Staff Writer
What does Apex High School think about
cheerleading?
Thirty
students at Apex High School were asked if they think cheerleading is a sport.
Out of the 30, 20 said that cheerleading is a sport, while 10 believe that it is
not a sport. Junior Levi Warren said, “Male college football cheerleaders are
stronger than most people; they have the physical ability to perform a skill,
like a backflip.” Senior Josephine Devita says, “Cheerleading is a sport
because you have to be in top physical shape and it’s very difficult, and looks
harder than it is.” On the other hand, sophomore Kyle Benton said, “It’s more
of just cheering for a sports team instead of it being a sport in general.” Freshman
Emma Totten believes that cheerleading is not a sport because, “It’s not in the
Olympics.”
Johnny
Campbell became the first cheerleader ever in 1898 for the University of
Minnesota’s football team. Although cheerleading began as a male-only sport,
97% of current cheerleaders are female. In just over 100 years, cheerleading has
progressed from shouting chants to performing advanced stunts and tumbling.
Is cheerleading
a sport?
According
to Webster’s Dictionary, a sport is a physical activity engaged in for pleasure.
However, the definition of a sport is still very broad. The Women’s Sports
Foundation has narrowed down the definition of what is considered a sport to
these elements that are commonly agreed upon to define a sport:
- It must be a physical activity which involves propelling a mass through space or overcoming the resistance of mass. (Stunting-throwing people into the air and catching them)
- “Contesting”
or compe
ting against/with an opponent is required (Competition) - It must be governed by rules that explicitly define the time, space, and purpose of the contest and the conditions under which a winner is declared. (Time limit, mat size, score sheets, USASF-governing body)
- Acknowledgement that the primary purpose of the competition is a comparison of the relative skills of the participants. (National cheerleading competitions on ESPN)
In
1999, ESPN officially declared it a sport and began showing the national
cheerleading competitions that were taking place around the country. Perhaps no
other sport has evolved so quickly. Today The College Stunt Association aims to
separate competitive teams from traditional, sideline cheering, and create a
new category that meets Title IX requirements and qualifies for sport status.
