Cheerleading Research Paper

649 Words3 Pages

Lauren Sandoval
Ms. O.
TSI 0304
2 October 2014
Cheerleading: A True Sport
Cameras set up everywhere, hundreds and hundreds of excited spectator and fan, personal pride, and a huge trophy at stake; yes, this one of the biggest sporting events of the year, no, this big event is not a football, baseball, or a basketball championship. The uncontrollable excitement in the air paves the way for the next team to step out onto the mat to perform their two and a half minute, extensively practiced, energetic routine. Cheerleading is a sport that is on a global rise and becoming very popular. Some people may argue that cheerleading should not, and furthermore, cannot be considered a sport, However, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition …show more content…

Also, cheerleading has an extremely high risk of injury. In many situations, in order to become part of a cheerleading team one must try-out for the team. Try-outs vary from team to team, but commonly consist of testing each athletes ability in personal strength, endurance, physical stamina, leadership, and personal presentation. The try-out process time also varies, one team may hold a one day try-out whereas anther may have a multiple step, week long or longer process. One may be under the impression that once the try-outs are over you no longer have to work hard, but that is false. Often cheerleading is a year round sport with very little to no “off” time. Due to the hard work and physically challenging work cheerleaders go through injuries are nearly unavoidable. Injuries vary from miner bumps and bruises all the way down the line to sprains, fractures, and even serious head trauma. Currently cheerleading is ranked at number two for catastrophic injuries; “only American football ranks higher”. The National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research at the University of North Carolina reports that “65.2 percent of all catastrophic injuries in youth sports occur in cheerleading”, and “70.5 present of fatal collage injuries also occur in athletes participating in