Cheerleaders vie for recognition

According to CMA Law, a law firm that prioritizes injured victims, cheerleading is responsible for more than 65 percent of all injuries to female high school athletes. 

With that high injury rate, parents and athletes question why such a small number of high school associations across America consider cheer a sport.

Godwin senior and Varsity cheer captain, Sarah Judson, said, “Honestly it makes me mad. People don’t see the mental and physical toll [cheerleading] can take.” 

Issues commonly brought up when discussing the safety of cheer include lack of proper training experience by coaches, overworked cheerleaders, and a competitive culture.

The main issue that cheerleaders face is a lack of regulation. Cheer is considered a sport by only 29 high school athletic associations across the country, according to CMA Law – meaning significantly fewer rules, regulations, and funds are allocated. 

According to several sources including the New York Times, Cheer is more dangerous than all other female sports combined, and Godwin is not immune to these safety issues.

Godwin senior and Varsity cheer captain, Chloe Hubbard, said, “I’ve been hospitalized for falls because of back and neck severity.” Godwin junior and Varsity cheer captain Carter Collins said, “We’ve had four concussions last year.”

  “It’s annoying [that cheer isn’t considered a sport] because it’s more dangerous than golf or basketball,” said Collins. 

However, sideline cheer is a different story. Cheering on the sidelines with little strenuous activity is what most people associate with cheerleading.  “It’s hard to consider sideline cheer a sport,” said Hubbard.

It’s important to break that stigma and acknowledge the difference between sideline and competitive cheer. Most people don’t know the difference. 

While the majority of news regarding cheer seems negative, the positive should not be understated. 

In July 2021, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) started considering cheer a sport. determining that cheer has a scorable system, The implications this has indicates a bright future for the sport and will be crucial in cheer being considered a sport nationally.

 There are many things that can come from this, “Perhaps more scholarship [money for athletes], more collegiately structured organization, and more credit and attention paid to the individuals who put so much energy in what they do,” said Kristopher Franklin. 

Franklin is the coach of Trinity Valley cheerleading, the same team that was made famous by Netflix’s docuseries, Cheer. 

Franklin and many others are excited for the potential inclusion of cheer in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles “Olympics can now be that final goal” Said Franklin. 

While the odds of that happening are not very hopeful, the sport is certainly growing and gaining further acceptance as a sport, though some people would still argue that the respect cheerleaders get is not nearly where it should be.