Olympic Cheerleading?

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For years cheerleaders have wished for the sport to be a part of the Olympics. It seems like the perfect fit, doesn’t it? Though with competitive cheerleading having enough trouble even being considered a sport in most states how far off are we from seeing it in the Olympics? With the 2010 ICU World Cup upon us I think it is worth it to reflect on the current state of cheerleading trying to become an Olympic sport and what can be done to help this along.

Things going well:

* Cheerleading now has an active International organization in the ICU (something required by the International Olympic Committee)
* Cheerleading is booming in the USA
* Cheerleading has an international team competing at an international competition (Team USA)

Things that still need work:

* Cheerleading is still not recognized by the IOC as a sport (the first step towards Olympics)
* Cheerleading doesn’t meet the drug test requirements to be recognized as a sport (just take a look at a large amount of the boys stunting in college)
* Cheerleading needs to practiced world wide. Having an organization and one gym representing a country does not mean it is practiced world wide. Remember that baseball was recently taken out of the Olympics because there were not enough countries participating throughout that individual country. Cheerleading is not as big as baseball internationally.
* International competition needs to be more competitive. Team USA is ridiculously better than all the other teams.
* It is a lot harder to become an Olympic sport in the summer games. They have a set amount of spots for the summer games and have no trouble filling those spots with already recognized sports.
* There are no more demonstration sports for cheerleading to exhibition at the Olympics. They stopped those in 1992
* There is still not enough organization in the sport of cheerleading itself. The rules vary widely depending on what competition you are at and what age group you are in. This isn’t like international basketball and there is a funny shaped free throw lane. It is a complete different scoring philosophy everywhere you go.

Conclusion:

While we all love this sport of cheerleading there is a long way to go before we enter it into the Olympics. The sports for 2012 have already been voted in and 2016 sports are only being considered of the recognized sports (of which we are not). It took BMX biking 30 years to become a sport once their international organization was created and we are only in our 2nd year of the ICU. But every journey has to start with a single step. I just hope to see cheerleading in the Olympics in my lifetime.
 
This was sent to me in hopes of being published on Spirit Post. I decided to publish it and post a copy here for discussion. Any thoughts?
 
For years cheerleaders have wished for the sport to be a part of the Olympics. It seems like the perfect fit, doesn’t it? Though with competitive cheerleading having enough trouble even being considered a sport in most states how far off are we from seeing it in the Olympics? With the 2010 ICU World Cup upon us I think it is worth it to reflect on the current state of cheerleading trying to become an Olympic sport and what can be done to help this along.

Things going well:

* Cheerleading now has an active International organization in the ICU (something required by the International Olympic Committee)
* Cheerleading is booming in the USA
* Cheerleading has an international team competing at an international competition (Team USA)

Things that still need work:

* Cheerleading is still not recognized by the IOC as a sport (the first step towards Olympics)
* Cheerleading doesn’t meet the drug test requirements to be recognized as a sport (just take a look at a large amount of the boys stunting in college)
* Cheerleading needs to practiced world wide. Having an organization and one gym representing a country does not mean it is practiced world wide. Remember that baseball was recently taken out of the Olympics because there were not enough countries participating throughout that individual country. Cheerleading is not as big as baseball internationally.
* International competition needs to be more competitive. Team USA is ridiculously better than all the other teams.
* It is a lot harder to become an Olympic sport in the summer games. They have a set amount of spots for the summer games and have no trouble filling those spots with already recognized sports.
* There are no more demonstration sports for cheerleading to exhibition at the Olympics. They stopped those in 1992
* There is still not enough organization in the sport of cheerleading itself. The rules vary widely depending on what competition you are at and what age group you are in. This isn’t like international basketball and there is a funny shaped free throw lane. It is a complete different scoring philosophy everywhere you go.

Conclusion:

While we all love this sport of cheerleading there is a long way to go before we enter it into the Olympics. The sports for 2012 have already been voted in and 2016 sports are only being considered of the recognized sports (of which we are not). It took BMX biking 30 years to become a sport once their international organization was created and we are only in our 2nd year of the ICU. But every journey has to start with a single step. I just hope to see cheerleading in the Olympics in my lifetime.

Nicely put, I wish everyone was able to think like this when it comes to issues on this board.
 
Cheerleading could be in the Olympics now "as is" under a discipline of gymnastics governed by USAG. However the powers that be in cheerleading do not want to be governed by anyone else so begins the long process of establishing cheer as a sport of it's own. Throw in that Varsity does not want high school or college to be regulated as a sport or called a sport as that would effect their camps, volume of uniform sales and participation numbers at national competitions; and you have a long up hill battle.
 
Cheerleading could be in the Olympics now "as is" under a discipline of gymnastics governed by USAG. However the powers that be in cheerleading do not want to be governed by anyone else so begins the long process of establishing cheer as a sport of it's own. Throw in that Varsity does not want high school or college to be regulated as a sport or called a sport as that would effect their camps, volume of uniform sales and participation numbers at national competitions; and you have a long up hill battle.

I don't necessarily disagree with cheerleading trying to be its own thing, actually. It may take longer, but gymnasts and cheerleaders are really completing two separate sports with one similar element, floor.
 
Cheerleading could be in the Olympics now "as is" under a discipline of gymnastics governed by USAG. However the powers that be in cheerleading do not want to be governed by anyone else so begins the long process of establishing cheer as a sport of it's own. Throw in that Varsity does not want high school or college to be regulated as a sport or called a sport as that would effect their camps, volume of uniform sales and participation numbers at national competitions; and you have a long up hill battle.

2 assumptions here:
1 Varsity speaks for everyone
2: When cheer gets recognized as a sport, it will have the same rules as football, soccer, baseball, etc.

Neither is necessarily the case and with proper cooperation and representation should not be.

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Cheerleading could be in the Olympics now "as is" under a discipline of gymnastics governed by USAG. However the powers that be in cheerleading do not want to be governed by anyone else so begins the long process of establishing cheer as a sport of it's own. Throw in that Varsity does not want high school or college to be regulated as a sport or called a sport as that would effect their camps, volume of uniform sales and participation numbers at national competitions; and you have a long up hill battle.

Just thought my second Fierceboard comment was worth looking at again in light of all the new news.
 
This could be perceived as a trump card for A&T to be in the Olympics, but I think its too far off. If the FIG was on here (or somewhere) touting how it would start pushing A&T across the world to be the next Olympic sport, then I would believe it. But currently its a collegiate experiment with very few involved colleges. The cheerleading community as a whole will probably push and accept STUNT. Unless the FIG and USAG really start pushing the Olympic part of it (the only thing in a cheerleaders mind that could really change things).
 
This could be perceived as a trump card for A&T to be in the Olympics, but I think its too far off. If the FIG was on here (or somewhere) touting how it would start pushing A&T across the world to be the next Olympic sport, then I would believe it. But currently its a collegiate experiment with very few involved colleges. The cheerleading community as a whole will probably push and accept STUNT. Unless the FIG and USAG really start pushing the Olympic part of it (the only thing in a cheerleaders mind that could really change things).

I am sure the cheer community may push stunt but it is University Athletics Administrators that must buy into the concept at the Collegiate level and USA Gymnastics spells sport to them while USA Cheer sounds Dallas Cowboy cheerleader.

I have yet to hear that any universities have signed letters of intent for Stunt. They will need at least 10 even if the cheer community pushes it or the NCAA would accept it.

Finding a balance between the cheer world and the sports world is paramount to this becoming a true reality.
 
I am sure the cheer community may push stunt but it is University Athletics Administrators that must buy into the concept at the Collegiate level and USA Gymnastics spells sport to them while USA Cheer sounds Dallas Cowboy cheerleader.

I have yet to hear that any universities have signed letters of intent for Stunt. They will need at least 10 even if the cheer community pushes it or the NCAA would accept it.

Finding a balance between the cheer world and the sports world is paramount to this becoming a true reality.

I agree with this. I am anxious to see exactly what comes of all of this. It's one thing for collegiate cheer coaches to say, "hey we will attend your "stunt" competitions, but it's quite a different thing for the president and athletic directors of the universities to say, "hey we will back this as a collegiate sport and offer scholarship opportunities and full sports benefits to your athletes." I really have no idea how exactly that all works, but I do think the higher ups at these universities would tend to go with a USAG sanctioned event over an event ran and sanctioned by a relatively unknown company, i.e., USA Cheer.

I think both companies have $$$ in their eyes and are going to try and "one up" each other until someone wins the electoral vote. lol It's one thing to have the popular vote, but its the electoral votes that win the election if that makes sense.

But on topic with this thread, I think the USAG stands a much better chance at making this an olympic sport than USA Cheer. Since I doubt anything will ever transpire while my girls are young enough to have a chance, I really have no preference on who gets the job accomplished, just as long as it gets done. I can only pray that whomever wins this battle is truly in it for the kids and for the sport of it and not $$$$$.
 
I agree with this. I am anxious to see exactly what comes of all of this. It's one thing for collegiate cheer coaches to say, "hey we will attend your "stunt" competitions, but it's quite a different thing for the president and athletic directors of the universities to say, "hey we will back this as a collegiate sport and offer scholarship opportunities and full sports benefits to your athletes." I really have no idea how exactly that all works, but I do think the higher ups at these universities would tend to go with a USAG sanctioned event over an event ran and sanctioned by a relatively unknown company, i.e., USA Cheer.

I think both companies have $$$ in their eyes and are going to try and "one up" each other until someone wins the electoral vote. lol It's one thing to have the popular vote, but its the electoral votes that win the election if that makes sense.

But on topic with this thread, I think the USAG stands a much better chance at making this an olympic sport than USA Cheer. Since I doubt anything will ever transpire while my girls are young enough to have a chance, I really have no preference on who gets the job accomplished, just as long as it gets done. I can only pray that whomever wins this battle is truly in it for the kids and for the sport of it and not $$$$$.

I hate to sound jaded but it will be about the money. The olympic committees are fairly corrupt. My home city, atlanta, got the olympics because of bribes. Cheer becoming an olympic sport would probably take the same back room discussions. How many times have we seen the IOC In the news 4 corruption?


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I agree with this. I am anxious to see exactly what comes of all of this. It's one thing for collegiate cheer coaches to say, "hey we will attend your "stunt" competitions, but it's quite a different thing for the president and athletic directors of the universities to say, "hey we will back this as a collegiate sport and offer scholarship opportunities and full sports benefits to your athletes." I really have no idea how exactly that all works, but I do think the higher ups at these universities would tend to go with a USAG sanctioned event over an event ran and sanctioned by a relatively unknown company, i.e., USA Cheer.

I think both companies have $$$ in their eyes and are going to try and "one up" each other until someone wins the electoral vote. lol It's one thing to have the popular vote, but its the electoral votes that win the election if that makes sense.


But on topic with this thread, I think the USAG stands a much better chance at making this an olympic sport than USA Cheer. Since I doubt anything will ever transpire while my girls are young enough to have a chance, I really have no preference on who gets the job accomplished, just as long as it gets done. I can only pray that whomever wins this battle is truly in it for the kids and for the sport of it and not $$$$$.

Good analogy on the electoral and popular vote. We can hope as parents that in the end aside from the money (that's what business is about and that's ok, America was built on capitalism) kids will be in the forefront of these leaders minds.
 
I realize that there will always be politics and bribes and $$$$ involved in pretty much every major decision made in this country. Sad but true. But I guess I just hope that whoever wins this battle will at least TRY and think about the kids and athletes involved. At least make it look like they care. lol
 
Question - How did Ballroom Dancing get recognized as a sport? Obviously, not the same as cheer, and certainly has more international participation (for now ;)). Plus, ballroom dance competitions are regulated by each country in its own way (according to wikipedia.) Sounds pretty similar. So, really, all it takes to get recognized by the IOC is heavy campaigning?
 
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