Register to read the introduction…
Jaw-dropping stunts, whip-backs, and thirty-foot- high basket tosses help cheerleading earn their acclaim and steady ratings” (Rondon 97). Yes, just like any other sport, cheerleading competitions are broadcasted on ESPN. Substantiation of the popularity of cheerleading is because it is featured on one of the largest sports broadcasting networks in the world. “On ESPN, cheerleading competitions draw an average audience of 455,000 homes, comparable to the National Hockey League” (Ebersole “Thrills and Spills”). “Cheerleading on ESPN earns steady ratings (a .5 versus a .3 for Major League Soccer)” (Rondon
…show more content…
In the past, cheerleading teams were able to get along with the support of a faculty "advisor" that did not need to have intricate knowledge of cheerleading skills. Today's cheerleading squad needs a knowledgeable director, more often being called "coach" than "advisor" or "sponsor". These coaches need the training that is given at summer cheerleading training camps and at state and national conventions that provide expert instruction in all areas of cheerleading. “Since cheerleaders get little respect as athletes, qualified coaches are scarce, practice facilities are often unsafe, and steps to avoid injuries are frequently ignored”(Ebersole “Thrills and Spills). There are now so many injuries that some high schools ban airborne stunts.” It is a very, very difficult sport”, said Dr. Sally Harris, a researcher at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in California. “When you say cheerleading, people are not aware that you’re talking about this entirely new sport. You get girls doing these risky maneuvers, but you don’t get the same support you do with varsity sports” (Rondon 97). “Cheer accounts for 65 percent of all catastrophic injuries in girls’ high school athletics, shows a recent report by the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research at the University of North Carolina. That’s especially striking considering cheerleaders make up …show more content…
Cheerleaders need the guarantee of proper training room, proper medical care, and proper checks and screenings for participants. If properly recognized teams would be provided better training facilities, coaches would be properly trained, injuries would decrease and funding for the programs would increase. With every aspect of cheerleading becoming increasingly difficult cheerleading deserves the state-wide recognition as a sport just as any other physical sporting activity. In the words of Kane of the Tucker Center, “when the culture starts rewarding cheerleading in the same way in which it rewards women and men sports with economic parity and scholarships, not simply regulated to the sidelines, then I think we’re onto something” (Rondon 99). No longer content to just cheer on the sidelines, cheerleaders are now demanding the respect they so rightfully
In the past, cheerleading teams were able to get along with the support of a faculty "advisor" that did not need to have intricate knowledge of cheerleading skills. Today's cheerleading squad needs a knowledgeable director, more often being called "coach" than "advisor" or "sponsor". These coaches need the training that is given at summer cheerleading training camps and at state and national conventions that provide expert instruction in all areas of cheerleading. “Since cheerleaders get little respect as athletes, qualified coaches are scarce, practice facilities are often unsafe, and steps to avoid injuries are frequently ignored”(Ebersole “Thrills and Spills). There are now so many injuries that some high schools ban airborne stunts.” It is a very, very difficult sport”, said Dr. Sally Harris, a researcher at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in California. “When you say cheerleading, people are not aware that you’re talking about this entirely new sport. You get girls doing these risky maneuvers, but you don’t get the same support you do with varsity sports” (Rondon 97). “Cheer accounts for 65 percent of all catastrophic injuries in girls’ high school athletics, shows a recent report by the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research at the University of North Carolina. That’s especially striking considering cheerleaders make up …show more content…
Cheerleaders need the guarantee of proper training room, proper medical care, and proper checks and screenings for participants. If properly recognized teams would be provided better training facilities, coaches would be properly trained, injuries would decrease and funding for the programs would increase. With every aspect of cheerleading becoming increasingly difficult cheerleading deserves the state-wide recognition as a sport just as any other physical sporting activity. In the words of Kane of the Tucker Center, “when the culture starts rewarding cheerleading in the same way in which it rewards women and men sports with economic parity and scholarships, not simply regulated to the sidelines, then I think we’re onto something” (Rondon 99). No longer content to just cheer on the sidelines, cheerleaders are now demanding the respect they so rightfully