High School Cheerleading question

[Cindyluwho]

My DD14 is a freshman this year and on the Cheer Squad for the High School. The team just experienced their second major injury, one of the fliers took a fall and broke the end of her elbow/arm and is having surgery on Tuesday. They're having an emergency meeting this afternoon to address the situation.
Can someone with experience fill me in on the norm nowadays for High School Cheer? The squad is made up of anyone who tried out, which is 15 girls of different abilities. All girls are expected to take place in stunting.
Is it normal to make up a brand new cheer w/stunts the day before the game, every week? The squad has tumbling practice on Monday and then on the night before the game they have one practice in which they work out a new routine with stunts for the next night's game. And we're talking "elite" type stunts here, not the usual basket tosses,etc.
When I was in school, back when dinasoars ruled the earth we had a dozen or so stunts and cheers that we worked on all summer that we rotated for the games. After football, we worked on another 10 or so for basketball season.
Forgive me if I'm so out of touch, I really don't know how advanced High Schools are these days

 

[mamacatnv]

I know there has been a lot in the press in the past couple of years about how dangerous HS cheerleading really is. Something along the lines of more injuries than football.

Unlike most of the other sports, there is little regulation, not enough safety equipment and even less training for the girls and the coaches. There is a push going on nation wide to regulate the sport and thus hopefully keep those kids safer.

As a parent I would want to know the qualifications of the coach and the training that is actually taking place. 2 major injuries would be beyond my acceptable limit. The school needs to evaluate the program and impose some limits onto the stunts performed.

 

[undercovermom]

my older dd was on her high school team for four years.

they did a lot of their stunt and tumbling work at a private gym, with an instructor specializing in cheerleading activities, because the teachers who served as their coaches did not come from a cheerleading background -- they'd been dance team members in their high school days.

in the course of my dd's senior year there were two major and maybe 6 or 7 minor injuries, and both took place during cheerleading competitions, not during exhibitions while performing at a school game.

so two major injuries this early in the year does sound a bit much.

 

[AprilShowers]

Wow, that doesn't sound like enough practice/prep time for new stunts and routines.
In our conference, the cheerleaders aren't allowed to do any stunting AT ALL! I'm not sure if it's the conference, or the OHSAA. Either way, there is no mounts, tossing etc.

Now, at basketball games, I see them do some tumbling, but never are they thrown, or doing any types of mounts or pyramids.

As a flag line director, I would NEVER introduct a new routine to my girls the night before the game. That sounds like a recipe for disaster.

 

[chisnpeke]

My high school did not allow stunts or mounts of any kind. I think that is the way it should be for school cheerleading. If they do it at a private gym where they compete then I think that it is different.

 

[poohluvrs]

This scares the bajeebas outta me!

My DD wants to take up cheerleading but I think it has the potential to be very dangerous, there seems to be no limits or accountability as far as stunts....

 

[rie'smom]

My DD14 is a freshman this year and on the Cheer Squad for the High School. The team just experienced their second major injury, one of the fliers took a fall and broke the end of her elbow/arm and is having surgery on Tuesday. They're having an emergency meeting this afternoon to address the situation.
Can someone with experience fill me in on the norm nowadays for High School Cheer? The squad is made up of anyone who tried out, which is 15 girls of different abilities. All girls are expected to take place in stunting.
Is it normal to make up a brand new cheer w/stunts the day before the game, every week? The squad has tumbling practice on Monday and then on the night before the game they have one practice in which they work out a new routine with stunts for the next night's game. And we're talking "elite" type stunts here, not the usual basket tosses,etc.
When I was in school, back when dinasoars ruled the earth we had a dozen or so stunts and cheers that we worked on all summer that we rotated for the games. After football, we worked on another 10 or so for basketball season.
Forgive me if I'm so out of touch, I really don't know how advanced High Schools are these days

Making up stunts the day before a game is insane!!!! Doing this with girls who may not have the training is criminal. I don't know when I've read something so outlandish. I'd call the school's insurance or your school board FAST. These girls should not be stunting. Some girl may be crippled for life or worse.
My daughter's group practices and practices their stunts-weeks not just days to avoid injuries.

 

[Alicia87]

My DD17 has been a varsity cheerleader for four years and has had quite a few injuries from the sport. Most of her injuries are tumbling related i.e., thumb fracture, pulled ligaments in legs, and others were from stunting. She's had black eyes, a swollen nose, wrist injury, dislocated shoulder, and the worst of all....two broken sternal wires (from her open heart surgery). She eats, sleeps, and breathes cheerleading/competition. She gets right back up and never misses a practice. The doctors have all told me to just let her gauge what she can and cannot do. Her cardiologist gives her the thumbs up every year, so our main concerns are injuries. If I had it to do all over again, I would discourage her from cheering. At our high school, it has turned into a "dog eat dog" sport...the girls are all nasty to each other, troublemakers, just downright miserable.

Good luck and enjoy!!

 

[Cindyluwho]

My DD17 has been a varsity cheerleader for four years and has had quite a few injuries from the sport. Most of her injuries are tumbling related i.e., thumb fracture, pulled ligaments in legs, and others were from stunting. She's had black eyes, a swollen nose, wrist injury, dislocated shoulder, and the worst of all....two broken sternal wires (from her open heart surgery). She eats, sleeps, and breathes cheerleading/competition. She gets right back up and never misses a practice. The doctors have all told me to just let her gauge what she can and cannot do. Her cardiologist gives her the thumbs up every year, so our main concerns are injuries. If I had it to do all over again, I would discourage her from cheering. At our high school, it has turned into a "dog eat dog" sport...the girls are all nasty to each other, troublemakers, just downright miserable.

Good luck and enjoy!!

I just had to bold that last part because it cracked me up!! Yes, it's true! I've never seen such backstabbing and kattiness in all my life. And that's new with the new coach, the years past it just wasn't tolerated but the new coach firmly believes that it's just "girls being girls". I can't even go into what the meeting was like last night. I thought the parents were going to burn her at the stake but after every comment she turned it back around onto the team. She even said the first injury occured because the flier "fell incorrectly".

 

[mamacatnv]

I just had to bold that last part because it cracked me up!! Yes, it's true! I've never seen such backstabbing and kattiness in all my life. And that's new with the new coach, the years past it just wasn't tolerated but the new coach firmly believes that it's just "girls being girls". I can't even go into what the meeting was like last night. I thought the parents were going to burn her at the stake but after every comment she turned it back around onto the team. She even said the first injury occured because the flier "fell incorrectly".

Ummm, what is the schools or the districts stand on this "coach" and what are their rules and regs for cheer? I would be very concerned. Does your school have an athletic director, someone who is answerable for the actions of this "coach" and I use the term very lightly.

Google: Cheerleading injuries in high school and you will find a bucket load of information.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

I think some of this may vary by state. I know for a few years there was NO stunting allowed at all in my area of Ohio; only private gyms could stunt, not schools. This was an insurance issue.
When DD#1 was jv last year they started some minor things--lifting one girl up all the way, etc. They practice these few stunts ad nauseum. I have seen some other schools do more, but our coaches are happy at this level and so are the girls. DD is a base so no danger of being dropped for her. They do have college kids come in once a year, usually doing basketball season, for a stunting clinic.
If your coaches are doing things like this they need to be stopped from stunting or removed. End of story.
DD does not tumble but she is the only girl on varsity who doesn't. Her dance, volume, cheer ability and other aspects got her through. Tumbling is NOT required but she was the only varsity girl who did not tumble in the tryout.
I know what you mean about the cattiness. DD was upset Friday because she is in charge of 4th quarter dances, cheers, etc., especially working with the marching band to do band dances, etc. Everytime she made a decision Friday (the big rivalry game) another varsity girl said "No", and the other girls didn't know what to do. I told her she needs to talk to the coach about it.
Robin M.