By Jillian Cometz
According to the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators, the athleticism of cheerleading has increased over the past twenty years. What was once a support to other teams and a way to unify the spectators, has developed its own arena for competition on a local and national level. Skills of strength, agility, flexibility and grace meet all the athletic requirements. When these skills are combined with the defined rules of competition with the purpose of declaring a winner, it must be considered a sport.
Most people still associate cheerleading with school spirit and cheering on their athletic teams. Cheerleading has evolved into much more than just a way to enhance school spirit and connect the crowd to the action. Cheerleaders still stand on the sidelines cheering for their basketball or football teams but the competitive aspect of cheerleading has become much more widespread. “I have seen a big difference in support in cheerleading since I started and it has really evolved in the last 10 years that I’ve been involved” says Villanova cheerleader, Lindsay Cometz. “I’ve also seen a change in the stigma of cheerleading as more people become aware of what competitive cheerleading really involves”, she added. A competitive cheerleading routine is a two and a half minute routine performed to music, which includes stunting, jumps, dance, tumbling, and a vocal cheer. Some people do not consider cheerleading a sport because they are unaware of the competitive cheerleading component.
A sport involves physical, mental, and social skills. Teamwork and sportsmanship are crucial to any sport. “I consider cheerleading a sport because it is mainly centered around teamwork and having a strong mentality, like all other sports we have to train and work towards a goal” says Boston University cheerleader, Lara Mabanta. To be considered a sport, the activity must have opponents. In cheerleading, the opponents are all the other teams competing in that athletic division. Cheer competitions are scored based on stunting, jumping and synchronization by experienced judges. Score sheets are kept and deductions are made for mistakes in the routine, much like a variety of Olympic competitions including gymnastics and ice skating. Sports also require propelling an object through the air and/or supporting or overcoming the resistance of a mass. A major part of cheerleading is stunting which is propelling a teammate in the air to hit positions. To be considered a sport it needs to be governed by rules, which displays space, time, and a purpose of the contest. Cheerleading, just like any sport, has a set time limit for competition routines that all teams must adhere to. There are set mat sizes for competitions and a standardized score sheet for evaluation. The National Cheerleading Association (NCA) and the Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA) governs cheerleading. Each association runs its own camps, clinics and competitions. Their styles vary but meet the same goal.
The American Medical Association (AMA) has recently adopted a policy considering cheerleading a sport due to its rigorous training and the need for adequate safety measures. Cheerleading is the leading cause of serious injury to female athletes at both the high school and college level. The number of reported injuries is more than any other sport. The AMA supports accreditation to increase safety through the appropriate training of coaches and necessary equipment such as tumbling mats. Defining cheerleading as a sport will require coaches to have appropriate safety training and
certification.
Here at Boston University, the cheerleading team is considered part of the Athletic Department. “We’re a step above being a club team but not quite a varsity sport and we’re working towards becoming a varsity sport” says Boston University cheerleader, Lara Mabanta. Similarly, Villanova University considers their cheerleading team to be more than a club sport but not quite a varsity sport because it does not fall under Title IX requirements. Title IX requires institutions to provide equal access and opportunity to male and female athletes. Classifying cheerleading as a varsity sport could impact athletic scholarships and have financial ramifications for some schools, which may play a role in how they define cheerleading. No matter how the universities classify their cheerleading team, the cheerleaders consider themselves to be some of the greatest athletes and they certainly work just as hard as any other athletes on campus.
According to the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators, the athleticism of cheerleading has increased over the past twenty years. What was once a support to other teams and a way to unify the spectators, has developed its own arena for competition on a local and national level. Skills of strength, agility, flexibility and grace meet all the athletic requirements. When these skills are combined with the defined rules of competition with the purpose of declaring a winner, it must be considered a sport.
Most people still associate cheerleading with school spirit and cheering on their athletic teams. Cheerleading has evolved into much more than just a way to enhance school spirit and connect the crowd to the action. Cheerleaders still stand on the sidelines cheering for their basketball or football teams but the competitive aspect of cheerleading has become much more widespread. “I have seen a big difference in support in cheerleading since I started and it has really evolved in the last 10 years that I’ve been involved” says Villanova cheerleader, Lindsay Cometz. “I’ve also seen a change in the stigma of cheerleading as more people become aware of what competitive cheerleading really involves”, she added. A competitive cheerleading routine is a two and a half minute routine performed to music, which includes stunting, jumps, dance, tumbling, and a vocal cheer. Some people do not consider cheerleading a sport because they are unaware of the competitive cheerleading component.
A sport involves physical, mental, and social skills. Teamwork and sportsmanship are crucial to any sport. “I consider cheerleading a sport because it is mainly centered around teamwork and having a strong mentality, like all other sports we have to train and work towards a goal” says Boston University cheerleader, Lara Mabanta. To be considered a sport, the activity must have opponents. In cheerleading, the opponents are all the other teams competing in that athletic division. Cheer competitions are scored based on stunting, jumping and synchronization by experienced judges. Score sheets are kept and deductions are made for mistakes in the routine, much like a variety of Olympic competitions including gymnastics and ice skating. Sports also require propelling an object through the air and/or supporting or overcoming the resistance of a mass. A major part of cheerleading is stunting which is propelling a teammate in the air to hit positions. To be considered a sport it needs to be governed by rules, which displays space, time, and a purpose of the contest. Cheerleading, just like any sport, has a set time limit for competition routines that all teams must adhere to. There are set mat sizes for competitions and a standardized score sheet for evaluation. The National Cheerleading Association (NCA) and the Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA) governs cheerleading. Each association runs its own camps, clinics and competitions. Their styles vary but meet the same goal.
The American Medical Association (AMA) has recently adopted a policy considering cheerleading a sport due to its rigorous training and the need for adequate safety measures. Cheerleading is the leading cause of serious injury to female athletes at both the high school and college level. The number of reported injuries is more than any other sport. The AMA supports accreditation to increase safety through the appropriate training of coaches and necessary equipment such as tumbling mats. Defining cheerleading as a sport will require coaches to have appropriate safety training and
certification.
Here at Boston University, the cheerleading team is considered part of the Athletic Department. “We’re a step above being a club team but not quite a varsity sport and we’re working towards becoming a varsity sport” says Boston University cheerleader, Lara Mabanta. Similarly, Villanova University considers their cheerleading team to be more than a club sport but not quite a varsity sport because it does not fall under Title IX requirements. Title IX requires institutions to provide equal access and opportunity to male and female athletes. Classifying cheerleading as a varsity sport could impact athletic scholarships and have financial ramifications for some schools, which may play a role in how they define cheerleading. No matter how the universities classify their cheerleading team, the cheerleaders consider themselves to be some of the greatest athletes and they certainly work just as hard as any other athletes on campus.