cheerleading

[|Erin L. Szymczak]

Lizzie Brown 2b 11/2/09 Competitive cheerleading  When people think of cheerleading, they think of the sideline cheerleader; the girls that cheer at the game, uses the megaphone, and cheer on the football team. But many forget about the competitive cheerleader. The ones that run two miles a day wake up on Saturday at six o’clock in the morning to practice and compete. “The general public does not see a separation between game cheerleader and competitive cheerleader” (Meades). There is a huge different between the two teams because competitive cheerleading and sideline cheerleading do different stuff for different reasons.  Football has practice so they can get better; so they can beat the other team. They work hard; dedicate their time and life into something that only lasts about two hours per game. Competitive cheerleaders do the same exact thing, but it doesn’t even last three minutes. Cheerleaders work just as hard in the weight room as guys do. So what if a cheerleader can only bunch press 65 pounds, its better then what any other girl can do. Competitive cheerleading is a sport in many ways. “Today, competitive cheerleading involves skills which require the strength of a football player, the grace of a dance, and the agility of a gymnast” (AACCA). No man knows what a cheerleader goes though, because they are too quick to judge.  Competitive cheerleading has a lot of sport like things in it. I would like to see the person who calls cheerleading a non sport actives do a toe touch backhand spring or a standing back tuck. People judge stuff way too fast; they think they know everything just by looking at it. “Football isn’t growing…cheerleading is” (Fish). There are about three million cheerleaders in the United States. It is a well growing sport and it will remain a sport. “The sport at hand must be physical, competitive and organized” (Record). That came from someone that said cheerleading is not a sport. Competitive cheerleading fits into that perfectly. You are doing a bunch of physical thing in your routine back tucks to toe touches. We are competing to win; just like any other sport. Organization is a hug part of cheerleading; you can’t go out on the floor and what whatever comes to mind. Being a cheerleader isn’t all fun and games. There’s a lot you have to have and do to be on a competitive cheerleading team; like football, you have to know how to catch and throw the ball in order to make the team.  Looking at a million articles, it came to my thought that sideline cheerleading is not as much as a sport like competitive cheerleading. “Competitions are the sport, games are just for practice” ( Ninemire ). A sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged competitively. Competitive cheerleaders are competing for something that they have worked over eight months for.  Everyone needs to believe in cheerleading. If you don’t, then you should come out and see a competition, not a football game. It will get you thinking that cheerleading is a sport. Cheerleaders aren’t just pompoms and mini skirts, because there is skill and hard work mixed all into it. Cheerleading is more then just a sport, its team work.

Citied Work "Is cheerleading a sport." //Cheerleading//. Courtney Ramirez, n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2009. . "Is cheerleading really a sport." //Cheerleaders: Athletes Without a Sport?//. Valerie Ninemire, n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2009. . "No, cheerleading is not a sport ." //none//. Jamie Meades, n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2009. . "The News Record." //The News Record//. N.p., 6 Oct. 2006. Web. 2 Nov. 2009. . "Why cheerleading is a sport." //The news herald//. Kaye Fish, 9 Sept. 2015. Web. 4 Nov. 2009. <http://morganton.com>.

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