complaining about your damn injurys,, its annoying.. everyone gets hurt… but then again alot of sain people dont let themselfs get thrown it the air.. prolly a smart thing…..

yes. cheer is a sport.we can argue about that all day. most people arent going to change their minds wich i find sad. i think that people are just hung up on what cheer used to be, and not the real sport that it is today. but some people have been saying things about cheerleaders tht couldnt be further from the truth! i’ve seen alot of “they just do it to ger guys” well thats definitly not true. i cheer because i love compititions. i honestly could care less about football games. alot of teams dont cheer for those at all, im planning to join one of those teams. another said “cheerleaders are just a bunch of girls screaming and waving their arms around” maybe thats how it used to be, but definitly not anymore. you need to be able to tumble, be extremely flexible, lift people, jump, and dance. and as if you could just focus on that. you also have to smile the whole time. sombody said that cheerleaders couldnt play other sports? uhm well i play soccer, and i am more tired after a cheer PRATICE then at my SOCCER GAME. i’m a midfeilder by the way. samantha says that we’re just a bunch of girls trying to show off our nice bodys? not really. not every cheerleader has a nice body. we come in all different shapes and sizes. we come together to win our compitions. one comment said that cheer was a reasonto flirt with the football boys, wear short skirts and be popular. like i said, alot of teams dont cheer for football. back then, cheerleaders used to wear sweatshirts before they stunted or tumbled. like a gymnast wears a tight leatard, like a swimmer wears a spedo, we wear our clothing to make it easier to do what we do. tighter shorter clothes will give a flyer an easier time being tossed in the air or a tumbler an easier time flipping. what would happen if a swimmer was wearing boxers? and as far as being popular, that will come or it wont. but believe me thats not why we do it. i could care less if i was popular or not. moving on. cheerleaders are dumb? if we dont have at least a c avrage, we’re off the squad. the last one bothered me the most (there were many more but im not about to address all of them) sombody said that cheerleaders are fake. how? we’re real people, we have a goal, we have a sport that we are exited about. that goes for anything basketball football cheerleading. we are all sports. even look it up in the dictonary. cheerleading wasnt a sport to begin with. well times have changed. people need to let go of the past and see cheerleaders for what we really are. real people, real compititions,real athletes. a real sport.

half of you sound really ignorant right now…cheerleading has already been considered a sport nationaly why no one knows this? Its because no one wants to believe it…first of all cheerleading is only a sport at a competitive level. No cheering for another sport is not considered a sport. Competitive wise you must know how to tumble, dance, cheer, count and jump to counts and also while staying tight and hitting perfect motions all at once. Sounds easy? why don’t you try it go to your local allstar gym and try it out for one day will you last? DOUBT it because it takes time…I am great at plenty of other sports softball, basketball, volleyball…but i picked cheering yes it is very underestimated but eventually it won’t be because competitive cheerleading becomes more popular each year. There is most def. a point system. A basket in basket ball is 1-3 points depending on where it is shot and a basket toss in cheerleading is 1-10 points depending on how well it was exicuted…Competitive cheerleading is broken down into level 1-6 and in age groups tiny, youth, junior, senior, open and also coed. Cheerleading will make it to the olympics USA already has a team bet you didnt know that i could go on for years but instead i think it would clear things up if you would watch a few videos on youtube.com

i suggest:

team USA
Top Gun level 6
GA Allstars level 6
Spirit of Texas level 6
California allstars level 6

watch a few of those and it will problably blow your minds…