There is no doubt that cheerleaders of all levels and talent consider themselves athletes. What we do is tough. But I suppose I agree with this being a "tryout system." With the track record that new womens sports have had there is no guarantee that this style wont fizzle out the way others have (as they mentioned). This is something that could take a few years to happen and I think by now we should all be prepared for that. Just this past weekend I had a discussion with two people that will NEVER see what we do as a sport as defined by their terms. We're judged. To them, its not the same as scoring two goals and winning by one.
Even if out 'activity' is never recognized as a sport, we will continue to field kids because its a passion. They have a drive to continue what they do in college.