Cheerleading Is A Sport

Many people go against the topic of whether cheerleading is considered a sport. People assume it’s not because normally all they see of cheerleaders is at football or basketball games. People never watch cheerleaders performing at an actual competition. The sound of a screaming crowd, the flashes of cameras, and a goal to win are things that all sports have in common with cheerleading. Cheerleading meets the definition of a sport.
Cheerleaders are expected to have a high level of physical activity to participate. At the beginning of the season try-outs are hosted. Participants are required to do a number of things in order to make the team. They must be able to tumble, cheer, dance, and stunt. Cheerleaders have a practice schedule just as …show more content…
In fact, cheerleading competitions are more difficult than other sports teams competitions. Cheerleaders are judged only on their performance. During the cheer part of their routine, cheerleaders must be able to get the crowd involved. To involve the crowd they might use signs, megaphones, or poms. Using the signs makes it easy for the crowd to know what words to shout with the cheerleaders. When the designated cheerleader holds the sign in the air it’s telling the crowd to say the words which scores their team points. The megaphones and poms catch the crowd's attention and get them more engaged in the performance. If things like a jump sequence in their routine all the jumps must be completely together to score points. If stunting is included in a routine they must be solid and all together. If a stunt goes up but is wobbly the team may lose points on their performance. If a stunt falls or is unable to get up points will also be lost. In order to win the competition the team must score more points than the other team. In the same way, every other sports team is competing to see who ends up with the most points at the …show more content…
The routine for a competition must always be a specific time. The time may vary depending on what division the team is in. A cheerleader would probably make their routine shorter than the time that is required. If the team's routine is meant to stay in the time frame, but ends up taking longer, the team could get a serious deduction of points. When performing at a competition, a big mat is placed in the middle of the floor. The mat is where they perform their routine. If a cheerleader steps off that mat, she will lose points for their routine. The tumblers on the team often run far in order to get the momentum for their trick. If a cheerleader runs too far she could do the trick off the mat and lose points. Cheerleaders are also required to wear the same uniform. If a few of the members on the team are wearing different uniforms than the rest of the girls they could lose points. In addition to the uniform, all the girls must do their hair the same. If a few of Fthe girls decide to wear their hair in a different style than the rest of the girls, points will be deducted. Judges will score higher if all of the team looks identical. Cheerleaders will also lose points if an illegal stunt is thrown. Judges pay extremely close attention when the team is throwing stunts. In the high school level, it is illegal to do a basket toss without a mat underneath of you. If the judges saw a team doing