The Debate - Is Cheerleading a Sport?

With cheerleaders displaying increased gymnastic skills and athletic routines such as pyramid building and partner stunts, cheerleading began to be regarded as a serious athletic activity.

Colleges offered scholarships for cheerleaders. Collegiate and high school cheerleading competitions also began in the late 1970s.

The significance of cheerleader training became evident. This necessitated more cheerleading coaches. The result was training camps for cheerleading coaches too.

Cheerleading was becoming more or less like any recognized sport.

Cheerleading is a sport

Today, cheerleading has become a serious athletic activity and won widespread respect, recognition, and involvement.

Of late, cheerleading has undergone several changes, all for the good.

The 1980s marked great innovations in cheerleading. It won recognition as a true sport. This pushed cheerleaders from sidelines to the center stage. All-star squads took shape across the nation. High school and college teams, at both junior and senior levels, took part in National Cheerleading Competitions.

More the risk involved, more the safety measures needed. In 1980, new safety guidelines and universal standards for cheerleaders and cheerleading routines were established. The routines in question were the complex cheerleading practices like tumbling, partner stunts, and human pyramids. The safety guidelines particularly dangerous tumbling routines and human pyramids.

The debate as to if or not cheerleading should be considered a sport is on. With strong athletic and gymnastic skills, and proven stamina and physical strength, cheerleaders are as good as any athlete. This notwithstanding, cheerleading is unlikely to be labeled as an official sport in the near future.

However, this has no bearing on the cheerleaders. What matters is the fun, learning, and confidence that cheerleading offers. From humble origins, cheerleading has become one of the most popular American pastimes.

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