Cheerleading is a Sport Essay
When the topic of cheerleading is brought most people bring up the negative aspect or they just simply make a face. For years a majority of the world’s population think that cheer is only just standing at the sideline jumping up and downs supporting players on other teams, but that’s not exactly it.
There are two types of cheer competitive and sideline cheer. Sideline focuses on engaging with fans and keeping them high spirited, competition cheer involves performing a routine in front of judges. According Dictionary.com a sport is defined as, an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of competitive nature. Although people argue that cheerleading lacks the inability to compete against opponents, I believe it is sport because the athletic ability, hard work & dedication, and determination.
First, I believe competitive cheer is a sport because you have to have athletic ability. For example, flexibility, endurance, coordination, and agility. It also involves high intensity cardio and aerobic activity, along with competition. Just like any other sport competitive cheerleading requires you to go against different teams for a title that everyone would like.
Not only do you have to uphold different criteria but also have to execute a performance. For example, your routine needs to be two and half to three minutes, have stunting/tumbling, and dance/cheer. In a lot of sports you are on a field or a court, but just like dance or gymnastic cheer is on a mat or on a stage .flexibility is another aspect of cheer not just physically but also mentally .During a routine you need to be able to adjust to whatever your coach or choreographer changes even if it happens multiple time throughout the process of learning .
Next, determination, the ability to continue trying to do something although it is very hard. In competitive cheer or any sport, you are going to through many obstacles, but you have to be strong. For example, in competition routines they have something called stunting, a building performance displaying a person’s skill or dexterity. There are basic stunts like a half up or a full up, but also there are twist downs and basket tosses. While stunting it requires teamwork because this is the most difficult part and sure you have precision.
You and your team have to make sure you guys are all are on the same page because you have to make sure yourself but mainly your flyer is safe at all times. One thing that’s always said in cheer is “never drop your flyer”, and all cheerleaders live by this because the person that is flying can get hurt the worst. A lot of times in cheerleading learning new skills are going to be difficult, but you have to always push yourself in order to achieve your goal.
Finally, the most important reason I believe competitive cheer is a sport is the hard work and dedication asserted into being a cheerleading. During competition season of cheer, you might practice more thirty hours a week and your life pretty much revolves around cheer. You have choreography, tumbling classes, multiply competitions, and on top of this you have to manage your time in order to do schoolwork. Outsiders might look at this as an inconvenience, but just like any other sport you have a commitment.
It is also hard work just like other sports there is conditioning, practicing and you have to be a team player .Just like basketball ,soccer, and baseball have plays cheerleaders have routines that they have to do over and over again until it, is memorized and you can accurately and precisely preform it .While cheering you will experience blood ,sweat ,and tears but have to smile through the pain and remember the end result.
