~Cheerleading is a sport~

[nwdisgal]

Okay, I know this is going to get messy, but this thread is inspired from the 'hooters shirt' thread and I just have to go on record by saying 'yes, cheerleading is a sport' (former cheerleader here, since the age of 2, all through grade school, jr. high school, high school and college) so let's see if everyone or anyone agrees/disagrees with me.......

Let the fun begin....................

As a former competitive varsity gymnast, I say that cheerleading became a sport when they started incorporating real gymnastics into it - which has been fairly recent. When I was in highschool the cheerleaders were doing simple jumps and dance routines - nothing real complicated. That was pretty much par for the course at the time. They were just starting to discuss whether or not cheerleaders should qualify for an athletic letter when I finished highschool. People who had acrobatic and dance talent were recruited into gymnastics at that time.

By the looks of things, a lot of these kids in cheerleading today have background as gymnasts. They are certainly not just walking off the street and doing double backs. In that sense, yes, I now consider it a real sport.

 

[nwdisgal]

I see the point WIcruizer is trying to make. During football, soccer, or baseball you are using your skill to "best" an opponent. Usually using a ball or moving something (see the about.com definition that I posted on page 1). In cheerleading, gymnastics, figure skating your points are derived from a person who is viewing your performance and they decide if your performance is worth 1 point or 9 points. It's subjective. A goal, is a goal, is goal.

As for boxing, it doesn't involve a ball, but it involves punching the crap out of someone until they fall down. Very objective and is not judged.

The situation is though, certain skills are worth more points than others. When you choose your routine, you are actually trying to work up to a certain mastery of skill to score certain points. The judges don't just subjectively pull a number out of a hat. If you've ever tried to master a 360 rotation while pressed in a handstand, you would know what I'm talking about. When you compete as a gymnastic team, the goal is to collectively score as many points as possible on each individual event, so that as a sum, you can take the team competition.

 

[Pooh's Pal]

How about Marching Band? Is that a sport? They have try outs, they practice, the routines can get physically complex and they compete.

When my DD was in high school she decided against being a cheerleader (had been for a few year prior) and joined the Color Guard with the Marching band...and did Winter guard, all through high school (2 years Captain) and has continued now in college. WinterGuard International (WGI) calls it A Sport of the Arts!

And yes, I think Cheerleading is a Sport too!