Cheerleading - The Misunderstood Sport

Cheerleading – Pom Pom Power !!!

The roar of the crowd is something every sporting event hopes for. Screams and cheers fill the arena. Off pace and out of tune, the loud sound heard above all the rest, the cheerleaders. Slowing the crowd to a hush, they begin to lead everyone in the stands together as one to drown out the opposing team.
Cheerleading is an activity which involves leading a series of cheers to rally the crowd at sports events. Cheerleaders are not too difficult to spot on the field when the game is on. They get your spirits high, they stand by their team to pep them up, to pull them up when the team is low and to reward them with screams when they do well.

Cheerleaders form a link between the crowd and the team; they involve the crowd more in the game, their sole purpose is to entertain, motivate and unite the spectators as told to us by Courtney, “When the crowd does not know what to say, we tell them.”

Cheerleading to a large extent is considered as a sport, it’s not just a glamorous affair or a popularity contest as people think it to be. The cheerleading team has to undergo vigorous practice sessions and their training involves high risks. The skills involved leaves 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.

Cheerleaders are most of the times stereotyped by people, to put it in Ashley’s words “The ones who come on the team for the uniform and the popularity often leave the team soon, because they can’t keep up with the strict regime.” As Sami tell us about their regime, “We practice three times a week; we also do lifting in the morning twice a week.”

Cheerleading is not just about the cheers; it has gymnastics, dancing and requires a lot of energy and that enthusiasm to pull up your team. It is one of the most dangerous sports, with a high risk of injury. This sport places extreme demand on the bodies of young women, in addition to the physical demands of routines and tricks, cheerleading squads also encourage a very specific body type which can be difficult to achieve. Members of squads may punish themselves with severe regimes that threaten their health in an attempt to confirm to this desired body type.

For cheerleaders, their sport is a dangerous dedication of passion; Stereotypes, injuries, and lack of support are just a few of the adversities cheerleaders face today. But their true love for the sport keeps it alive. They love to be there for their team, they love what they do and even if at times it’s tough to balance out their studies with the practices they do all it takes for them to be in the cheer squad.