When athlete T. As his coach seeks to teach a lesson about commitment, Barker winces and grunts in pain, hoisting flyers overhead. Finally, he collapses to the mat, crying. Cheerleading, like most sports, carries an inherent risk for injury. Whiteley, who previously directed the football-focused docuseries Last Chance U on Netflix , has said he marvels at the tenacity of these athletes.
But unlike football, cheerleading is not officially recognized as a sport — neither by the NCAA nor by U. Football has retained its number one spot over the decades, while cheerleading has managed to dramatically lower its rate of catastrophic injuries in recent years. Still, cheerleading has had a higher rate of injury over time than 23 of the 24 sports recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA , the exception being football.
Title IX , the section of the Education Amendments of requiring that men and women be treated equally academically, prohibits gender-based discrimination in sports.
In his decision , U. And the physical aspect is only half of it. The mental fatigue can be just as, if not more, intense. There were many times in my career that I left the gym crying and never wanting to go back.
Fear of letting your team down, fear of not being able to do a skill correctly or fear of getting hurt are all perfectly reasonable, but they will be your worst enemy as a cheerleader.
By letting doubt creep in, you are sabotaging your potential and stifling your own abilities. What Cheer presents to its audience is the good, the bad and the ugly. We see times where stunts go wrong and people injury themselves so severely that they can no longer compete, people who have committed themselves to the sport for years and are now able to continue.
But we also see how this group of imperfect people have come together to become a community that supports and encourages one another through thick and thin. The stereotype that all men who participate in cheerleading are homosexual is one that has followed the sport since its inception, often resulting in homophobic bullying towards men who chose to participate in cheerleading, no matter their sexuality.
This can serve as a roadblock for many men to join cheerleading, whether it is someone who has not openly come out yet, someone who simply fears the often harsh judgement of others or someone who believes they cannot participate in the sport because of their sexuality. Create waivers tailored to the sport with a list of the specific injuries that may occur.
For more on waivers, read Getting One Consent at a Time. Conduct preparticipation medical examinations. Preparticipation evaluations establish a standard of health and identify athletes who may be at increased risk of harm. Train cheerleaders to follow safety guidelines. Provide proper conditioning programs and training of participants in spotting techniques and stunts. Require safety certification of cheerleading coaches.
Use safety equipment and personnel. Ensure the use of adequate matting and spotters at all practices and events. Supervise all practices and events. Supervisors should provide immediate medical attention to cheerleaders who suffer injuries or show signs of head trauma and report injuries to administration. Jude to raise money and awareness for patients at St. Get fit this summer — one letter at a time!
Feeling unmotivated to get up and move this summer? Skip to Content What is Competitive Cheerleading. Competitive cheerleading is when cheer squads compete against each other at a competition. Share this post. Related News.
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