Cheerleading Concerns
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by user ActiveSports
Emergency-room visits for cheerleading injuries nationwide have more than doubled since the early 1990s, far outpacing the growth in the number of cheerleaders. However, cheerleading advocates note that the number of serious injuries is low when compared with the number of participants, who often cheer year-round. In addition, less-threatening injuries such as sprains and strains make up more than 70 percent of all cheerleading injuries.
In high school cheerleading, there is no uniformity of regulations nationwide and little statewide control. Inadequate training of coaches is the most frequently cited cause of injuries; many teams routinely do stunts that would be banned in the NCAA.
' Most states do not consider cheerleading a sport, under the regulation of a powerful state athletic association that would be conducive to producing better-trained coaches. Instead, cheerleading is labeled an activity, regulated by the same state education groups that govern the chess, debate and French clubs.
All right, I know the debate of whether or not cheerleading is a sport has plenty of people who support both views – but, really, I feel you can't argue that cheerleading is much more of a sport than the French club.
(Photo provided by Getty Images/David Stluka)
