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Lily Oehm
Gardner
English Honors, 0
11 May 2015

Recognizing All-Star Cheerleading as a Sport

Did you know that according to the National Center for Catastrophic Sports
Injuries, female cheerleaders make up a whopping 50% of the catastrophic head, neck
and spine injuries that are suffered specifically by female athletes ? If all-star
competitive cheerleading was recognized as a sport, there would be more effective safety
rules and regulations. The definition of a sport is: physical activity against/with an
opponent, governed by rules and conditions under which a winner is declared,and
primary purpose of the competition is a comparison of the relative skills of the
participants( Elliott, Elaine). This definition sums up all-star cheer perfectly. Cheer
follows the same basic rules as many other sports. There are many injuries that can be
avoided, as an official sport. Although California does not recognize cheer as a sport, the
few states that do, have voted it most dangerous contact sport.(Elliott, Elaine). All-star
cheerleading should be recognized nationally as a competitive sport. It follows the same
basic rules as other sports, the athletes are just as fit as those who play recognized sports
and is in need of more effective safety regulations.
When people think of cheerleading, some of them think of high school cheer.
High school cheer and Pop Warner cheer is very different. High school and Pop Warner
teams should not be recognized as a sport. For example, most of the time, they
are just cheering on football players, which anyone could do. When they actually do a
routine, it is only two minutes long. You do not have to be very athletic to stand around

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with pom poms. Sideline cheer and dance, by contrast, have typically been conducted as
activities to entertain or to encourage audience enthusiasm for an athletic team engaged
in competition(Durkin, Karen). To summarize, you do not need to acquire very many
skills to be on a Pop Warner or high school team.
Admittedly, pop warner teams do not do as much as an all-star team. They also do
not need to be as fit in order to do as few stunts. All-star cheerleading is much different
than what the high school teams do. Once you see what the all-star teams can do, you
will realize how different it is. All-star cheer follows the same basic guidelines as many
other sports. For instance, they have a certain amount of time in which to compete. The
athletes have to stay within a certain boundary, and if someone steps outside the line, a
deduction is given. There is no doubt these women are athletes. Together they form
towering human pyramids with flipping dismounts. They perform jaw-dropping
tumbling passes, with multiple acrobats reeling off synchronized back handsprings and
back flips with uncanny precision. And they end with a 21/2-minute routine that
combines their tumbling and aerial skills with hip-hop dance moves (Clark, Liz). Based
on this research, since all-star cheer fits the definition of a sport and follows same basic
rules as many other sports, it should be a sport. Cheerleading is just like any other sport,
if not harder. In summation, if cheer is fitting the definition of a sport and the
individuals are very athletic, why wouldn't it be recognized as a sport?
Cheer should be a sport because they are just as fit as those who play recognized
sports. To illustrate, their practices are on average two hours but is ranges between
teams. In addition to their long practices, they have hard conditioning to prepare them
for doing a full out routine at the competitions. The decision by the State Board of
Regents is recognition by the state how the activity has grown from leading cheers for
the home team to more elaborate and intricate moves requiring trained athletes to

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perform acrobatic feats(O'brien, Barbara). Over the years, cheerleading has morphed
from dancers waving pompoms and wielding megaphones to student athletes
performing gymnastics, high lifts and creative dance routines at sporting events across
Massachusetts(Quinn, Colleen). As all-star cheer grows nationally, people need to open
their eyes to the evolution of cheerleading and how it has become a truly difficult
activity.
Cheerleading needs to be made an official sport because of the amount of injuries
that occur throughout the season. Ultimately, there needs to be more safety regulations.
In particular, An American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement in 2012 noted that
cheerleading accounted for 66 percent of all catastrophic injuries suffered by female
high school athletes in the previous 25 years(Obrien, Barbara). Similarly, Cheerleading
is a leading cause of catastrophic injury in female athletes at the high school and college
level, Dr. Samantha Rosman, a Boston-area pediatrician, told AMA delegates during floor
debate before the vote (Tanner, Lindsay). The American Medical Association says
cheerleading should be considered a sport because of its rigors and risks. (Tanner,
Lindsay). When Ngee Ann Polytechnic student Lai Qing Xiang died last month in a
cheerleading accident, the tragedy underscored just how dangerous the largely
unregulated activity can be. (Lee, Pearl). If there were more active safety regulations,
Lai Qing Xiang could have been saved. These athletes are performing very risky stunts
that require more regulations that can ultimately save lives. Therefore, this dangerous
activity should be recognized as a sport in order to improve safety for all athletes.
In conclusion, all-star cheer should be recognized as a sport because of its
similarities to other sports, its amount of training, and need of more safety regulations.
Cheerleading not being a sport is jeopardizing many athletes safety and even their lives.
With your help, we can make cheerleading a safe competitive sport. I urge Congress to

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act now to include cheerleading under Title IX as a sport to benefit the future
generations of children who wish to pursue it(Petition2Congress). New York joins 34
other states and the District of Columbia in recognizing competitive cheerleading as a
sport(O'Brien, Barbara). You can do your part by signing the free petition on
www.petition2congress.com, contributing to the future of all-star cheerleading and the
cheerleaders across the country.

Works Cited

Clarke, Liz. "Cheerleading Takes a Tumble." Washington Post. 14 Apr. 2012: A.1. SIRS
Issues Researcher. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.
Durkin, Karen. "Don't Call an Activity a Sport." USA TODAY. 16 Oct. 2009: A.10. SIRS
Issues Researcher. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.

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Elliott, Elaine. "AACCA.org - Cheerleading as a Sport." AACCA.org - Cheerleading as a

Sport. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 May 2015.
Lee, Pearl. "Framework Needed to Keep Cheer Teams Safe." Straits Times (Singapore). 10
Oct. 2013: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 09 Apr. 2015.
"Make Cheerleading a Sport." Petition2Congress. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 May 2015.
"National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Cheerleading Research."National Center
for Catastrophic Sport Injury. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, n.d. Web. 7
May 2015.
O'Brien, Barbara. "Cheerleaders Get Their Due." Buffalo News. 30 Apr. 2014: B.9. SIRS
Issues Researcher. Web. 09 Apr. 2015.
Purvey, Lee. "These Teens Are Full of Cheer." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 29 Aug. 2013:
N.1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.
Quinn, Colleen. "Is Cheerleading a Sport? A Massachusetts Bill May Make It One." Sun
(Lowell, Massachusetts). 20 Jun. 2013: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 09 Apr. 2015.
Tanner, Lindsey. "AMA Says Cheerleading Should Be Designated a Sport." Lincoln
Courier. 10 Jun. 2014: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 09 Apr. 2015.