All-Star Article On Espnw Says Cheer Not A Sport

[King]

I think she did cheer - at UF. And she was a staffer. So she clearly cheered competitively.

She may not have. UF wasnt allowed to compete for a long time. Then they were finally allowed to compete and the coach made a dirty shirt they wore at camp and they got banned again! And then after the Orlando Magic cheerleader got hurt UF ground bound the entire program... because it wasn't worth having a non sport require that much insurance. If cheer isnt a sport this is something that could happen everywhere.

 

[Ashley]

She may not have. UF wasnt allowed to compete for a long time. Then they were finally allowed to compete and the coach made a dirty shirt they wore at camp and they got banned again! And then after the Orlando Magic cheerleader got hurt UF ground bound the entire program... because it wasn't worth having a non sport require that much insurance. If cheer isnt a sport this is something that could happen everywhere.

Ok, but she was a staffer. You generally have to be fairly talented to make staff.


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[f5forever]

I think she did cheer - at UF. And she was a staffer. So she clearly cheered competitively.

So I went back and read the article (I was on my phone earlier, now I'm back at work). I can see where she is coming from as far as the "traditional definition" of cheerleading not being a sport (like I mentioned with sideline). Competition/all-star cheerleading/STUNT is all about competition. I guess there just needs to be a bigger separation or distinction between traditional cheerleading and competitive cheerleading. I'm still not sold on the whole STUNT thing yet, but I guess it's a step in the right direction. For some reason I feel like people see "traditional cheerleading" and think that's the only thing EVERYONE does who says they cheer. I don't know.....I'm just over the whole argument.

 

[Dixie]

So, what if they renamed traditional, school cheer (supporting a team) as Sideline Sweethearts? That's basically some high schools around here. No stunting, no tumbling, just cheering on the teams.
AS could be Cheer - not your mamas cheerleading


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[SL&AM]

She lost me at the 'Rest in Peace' part.

 

[SL&AM]

She may not have. UF wasnt allowed to compete for a long time. Then they were finally allowed to compete and the coach made a dirty shirt they wore at camp and they got banned again! And then after the Orlando Magic cheerleader got hurt UF ground bound the entire program... because it wasn't worth having a non sport require that much insurance. If cheer isnt a sport this is something that could happen everywhere.

When they did lift this? UF competed this past year at Nationals.

 

[King]

When they did lift this? UF competed this past year at Nationals.

The club team?

 

[King]

Florida cheerleading grounded by school | ONLY GATORS Get Out Alive

 

[King]

When they did lift this? UF competed this past year at Nationals.

It is their club team and not official: About Us - University of Florida Competitive Cheerleading

 

[SL&AM]

It is their club team and not official: About Us - University of Florida Competitive Cheerleading

Ah, got it :)

I remembered seeing them (my whole family went to UF and follows their sports team religiously), but I didn't realize they do separate styles of teams. That seems horribly complicated and unnecessary.

 

[maaandyx]

I personally don't think we should ground bound sideline cheer. It may not be competitive cheer and not all teams may compete but there are schools that practice just as hard as competitive cheer and can do stunts just as well as competitive cheer. In my experience, sideline is more than just about cheering on whoever you're cheering for, it's trying to be the best squad in the area. Squads work just as hard as all star teams to be good. & for Some people, sideline is all they have. I just don't think it'll be fair to ground bound sideline cheer. But that's just my opinion.


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[BlueCat]

There are at least 3 completely distinct things that all get called "cheerleading" (some could even be further divided). This muddies the whole discussion with people not familiar with the sport difficult. In an ideal world, they would have different names.

1. Sideline
2. Professional "Dance" style performance teams (ex: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders)
3. Competition Squads (ex: All Star)

In my mind #3 is the only one that should be considered a "sport." Being called a sport doesn't make something better/harder/more legitimate, it just means you happen to fit a particular set of criteria. There are some absurd things that would be considered sports and some extremely cool things that aren't.

Also, one should be careful when wanting NCAA, HS interscholastic organizations, etc to legislate what you do. There are trade-offs there that may or may not be worth it. There are pros and cons to be considered before blindly jumping in.

 

[kristenthegreat]

There are at least 3 completely distinct things that all get called "cheerleading" (some could even be further divided). This muddies the whole discussion with people not familiar with the sport difficult. In an ideal world, they would have different names.

1. Sideline
2. Professional "Dance" style performance teams (ex: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders)
3. Competition Squads (ex: All Star)

In my mind #3 is the only one that should be considered a "sport." Being called a sport doesn't make something better/harder/more legitimate, it just means you happen to fit a particular set of criteria. There are some absurd things that would be considered sports and some extremely cool things that aren't.

Also, one should be careful when wanting NCAA, HS interscholastic organizations, etc to legislate what you do. There are trade-offs there that may or may not be worth it. There are pros and cons to be considered before blindly jumping in.

And those pros/cons vary based on school or region. What might be acceptable to one place might be a jagged pill for another..

I, too, noticed no mention of NCATA. The moment they brought up Stunt, the first word that popped into my head was 'Quoi?'

 

[cheernerd5678]

There are at least 3 completely distinct things that all get called "cheerleading" (some could even be further divided). This muddies the whole discussion with people not familiar with the sport difficult. In an ideal world, they would have different names.

1. Sideline
2. Professional "Dance" style performance teams (ex: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders)
3. Competition Squads (ex: All Star)

In my mind #3 is the only one that should be considered a "sport." Being called a sport doesn't make something better/harder/more legitimate, it just means you happen to fit a particular set of criteria. There are some absurd things that would be considered sports and some extremely cool things that aren't.

Also, one should be careful when wanting NCAA, HS interscholastic organizations, etc to legislate what you do. There are trade-offs there that may or may not be worth it. There are pros and cons to be considered before blindly jumping in.

When you say competition do you include schools that compete?
Also, general question, Does allstar even need to be "recognized" since title IX doesn't apply? If it's not a school sport, how would being an "official" sport work? We already have a governing body. We don't need funding.


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[Ashley]

When you say competition do you include schools that compete?
Also, general question, Does allstar even need to be "recognized" since title IX doesn't apply? If it's not a school sport, how would being an "official" sport work? We already have a governing body. We don't need funding.


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No, this has nothing to do with Allstar.