Cheerleaders have been pushing their bodies to the limits for years, but now the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement saying school sports associates should make cheerleading an official sport.
Sophomore cheerleader Holly Wang is ready to see cheerleading grow.
“I just think that it would be really cool to see it become a sport,” Wang said. “Because there’s a lot of cool things you can do with it.”
If cheerleading becomes an all-around sport, it will be required to follow specific safety regulations including on-site trainers and limits on practice time.
Exercise science professor Bridget Duoos recommends that cheerleaders focus on their health with or without the pom poms.
“I think the cheerleaders just need to come to their season in good condition and be doing some strength training and some weight lifting and all around conditioning,” Duoos said. “Pay attention to their sleep habits as well as their nutritional habits so that they are really healthy, strong individuals.”
Wang is dedicated to cheerleading no matter the strain.
“With every sport, with every team, there’s going to be risk of being injured,” Wang said. “And that’s just something that I think an individual has to take up with themselves and say ‘is this worth it?’ and personally, for me, I think cheer is worth it.”
Emily Dehart can be reached at deha3752@stthomas.edu.
Nice story – it was especially interesting to see behind-the-scenes on how our cheerleaders train for their pyramids and aerial moves. They are most definitely athletes and it’s good to remind everyone of that!
I agree, it is an athletic endeavor. Maybe marching band should be, too: try jogging a couple miles carrying a tuba, then blowing your breath out as hard as possible for twenty minutes. Many “jocks” would fall over.