- Dec 15, 2009
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I thought I would write this to spark a little debate about the disorganization and lack of overall focus that is rampant in the entire sport of cheer. After reading and thinking a lot about all the problems that people like to talk about I have slowly formulated in my mind how Cheerleading should be organized for success and with the proper focus - on the athletes. After you read, feel free to comment or add suggestions. I hope they are constructive comments rather than “I just don’t like that” Understand that the first rule if we want an organized and credible sport is that THERE MUST BE CHANGE.
Here goes. . .
What is Cheerleading?
Cheerleading is a traditional activity of supporting other teams on the sidelines that has evolved into two different and very distinct forms:
Sideline Cheer – the act of supporting other teams and generating spirit. This can include dance –type choreography and chants all the way to some tumbling and stunts on the sideline
Competitive Cheer – the competition of teams with no support for other sports that involves the disciplines of gymnastic style tumbling and jumps, advanced building skills in both stunts and pyramids, dance choreography and my include team chants
What is the focus of Cheer?
Cheerleading evolved to be a positive activity for the young participants and help support school and team spirit and camaraderie. Sideline Cheer carries on these traditions, although it has evolved to include more exciting and risky stunts and tumbling to build crowd excitement and spirit. Competitive Cheer has evolved into a very high-impact, fast paced, and exciting sport combining multiple elements both to be a challenge to its athletes and to increase the competitive nature of the sport itself. Although it is competitive in nature, Competitive Cheer is very unique in that it retains much of the supportive aspect of Traditional Cheerleading. Teams and athletes are very supportive of each other, practice good sportsmanship, are active in character building outside activities.
The Mission of the Cheerleading Organization
The #1 mission of the organization of any sport must be a viable format and structure that strives for the highest levels of safety at all times for the athletes and coaches involved in the sport. The question should always be asked “are we doing everything we can for safety?” Sound execution of even the most advanced skills should be inherently safe if performed properly.
ORGANIZATION
US Cheer – the National Governing Body
There must be an overarching national governing body and it should encompass all forms of cheerleading. I’ll use the name “US Cheer” for illustration, although I am not endorsing or suggesting this organization. US Cheer must be a non-profit organization that is 100% transparent to all participants (parents, athletes, coaches, gym owners, event producers) and every decision must be made for the good of the sport and to enforce safety. There must not be any look of impropriety or favoritism by any aspect of the sport. US Cheer must oversee representation and execution of Recreational Cheer, School Cheer (up to and including High School), College Cheer, All Star Cheer. US Cheer should be the body that strives for a focused effort that creates safety and certification standards for the entire sport and activities of Cheer. The elements of skill, certification, and safety standards should provide for continuity when youth progress from the sideline activity to competitive and provide a logical, safe skill level and age progression based on sound medical data. US Cheer would also oversee the US National teams.
USASF - US All Star Cheer Federation
USASF is the governing body for All Star cheer. All Star is defined as cheer that is associated with a professional, privately owned gym or program. The purpose of All Star is solely to represent the gym/program through competition and should not be associated with a school or recreational program. USASF should dictate rules of competition and skills execution for All Star at all age and skill levels.
USCCF – US College Cheer Federation
USCCF is the governing body for all college cheer. College represents the highest level you can achieve in the sport. The USCCF should dictate what safety standards are necessary for coaching, skill development, proper execution of Sideline and Competitive Cheer at the college level. There MUST be safety guidelines for what is allowed in Sideline Cheer both with or without safety surfaces and NCC can endorse/lobby at institutions for support of the safety and importance of this traditional activity. NCC would be represented and provide all inputs to the NCAA for the unified format of Collegiate Competitive Cheer and provide the rules to distinguish between participation in either format. To be successful the NCC MUST be represented by leader athletes and coaches who strive to preserve the integrity of competitive cheer in the legal format that is accepted by Title IX and the school administrations. As an unbiased, non-profit organization it would have majority input to the NCAA with regards to season length, competition format , off-season practice rules, etc.
USSCF – US School Cheer Federation
USSCF would be the primary governing body to maintain the standards of safety regarding all school cheer below the college level. It should dictate what safety standards are necessary for coaching, skill development, proper execution of Sideline and Competitive Cheer at all school levels. This level represents one of the most critical levels requiring support and regulation as these are the youngest and potentially most vulnerable athletes/activity participants who provide the majority and the future of the sport/activities of Competitive and Sideline Cheer. There must be consequences for training beyond the safety boundaries of skill development, coaching certification, and Competitive/Sideline execution. To do this it must be non-biased and represent the entire national school sport. With this level of acceptance it has a chance of being the primary advisor to state school athletic organizations regarding participation and safety rules. USSC can oversee rules making for high school, middle school, and elementary school competition and should include delineations for each taking into account the different levels of physical development inherent in each school grade level, but provide for opportunities of increased challenge and difficulty, should the coaching, safety equipment, and athlete skill level allow.
USRCF - US Recreational Cheer Federation
USRC is the governing body for all forms of recreational cheer. USRC should include guidelines for performing sideline and competitive cheer at recreational organizations. Recreational organizations are not associated with a school and are not associated with a privately owned gym or program. Rules for organization under USRC should be particularly careful to properly define what skill may be performed and whop may supervise them as this is typically (thought not always) the youngest and least skilled group of people engaging in the sport of Competitive Cheer or activity of Sideline cheer.
SAFETY AND STANDARDIZATION
A key component of the national representation of cheer as a sport is that the safety does not differ based on what level or age an athlete cheers at. Key components to safety the MUST be defined and standardized:
- Any persons dealing directly with youth MUST have background checks. There should be no comprise on this and it should be implemented immediately
- There should be a clearly defined, safe progression of skills. The progressions of skills should be required to be mastered prior to progressing to the next skill. Proper progression should be standardized and taught to all judges (who can now judge at any level due to standardized progression) and improper technique or progression penalized at all competitions.
- The safe progression of skills would be the baseline for all competitions at any levels of the sport. Specific considerations of progressions should be defined for the recreational level, the school levels below college, college, and all star based on the unique need and physical abilities of athletes at all levels
- Safe execution standards must be defined for Sideline Cheer. Sideline cheer rules should consider proper certified skill level required to supervise sideline cheer activities. Rules should include skill that may be executed based on age and physical ability, and proper safety surface to execute certain skills.
REPRESENTATION WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS
The organizations that represent cheer at various levels must be made up of participants of the sport. The participants should be primarily coaches and athletes but may include coaches and gym owners. If any prior coaches and athletes are on the various representative organizations, special care must be made and transparency shown in all decision making to ensure no image of impropriety or deference to any company or organization that benefits from the sport. A well organized and executed sport sport with safety considerations should inherently benefit all athletes, coaches, and companies that represent the sport itself.
ok. . .I know that was long but it's the only complete concept for how cheer should be organized I've seen. I'm prepared to defend it and change it if necessary. What have you got?
Here goes. . .
What is Cheerleading?
Cheerleading is a traditional activity of supporting other teams on the sidelines that has evolved into two different and very distinct forms:
Sideline Cheer – the act of supporting other teams and generating spirit. This can include dance –type choreography and chants all the way to some tumbling and stunts on the sideline
Competitive Cheer – the competition of teams with no support for other sports that involves the disciplines of gymnastic style tumbling and jumps, advanced building skills in both stunts and pyramids, dance choreography and my include team chants
What is the focus of Cheer?
Cheerleading evolved to be a positive activity for the young participants and help support school and team spirit and camaraderie. Sideline Cheer carries on these traditions, although it has evolved to include more exciting and risky stunts and tumbling to build crowd excitement and spirit. Competitive Cheer has evolved into a very high-impact, fast paced, and exciting sport combining multiple elements both to be a challenge to its athletes and to increase the competitive nature of the sport itself. Although it is competitive in nature, Competitive Cheer is very unique in that it retains much of the supportive aspect of Traditional Cheerleading. Teams and athletes are very supportive of each other, practice good sportsmanship, are active in character building outside activities.
The Mission of the Cheerleading Organization
The #1 mission of the organization of any sport must be a viable format and structure that strives for the highest levels of safety at all times for the athletes and coaches involved in the sport. The question should always be asked “are we doing everything we can for safety?” Sound execution of even the most advanced skills should be inherently safe if performed properly.
ORGANIZATION
US Cheer – the National Governing Body
There must be an overarching national governing body and it should encompass all forms of cheerleading. I’ll use the name “US Cheer” for illustration, although I am not endorsing or suggesting this organization. US Cheer must be a non-profit organization that is 100% transparent to all participants (parents, athletes, coaches, gym owners, event producers) and every decision must be made for the good of the sport and to enforce safety. There must not be any look of impropriety or favoritism by any aspect of the sport. US Cheer must oversee representation and execution of Recreational Cheer, School Cheer (up to and including High School), College Cheer, All Star Cheer. US Cheer should be the body that strives for a focused effort that creates safety and certification standards for the entire sport and activities of Cheer. The elements of skill, certification, and safety standards should provide for continuity when youth progress from the sideline activity to competitive and provide a logical, safe skill level and age progression based on sound medical data. US Cheer would also oversee the US National teams.
USASF - US All Star Cheer Federation
USASF is the governing body for All Star cheer. All Star is defined as cheer that is associated with a professional, privately owned gym or program. The purpose of All Star is solely to represent the gym/program through competition and should not be associated with a school or recreational program. USASF should dictate rules of competition and skills execution for All Star at all age and skill levels.
USCCF – US College Cheer Federation
USCCF is the governing body for all college cheer. College represents the highest level you can achieve in the sport. The USCCF should dictate what safety standards are necessary for coaching, skill development, proper execution of Sideline and Competitive Cheer at the college level. There MUST be safety guidelines for what is allowed in Sideline Cheer both with or without safety surfaces and NCC can endorse/lobby at institutions for support of the safety and importance of this traditional activity. NCC would be represented and provide all inputs to the NCAA for the unified format of Collegiate Competitive Cheer and provide the rules to distinguish between participation in either format. To be successful the NCC MUST be represented by leader athletes and coaches who strive to preserve the integrity of competitive cheer in the legal format that is accepted by Title IX and the school administrations. As an unbiased, non-profit organization it would have majority input to the NCAA with regards to season length, competition format , off-season practice rules, etc.
USSCF – US School Cheer Federation
USSCF would be the primary governing body to maintain the standards of safety regarding all school cheer below the college level. It should dictate what safety standards are necessary for coaching, skill development, proper execution of Sideline and Competitive Cheer at all school levels. This level represents one of the most critical levels requiring support and regulation as these are the youngest and potentially most vulnerable athletes/activity participants who provide the majority and the future of the sport/activities of Competitive and Sideline Cheer. There must be consequences for training beyond the safety boundaries of skill development, coaching certification, and Competitive/Sideline execution. To do this it must be non-biased and represent the entire national school sport. With this level of acceptance it has a chance of being the primary advisor to state school athletic organizations regarding participation and safety rules. USSC can oversee rules making for high school, middle school, and elementary school competition and should include delineations for each taking into account the different levels of physical development inherent in each school grade level, but provide for opportunities of increased challenge and difficulty, should the coaching, safety equipment, and athlete skill level allow.
USRCF - US Recreational Cheer Federation
USRC is the governing body for all forms of recreational cheer. USRC should include guidelines for performing sideline and competitive cheer at recreational organizations. Recreational organizations are not associated with a school and are not associated with a privately owned gym or program. Rules for organization under USRC should be particularly careful to properly define what skill may be performed and whop may supervise them as this is typically (thought not always) the youngest and least skilled group of people engaging in the sport of Competitive Cheer or activity of Sideline cheer.
SAFETY AND STANDARDIZATION
A key component of the national representation of cheer as a sport is that the safety does not differ based on what level or age an athlete cheers at. Key components to safety the MUST be defined and standardized:
- Any persons dealing directly with youth MUST have background checks. There should be no comprise on this and it should be implemented immediately
- There should be a clearly defined, safe progression of skills. The progressions of skills should be required to be mastered prior to progressing to the next skill. Proper progression should be standardized and taught to all judges (who can now judge at any level due to standardized progression) and improper technique or progression penalized at all competitions.
- The safe progression of skills would be the baseline for all competitions at any levels of the sport. Specific considerations of progressions should be defined for the recreational level, the school levels below college, college, and all star based on the unique need and physical abilities of athletes at all levels
- Safe execution standards must be defined for Sideline Cheer. Sideline cheer rules should consider proper certified skill level required to supervise sideline cheer activities. Rules should include skill that may be executed based on age and physical ability, and proper safety surface to execute certain skills.
REPRESENTATION WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS
The organizations that represent cheer at various levels must be made up of participants of the sport. The participants should be primarily coaches and athletes but may include coaches and gym owners. If any prior coaches and athletes are on the various representative organizations, special care must be made and transparency shown in all decision making to ensure no image of impropriety or deference to any company or organization that benefits from the sport. A well organized and executed sport sport with safety considerations should inherently benefit all athletes, coaches, and companies that represent the sport itself.
ok. . .I know that was long but it's the only complete concept for how cheer should be organized I've seen. I'm prepared to defend it and change it if necessary. What have you got?
