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Cheerleading; Do you think it’s a sport?

The definition of the word sport: Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. So, can you tell me why cheerleading is not a sport? Most people who don’t consider it a sport have probably not experienced the practices or the hard work that goes into the routines or the performances. The person reading this might believe that it really shouldn’t be a sport, my goal is to change your perspective of cheerleading.

        The skills involved in Cheerleading leave no doubt that cheerleaders are exceptional athletes. To perform their activities, they must be as strong as any football player, as poised as any dancer and as flexible as the best gymnasts. In my opinion, they are athletes by every definition of the word. Cheerleaders use most of there time practicing for whatever they are performing and, they DON’T get a halftime, unlike the football players. Have you seen the flips they do? Its unreal, and it takes serious effort to be able to do all the skills they have.

Still don’t think so? Well, try lifting someone above your head while they twist their body into pretzel-like forms and smile at the same time. Count, while putting someone into your hands, bouncing twice and throwing them into the air watching them spin a couple times then, catching them perfectly parallel to the ground, with no mistakes in a 5 second motion. Loop your hands together like a basket and drive a girl far enough into the air to touch the sky. Get hit, slapped, kicked, elbowed, kneed and punched but shake it off cause you can’t stop. Stay up until 5 am before a competition to make yourself absolutely flawless. Then, drink gallons of water because you sweat a lot from your running at practice, never ending tumbling passes, back bends, jumps and stunts. Break some bones but think nothing of it because you aren’t going to sit on the sidelines. Don’t stop until you can’t breathe, but even then keep going. Build up all your strength, use it, pass out and do it again. Eat, sleep, cheer, repeat. Then tell me cheerleading isn’t a sport.

To possibly change your mind, you should understand the hard work they endure while practicing or during a performance. The cheerleaders have the skills and the strength of a football player, if not more. I’m not implying that football is girly or anything, I’m just making it clear to you that if football is a sport then cheerleading should be too. Cheerleading matches the definition of the word perfectly except the last part, or at least that’s what they say. The last part is “engaged in competitively”. This doesn’t make sense to me, because cheerleading is engaged in competitively. Cheerleading is probably one of the most competitive activities that has ever taken place. When they’re out there cheering their hearts out, they are constantly saying things like… beat those wildcats! Or, come on! Make those pirates walk the plank! Things of that nature are competitive. Another example of this is competitive cheerleading, that entire activity is revolved around competing and trying to win 1^st place in a competition. When critics say engaged in competitively they might mean physically competitive which would be physically putting your hands on someone, but there are many sports that aren’t physical. Chess for example; it’s mentally competitive, you’re trying to win the game by your actions. If cheerleading isn’t a sport, chess shouldn’t be a sport either.

I understand that you might not get what I’m saying, or that you have your own opinion about this subject. Cheerleading practice and workouts are much like those of other sports. Because cheerleading follows every aspect defined under the word sport, it is my belief that cheerleading should be defined as an actual sport, because of its determination to overcome fears, skill level, and extreme types of work that goes on in it.