Definition Of Cheerleading - 1027 Words

While the definition of a sport may vary with the person, the dictionary definition of a sport can be best described as, â€Å"an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment† (Oxford Dictionary). Cheerleading has been a topic of an ongoing controversial debate as to whether or not it should be recognized as a sport. Players that engage in sports, such as, football, basketball, and baseball all display a genuine liking for their sport, which generally emphasizes why they take part in the activity. Similarly, cheerleaders have the same mindset because they display a genuine passion of being apart of a team and working with others to achieve a common goal.†¦show more content†¦Orlando’s argument can be considered invalid because other sports, such as figure skating and gymnastics, are considered forms of art, but are also represented as olympic sports. Competitive cheerleading represents a different side of the stereotypical cheerleader that revolves around of tumbling, jumping, and dancing, alongside a greater amount of contact activity in comparison to sideline cheerleading. Lori A. Selke, a writer for Livestrong.com, states that, â€Å"in order to gain and maintain those athletic qualities, a competitive cheerleader must train as hard as any other athlete†¦ In addition to attending cheer practice to practice stunting, tumbling, and dancing, cheerleaders must also weight lift and work out several times a week† (Selke). The intensity of cheerleading as a whole illuminates why it is a sport rather than simply an activity. The overall devotion to the sport and time a cheerleader must sacrifice to practicing, refining, and executing skills is clearly similar to the training of any other athlete. A competitive cheerleader typically spends at a minimum, two to three hours seven days a week practicing and perfecting the skil ls involved in a routine (Almasy). Furthermore, competitive cheerleading encompasses a high injury risk because of the immense amount of contact activity, which involves being tossed and flipped through the air. As a result of the amount of contact activity involved with cheerleading,Show MoreRelatedShould Cheerleading Be A Sport?1620 Words   |  7 PagesWhen it comes to cheerleading, most of us will readily agree that it is not a real sport. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of why not. Whereas some are convinced that cheerleading doesn’t meet necessary qualifications to officially be a sport, others maintain that it does have qualities deeming it to be a sport. This is because the competition level in high school and college exceeds the expectation of those other sports that put in the time, hard work and effort toRead MoreWhat Does A Sport And Whether Or Not Cheerleading Should Be Considered1513 Words   |  7 Pagessport I’m sure the first thing that comes to mind is football, or basketball, or maybe baseball. But what about cheerleading? When you think of cheerleading do you just think of it as an activity that consists of chants on the sidelines with big pom-poms, or do you think of it as a sport with extreme stunting such as tumbling, mounting, and tossing? The question of whether or not cheerleading is or should be recognized as an official sport has been debated since 1997 and still makes its way to courtRead More Cheerleading is Not a Sport Essay903 Words   |  4 PagesCheerleading is Not a Sport According to Joe Hatton, the author of the article, â€Å"Sports Beat - The sport of cheerleading: It’s more than just pompoms and smiles,† cheerleading is a sport because it requires strength, balance, and coordination. The major claim of the article is â€Å"cheerleading is a sport - plain and simple - and cheerleaders are true athletes† (Hatton C-04). The article offers the following arguments in support of the claim. Hatton claims because cheerleaders are athletes, cheerleadingRead MoreCheerleading Is A Sport Or Not864 Words   |  4 PagesIn today’s society there is a huge argument on whether cheerleading is a sport or not. Cheerleading involves skills which require the strength of football, the grace of dance, and the agility of gymnastics. Complex maneuvers are performed which challenge the limits of the body. Safety organizations such as the AACCA were formed to develop safety rules to guide programs in the safe performance of cheerleading gymnastics, which include jumps, partner stunts, pyramids and tumbling. Cheerleaders do notRead MoreEssay about How Cheerleading Is a Sport1011 Words   |  5 PagesMany consider cheerleading not a sport, but the New York Times states, one of the quickest growing sports for girls in our country today is cheerleading. Additionally, the New York Times doesn’t differentiate between sideline and competition cheerleaders. Sideline cheerleaders are on the sideline cheering on the football team and getting the crowd pumped for the football game. A competition cheerleader competes against other schools or teams in competitions that last two minutes and thirty se condsRead MoreAthletes Have The Ability To Choose Which Sport They Would1456 Words   |  6 PagesSome decide to do football, others do baseball, and some actually choose to join cheerleading. Each of these sports require similar skills such as strength and endurance, which is why many cheerleaders get angry whenever they hear people say â€Å"cheerleading is not a sport†. According to author Lauren Rubin, who wrote the article, â€Å"Cheerleading Is A Sport† she states A sport, according to the Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors, is a ‘physical activity [competition] against/with an opponentRead MoreCheerleading Is Not An Extracurricular Activity Essay1511 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Cheerleading is not an extracurricular activity. It is a sport, a sport of academic discipline.† Crowds have been cheering since the begininning of sports, however it wasn’t until the late 1800s that organized cheering was introduced. A man named Mark Peebles brought cheerleading with him to the University of Minnesota and started to create a specific set of cheers for different times during the games. Another student however, named Johnny Campbell, decided to take cheering to a whole new levelRead MoreCheerleading Is A Sport1854 Words   |  8 Pages Whether cheerleading is considered a sport has become a very controversial topic over the past few years. Due to lack of education of the sport, it is very frowned upon by other athletes . Other athletes seem to feel that cheerleading isnt difficult and requires minimum to no effort. These accusations can be very hurtful when coming from a cheerleader’s perspective. Based on their strength and skill, the amount of practicing and maintaining health, the number of injuries, and its competitive aspectRead More Friday Night Lights Essay868 Words   |  4 PagesSchool football a sport, or is it more than that to some people? Recent newspaper headlines include such items as coaches abusing student athletes; fathers of athletes murdering coaches, and mother’s disabilitating cheerleading candidates to assure their daughters make the cheerleading team. In Odessa, Texas high school football is a major contributor to the society of a small town in Texas society. Every Friday night, 50,000 people fill the stadium to see high school students put their lives on theRead MoreThe Importance of Providing Students with Physical Education Classes1261 Words   |  6 Pag estake physical education classes. Physical education class’s requirements are changing to promote wellness over a lifetime something that a sport cannot achieve. â€Å"Classes and activities that provide physical activity (e.g., marching band, ROTC, cheerleading, school and community sports) have important but distinctly different goals than physical education† (NASPE, 2006). If schools will provide any exemption what criteria do they have to base the exemption on? Does any extracurricular activity that