The Sport And Spirit Of Cheerleading

Is cheerleading considered a sport in High School?

There are about 20 states that recognize Cheerleading as a sport, but depending on the area, east coast and west tend to not recognize it as strongly as the South. The South definitely recognizes Cheerleading as a sport.

Why is there resistance to classifying cheerleading a sport?

There's two reasons. One of the reasons that some people will say that cheerleading is not a sport is because it's not a team on team action where there's points divided between two teams and there's a score. That is one of the reasons why they don't consider it as a sport. The other side of it is some people just think that girls are there to dance, to bounce up and down and they're there for the skirt, and that's more of a social reason why they think that cheerleading's not a sport. Cheerleading should definitely be a sport. It involves acrobatics, gymnastics, dancing and full cardio activity. It is definitely a sport. A cheerleading squad is similar to athletic teams. They have positions just like any other teams. They have their bases, their spotters and their flyers, and cheerleaders also have to learn to dance, perform and tumble.

What does it take to become a good cheerleader?

To be a good cheerleader, besides being dedicated, motivated and committed to yourself and your team, when you're performing in front of the audience or the fans, you have to be very enthusiastic. You have to have a great big smile on your face, you have to have a lot of energy and you have to know how to communicate with your fans.

What are the different types of cheerleading squads?

There's several different types of Cheerleading Squads. You have the Cheerleading Squads that just only performs, they really don't do any stunting or tumbling. Then you have Cheerleading Squads that are very competitive, and when they perform in front of the fans they do everything, they dance, they stunt, and they tumble, and they really perform. Then you also have the Cheerleading Squads that doesn't compete at all competitively they just support the sports. And then you have the teams that do both. They do cheer and support the sports, and they also compete for themselves.

How important is spirit to cheerleading?

Spirit in cheerleading is very important. Without spirit you have nothing. You have to get the fans going. You have to get them pumped up. Without spirit, you're not a cheerleader.