All Star Cheerleading Research Paper

On March 11, 2017 the world’s best all-star cheerleading teams will be at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in DisneyWorld for the most prestigious cheer competition of the year. The teams there have qualified by getting bids from regional and national competitions, similar to how gymnasts qualify for large meets by competing well in smaller meets. Throughout the competition hundreds of teams will perform their routine filled with the most elite tumbling and stunting sequences ever performed. The tosses and baskets will be so high that if they were performed in a smaller building the flyers, or girls in the air, would hit the ceiling. The tumbling will be so fast and so powerful that if someone was to radar gun the pass, they would be going over

Their cheerleading program is considered a Title IX sport. Despite suggestions to not consider cheerleading a sport for gender equality, they divided their program in half to better meet the requirements of being a sport under Title IX. The cheerleading team they consider a sport only competes and never cheers at games, similar to how all-star cheerleading. The cheerleaders seen at Maryland’s football and basketball games are part of a school club and are not considered part of a sport’s program. In addition to colleges recognizing cheerleading as a sport, 22 states now recognize high school cheer as a sport, including Arizona. Many orthopedic experts consider cheerleading a sport and encourage other associations to do so as well. By accepting cheerleading as a sport, the athletes would be given more money for mats, increasing the safety. In 2011 alone, 3,700 cheerleaders went to the emergency room and account for 66% of the catastrophic injuries for female athletes (Brungart). Doctors believe that if more people gave cheerleading had greater recognition, many injuries could be prevented with the purchase of mats. The most recent organization to consider cheerleading a sport is the International Olympic Committee. The IOC has given the International Cheer Union provisional recognition as a sport that could eventually be included in the Olympics starting in 2024 (Dosh). After

Title IX has several requirements to be considered a sport and all-star cheerleading meets every requirement given. The most important criteria for being recognized as a sport by Title IX is competitions during a defined season. All-star cheerleaders do have a defined competition season. Competitions run August through May with 51 sanctioned events to win bids (varsity.com). Regional competitions run December to March with the opportunity for teams to get bids to qualify for bigger competitions. As the season goes on the stakes get higher and each team hopes to receive a bid for the most prestigious competitions, Worlds and the Summit. The World Championships are held at the end of March; competing in this competition is the equivalent of a baseball player playing in the MLB’s World Series. The Summit is a worldwide competition for younger teams that do not qualify for Worlds based on their difficulty level. In addition to regional and national competitions, there are hundreds of other smaller competitions and showcases that allow teams to get used to competing without as much pressure. So cheerleaders compete but does that really make it a