All-Star "cheering All The Way To The Er" Article

[Megan(:]

Use the link above.

Sorry! I didnt see it!

 

[Cheer Dad]

Sorry! I didnt see it!

no problem. :)

 

[CheerRehab]

The 1950s called, they want their stereotype back.

I know! But hey, at least his contact info is included with the article :)

 

[Just-a-Mom]

With all due respect, this is a terrible example of trying to prove your point. He's walking around in a hospital under close medical supervision. I'm more apt to trust his doctors than your recommendation. I think they know what they're doing, and doctor's usually get you up walking shortly after surgery. It's one of those things on their checklist before they can send you home.

There's a big difference between medical personnel giving an athlete the okay to keep playing with cortisone shots and an athlete (of any kind, not just cheerleading) not going to the doctor with a broken bone because she thinks she can just tape it up and compete this weekend. Or a cheerleader not listening to his doctor's advice following an injury and participating sooner than he or she should. For example, a girl in 2005 returning too soon after getting mono. She landed a double down on her stomach, burst her still-enlarged spleen, and died.

This was what I meant. I'm not saying other sports don't have injuries, or even that they don't play injured. Just that they have better efforts at stopping play and getting medical advice from a professional before continuing. Now they may choose to play against Dr.'s orders, but at least a dr is seen.

 

[CEA_ATC]

When will schools get spring floors (or practice where at a gym with these floors) and have certified coaches work with our high school teams? Nothing scares me more than a teacher who was a sideline cheerleader in high school, now finds competitive cheerleading "fun" and is coaching athletes (some who have never competed allstar) on level 5 skills on a "dead" floor!

If you want to hear REAL stupidity at work, in NC, spring floors are considered to be MORE dangerous than "dead" floors. I can't remember the exact wording, but it boils down to anything that increases jumping height=increased danger. This rule has led to a lot of work (and splinters) from switching out floors between All Star and HS events for me and the group I work with.

 

[CEA_ATC]

Or they have a guy who broke his leg really gnarly on national TV up and walking on it not even 24 hrs after the surgery..you know swelling and potential embolism- no big deal. The Orthos my husband has worked with say that surgery on your legs is one of the worst with regards to developing embolisms. He shouldn't be walking around-

Just an FYI... early ambulation is considered to be PREVENTATIVE for VTE (the blood clot/embolism), not a danger, unless he ALREADY has a clot. Moving around some helps them not form, but once they are there (he should not be in a risk group). They would ambulate early and give a low dose of heparin or another blood thinner to minimize risk.

 

[acxjags]

As a Co Founder of the ASGA we are making a stance on these type of articles. Any arguments you would like added to our email that is being formulated and any plan of action to discourage these type of articles to issue some type of response would be appreciated. Please email to [email protected]. We dont want to bash. We want educated well put together responses. Thanks

 

[ShoWStoppeR]

If you want to hear REAL stupidity at work, in NC, spring floors are considered to be MORE dangerous than "dead" floors. I can't remember the exact wording, but it boils down to anything that increases jumping height=increased danger. This rule has led to a lot of work (and splinters) from switching out floors between All Star and HS events for me and the group I work with.

well actually, with all due respect, this is true. You see alot more allstars blowing ACLs then you do college folk. The spring that all those athletes love is actually often times the culprit of alot of injuries. So as much as dead mat really sucks to tumble on (and it too has its downfalls... just imagine the grinding and pounding of your joints), spring floor actually is more dangerous to tumble on.

 

[ShoWStoppeR]

The thing I have found fascinating about cheer is the ability to mobilize the entire community. When a cause is discovered that the community readily agrees on the ability of cheer to get the message out via Fierce Board and Twitter is rather impressive. I did not include Facebook because it doesn't seem to be used that way and moves a LOT slower.

Fierce Board has a concentrated audience and has the ability to keep everyone on the same page. Twitter has a faster spread but the clarity of information and the discussion is rather disconnected. But as I have followed and watched and seen how the two interweave and help each other out it creates this highly unique environment. The overall ability to organize and spread the message is just quite amazing.

On the reverse when it comes to complicated issues this is where the mob fails. If the discussion is past A = B, and is instead A = B = C = D, then the mob doesn't mobilize.

if you're saying what I think you're saying (haven't had my morning coffee yet) then I agree 100%.

I first saw bits of talk about this article via twitter, so I went to google it so I could read the whole thing. and not to my surprise, the article was not the first to pop up, but the thread on fierceboard. so before I even had a chance to read the WHOLE article, I just saw all the ranting going on here.
that being said, I do plan on writing a very polite and level headed email to the writer and publisher. This isn't my first rodeo, I have actually written very many letters to editors on such subject. But you want to know what the difference is between my letters and what ya'll are saying you're writing about? Educating. yelling at this man is in no way shape or form going to A. take back what he said or B. fix what he said/ make him change his mind. I can guarantee you that any of ya'll that wrote emails like "you don't know what you're talking about", weren't even read. He's a journalist. I'm sure he gets hate emails often.... more often than most based on the fact that he is probably the most unprofessional writer I have ever witnessed. This was a guy that was going to miss his deadline and picked the first thing he could find to write about. And there are some things I agree with him on- there is NOT very good safety regulations, and in my opinion, this goes for all stars as well. but instead of dangling "look how many injuries our sport has" in everyones face, which, if ya'll haven't picked up on by now, completely backfires every time, we need to voice our opinions about what PREVENTION measures we can take. this right here? the whole reason I started AT. I saw waaaay too many injuries in my years, alot of which I thought could be prevented with proper care (*cough cough AT on staff). and instead of just sitting around complaining "we have so many injuries why aren't we a sport" I said, what can I do to address this issue? So I took charge, and talked to someone who had power in the situation. eventually, I think you'll start seeing more ATs on staff too. see? productive. I think part of the reason ya'll are hot headed right now is because frankly, the truth hurts, and he is right on the fact that there are some major flaws in the organization of things, specifically when it comes to credentialing coaches and safety rules. good can come out of this. if we can make people aware of the issue in a much more professional manner, there's hope that it gets the proper people's attention. but just telling him he's dumb and ignorant is not going to get that to happen.

 

[Cheer Dad]

ShoWStoppeR, well said

 

[TheTalkedAboutMinor]

OK I am only basing this on the pic of the article posted here and the comments I've seen because the link doesn't have the article anymore. I know this is going to be unpopular, but it's 4am and I'm up...so here goes.

I have to say I don't understand what has everyone so mad. Yes, he's a jerk. Yes, he's playing into a lot of stereotypes. But the article is about high school cheer, which is, in many states, a disaster. (Apparently Idaho is one of them) It would have been nice if his article was aimed at getting better regulation, but it is what it is.

I guess my main thoughts when I read this thread are: if you don't want people to write things like this, stop talking about all the injuries you get as a way to justify why cheerleading should be a sport. I see at least 4 or 5 things every weekend on Facebook that say something like "And they say cheer isn't a sport???" and then they go on to describe some horrific injury (usually followed by praise for continuing on after the injury occurs, blood/concussion/torn-or-broken-whatever and all. Other sports don't do that. They stop the game, handle the injury, and then continue). It's not doing cheer any favors when we're the ones telling people how crazy dangerous it is.

If you want cheer to be seen as a legitimate sport by people, stop making it sound ridiculous. The "outside world" does not see continuing on with a concussion as a good thing - they see it as dangerous and stupid. Most people don't know the difference between allstar and school cheer. All they know is what you show them.

I'm not saying I love this article or this guy - he's obviously a complete @$$hat.. Just that I'm not surprised that this is how people see cheer when this is the image we created.

I hate it when people's arguments as to why cheerleading is a sport is, "We get injured all the time." That's why cheerleading HAS to be classified as a sport, not why is SHOULD BE. Falling out of a tree can get you pretty beat up, but that's not a sport.

 

[acxjags]

well actually, with all due respect, this is true. You see alot more allstars blowing ACLs then you do college folk. The spring that all those athletes love is actually often times the culprit of alot of injuries. So as much as dead mat really sucks to tumble on (and it too has its downfalls... just imagine the grinding and pounding of your joints), spring floor actually is more dangerous to tumble on.

Hmmm----I'm just curious. Where did you collect the data to formulate that opinion?

 

[ACEDAD]

The parts that made me the angriest were his demeaning comments. Take a punch at the IHSAA or the injury rate or anything along those lines that you want. But complaining that all the girls should do is smile, shake their pom poms (sic) and make him feel good was ridiculous and should be called out.

I understand people arguing about cheerleading's status as a sport. But don't belittle the participants.

 

[Oxx3rinxxO]

"Acrobatics and tumbling"


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[quietmom]

While I would like to shove pom poms up his rear end after reading that, I am choosing to feel sorry for him. My gut says he likely has resentment issues towards cheerleaders. Likely got turned down by a girl he had a crush on in 1947 who was a cheerleader and never gotten over it. Either that, or I have gas.