Chevy Wallace cheers while in a stunt
Cheer: an activity that involves hard work, time and discipline. The question still circulates though whether cheer truly is a sport or not. However, this dispute is completely absurd.
Cheer is often seen as just another extracurricular activity where girls yell a few chants and shake their pom poms. But it is much more than that. They work day and night to make sure they look good as a team and as individuals.
Cheerleaders do just as much or more conditioning and practicing as any other sports team. Whether a person does all-star cheer or school cheer, both teams work equally as hard compared to the football or volleyball teams. Cheer practices for hours at a time perfecting their routines, stunts and overall look. All-star cheer teams practice at the minimum two to three days a week for about two or three hours.
Like most sports though, cheer has many of its own dangers. Injuries like concussions, fractured bones and torn muscles are both very common in football and cheer. Stunting alone can cause many risks. One wrong move, like a flyer not keeping her balance or a base not holding someone’s foot correctly, can make many things go wrong.
Cheerleaders need to have a lot of athletic ability and strength so that they can do their skills. Tumbling and stunting takes extensive power and force. They need to have mental toughness as well so that they can have the confidence to do this. Having the trust to throw one’s self back to do a flip or knowing they have the safety of someone else in their hands can be hard to handle. This type of stress can be equivalent or more demanding as to other sports.
A competition between two or more people or teams is what makes a sport. So why is cheer not recognized as one to many people? People go hundreds, or even thousands, or miles just to watch a cheer competition. Teams work for months making a routine to perform in front of a group of judges so that they can beat another team and go on to keep their winning streak.
Cheer is not another activity that girls do for fun. It is a sport that takes time, athleticism and determination. Cheerleaders are not meant to be seen as just another group at the football games, but as a part of the team who is faithful and committed to their community.
