So, yesterday I decided to ask the PT why the sudden interest in cheer. His answer, "The high amount of injury and the lack of knowledge in the sport medicine world as to what cheerleaders are actually doing." The PT asked my daughter to take her thumb and see if she could bend it back to her forearm. She could. He asked, "Did you know kids with Hyper Flexibility Disorder gravitate to cheer, dance, and gymnastics?" My response, "WTH is hyper flexibility disorder?" Evidently, there is a difference between acquiring and being a freak of nature when it comes to flexibility. My youngest has been dislocating body parts left and right for years and I had no idea she had this disorder. More important, he said certain exercises used to gain flexibility and strength can be detrimental to those with this disorder and increase joint dislocation. If kids that have this disorder naturally gravitate to cheer where it is beneficial to be flexible, then this cross information between sport and sport medicine is incredibly valuable to both sides in reducing injury and developing stronger athletes. This group is inquiring about surfaces, coed, all girl, level progression, stunting, tumbling, etc. and the PT said much of this information will be used in developing conditioning geared toward reducing injury specific to cheer and by it being deemed a "sport" they will be able to get funding for research. If this joint effort between cheer and sports medicine helps reduce concussions, stress fractures, sprains, and dislocations then cheer has made a colossal step in the right direction. Respect from outsiders? Pssshhh, who cares.