Cheerleading: The Forgotten Sport (as submitted to Highestwire)

Submitted by cadence turner on Saturday, October 22, 2005 at 11:30:46 AM EST.

Author: Elisabetta O’Connor

“Is cheerleading a sport?”

Controversy spreads rapidly every time the question is brought up. The Olympics committee seems to think that cheerleading qualifies as a sport since they are considering adding it to the summer Olympics program. However, schools don’t seem to agree uniformly as to whether cheerleading qualifies as a sport or an extracurricular activity. Some elementary schools qualify it as a sport, whereas most high schools, including Curtis, categorize it under extracurricular activities.

Cheerleading qualifies as a sport in many aspects. Why shouldn’t it? Bowling counts as a sport and requires minimal physical activity. Cheerleading, unless the cheerleaders are just walking around and clapping, requires a lot of physical skill and activity.

It is doubtful whether other athletes would be able to manage a back hand spring or a back tuck. Cheerleading also requires as much teamwork as any other sport in that you must be able to rely, especially as a flyer, on your teammates to catch you and provide you with footing.

Cheerleaders may not compete in the game, but they do just as much in providing morale for the games. They work just as much as a team does.

“Cheerleading is a sport just like football, basketball, baseball, etc. They go to camp just like everyone else; they have practice after school; they have to maintain their grades like everyone else on a team, and most importantly, they work hard and do an incredible job when it comes to game time when they cheer,” Senior Christina Lavista said.

To close the book, it is not much of a basket toss to decide if cheerleading is a sport. It combines team spirit, teamwork, gymnastics and dance altogether. A sophomore cheerleader who wishes to remain anonymous says to think of it this way, “Athletes lift weights. Cheerleaders lift athletes.”

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