Cheerleading is a sport

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Ditzy. Air-headed. Stupid.

Cheerleaders are generalized all the time. They are viewed as people who simply watch other people play sports and cheer them on. While cheering for sports teams is a small aspect of being a cheerleader, there is much more to it than that.

Cheerleaders are athletes. They get injured, work out, sweat, compete and perform. So why are they constantly ridiculed and insulted for their sport?

A cheerleading team is just like any other sports team; it requires collaboration, teamwork, patience and a lot of practice.

Being a cheerleader is a huge commitment. Cheerleaders are held to high expectations because they, like all athletes, represent Leesville Road High School.

A cheerleading team is similar to a soccer team. For example, as a back spot, it is my responsibility to catch my flyer if she starts to fall. The goalie keeps the ball out of the goal and prevents the other team from winning. I keep my flyer in the air and prevent her from falling. The two sports are similar in this way.

Regardless of whether or not a person thinks cheerleading deserves to be considered a sport, they must respect it.

Being a cheerleader myself, I have thought about the possible reasons why people have preexisting opinions of cheerleaders in general.

My first thought: movies. In almost every movie featuring a cheerleader, they are portrayed as stereotypical, trashy idiots who aren’t good for more than a good laugh. The constant association of cheerleaders to stupidity in movies may be the influence of people’s negative thoughts of them.

Another reason people may think stereotype cheerleaders and think cheerleading isn’t a sport is because all they see us do is cheer at football and basketball games.

This is how cheerleading works. We practice our routine at practice and cheer at games. We perform our routine at competitions against other cheerleading teams, not at sporting events. Few people at school attend our competitions, therefore all they see us do is literally CHEER for the football team and basketball team.

I agree whole-heartedly that what cheerleaders do at games is not a sport. It is not difficult. However, the competitive aspect of cheerleading is what makes it a sport. The long, hard practices of repeating the routine over and over again is what makes it a sport. The sweat, tears, and bruises are what make it a sport. Cheerleading is a sport.

Cheerleading is a sport.

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