All-Star Tcu Not Allowed To Perform Baskets At Nca Nationals

[SharkDad]

I'm sorry, but that's absofrickinloutly ridiculous. Football is dangerous, but we choos to participarte in football. Cheerleading is dangerous so... we choose to limit the skill level. How does that make sense? Another illogical statement is that when in uniform you are on property. That makes no sense. On property means on campus. I'm guessing that rule was designed to keep cheerleaders from throwing baskets at games. Plus the fact that it was changed so soon. "If I had known sooner" Well you should have know sooner. Routines are put together a months in advance. So get involved in your school sports and know what the kids are doing, after all you are the AD. If I were these girls I would be pissed

Football is a varsity sport. It's regulated and has safety rules that make they follow.

Cheerleading is not a sport so they can do what they want

 

[cheermomfootball]

Football is a varsity sport. It's regulated and has safety rules that make they follow.

Cheerleading is not a sport so they can do what they want

There is an obvious element of danger in cheerleading, stunting, etc. It is the fact that they can do what they want without regulations that makes it too dangerous.

 

[Rusty]

Very well said. Is the future of cheer going to go the way we want if we continue to try to just keep it an activity?

You are correct, as a Sport … Cheer would gain needed trained & qualified Coaches, strength training, access to Certified Athletic trainers, access to trained medical professionals, emergency plans & much more. However, if Cheer activities remain an Activity who will profit ($), rest assured it will NOT be the parents of the athletes, nor will it be an organization such as the NCATA. The easy answer is “show me the money!” Only uniform manufacturers and mat producers will benefit from A&T, however at risk will be the consequence of eliminating school based Cheer Nationals, especially at the High School level and younger.

Cheer participants are dedicated athletes, whether Activity or Sport does NOT mean CheerLeader students are not Athletes. Let’s just be sure all the upset participants and parents see that note clearly!

So why did Jeff Webb testify that Cheer is NOT a Sport? His spin regarding his reasons are available on the Varsity Bands web site, but just ask yourself, was his testimony under oath his real belief, Cheer is not a Sport? Later, was he fearful A&T, which was at the time of the QU trial early in necessary development stages creating the appropriate format, would survive? How far in the future after his public testimony supporting the volleyball players not cheerleaders did Varsity Brands create Stunt ... after he testified in the QU trial regarding T9? Interesting how rapidly USA Cheer became the self-anointed GB (Governing Body) “for all things Cheer!”

The question in the QU trial wasn't if cheer participants are athletes, it was if Cheer is a Sport, and effectively if the UCA/NCA Collegiate Nationals as currently offered represent a SPORT? Jeff Webb testified Cheer is not a SPORT!

So many questions .... so little patience!

 

[cheermomfootball]

You are correct, as a Sport … Cheer would gain needed trained & qualified Coaches, strength training, access to Certified Athletic trainers, access to trained medical professionals, emergency plans & much more. However, if Cheer activities remain an Activity who will profit ($), rest assured it will NOT be the parents of the athletes, nor will it be an organization such as the NCATA. The easy answer is “show me the money!” Only uniform manufacturers and mat producers will benefit from A&T, however at risk will be the consequence of eliminating school based Cheer Nationals, especially at the High School level and younger.

Cheer participants are dedicated athletes, whether Activity or Sport does NOT mean CheerLeader students are not Athletes. Let’s just be sure all the upset participants and parents see that note clearly!

So why did Jeff Webb testify that Cheer is NOT a Sport? His spin regarding his reasons are available on the Varsity Bands web site, but just ask yourself, was his testimony under oath his real belief, Cheer is not a Sport? Later, was he fearful A&T, which was at the time of the QU trial early in necessary development stages creating the appropriate format, would survive? How far in the future after his public testimony supporting the volleyball players not cheerleaders did Varsity Brands create Stunt ... after he testified in the QU trial regarding T9? Interesting how rapidly USA Cheer became the self-anointed GB (Governing Body) “for all things Cheer!”

The question in the QU trial wasn't if cheer participants are athletes, it was if Cheer is a Sport, and effectively if the UCA/NCA Collegiate Nationals as currently offered represent a SPORT? Jeff Webb testified Cheer is not a SPORT!

So many questions .... so little patience!

If I could "Shimmy" your post a million times, I would.

 

[Rusty]

There is an obvious element of danger in cheerleading, stunting, etc. It is the fact that they can do what they want without regulations that makes it too dangerous.

“Dangerous” can be controlled through application of basic Coaching by leveraging fundamental Sport principles. Dangerous in Cheer should relate to the illusion of risk not actual physical rsk of injury to the athletes, much as great magicians complete impressive feats for entertainment Cheer athletes activity and creativity will provide great entertainment for all observers. Here is a short list of Sport related topics creating safety;

Warm up & Warm down activity
SPORT specific conditioning
Fitness, endurance
Strength
Flexibility
Focused Practice sessions
Open or Closed to public
Safe Practice Facility
Safe Learning Environment; depends on final performance surface & activities
Overhead spotting belt
Mats
Tumbling track
Progressive Learning (stunts, tumbling, pyramids & basket tosses)
Documentation of experience in specific activities

Coach/School input for all Rules & Regulations
Rules & Regulations based upon research
Oversight by non-profit NGB (National Governing Board)
Certification of Coaches

When anyone has been part of any organized SPORT for any length of time many of these seem to just fall into place without knowing all of the history which has created the current version of the sport. Just as today’s Pop Warner football players cannot imagine wearing a “leather FB helmet,” many of us could not predict the USASF would exist in 1980! Life is full of change, Cheer has reached a new juncture where change is necessary, and one footnote about change is that it is always uncomfortable.

 

[cheermomfootball]

“Dangerous” can be controlled through application of basic Coaching by leveraging fundamental Sport principles. Dangerous in Cheer should relate to the illusion of risk not actual physical rsk of injury to the athletes, much as great magicians complete impressive feats for entertainment Cheer athletes activity and creativity will provide great entertainment for all observers. Here is a short list of Sport related topics creating safety;

Warm up & Warm down activity
SPORT specific conditioning
Fitness, endurance
Strength
Flexibility
Focused Practice sessions
Open or Closed to public
Safe Practice Facility
Safe Learning Environment; depends on final performance surface & activities
Overhead spotting belt
Mats
Tumbling track
Progressive Learning (stunts, tumbling, pyramids & basket tosses)
Documentation of experience in specific activities

Coach/School input for all Rules & Regulations
Rules & Regulations based upon research
Oversight by non-profit NGB (National Governing Board)
Certification of Coaches

When anyone has been part of any organized SPORT for any length of time many of these seem to just fall into place without knowing all of the history which has created the current version of the sport. Just as today’s Pop Warner football players cannot imagine wearing a “leather FB helmet,” many of us could not predict the USASF would exist in 1980! Life is full of change, Cheer has reached a new juncture where change is necessary, and one footnote about change is that it is always uncomfortable.

All of the above I agree with. I am bringing up dangerous in the context that when just one certification is available for safety and does not perform the measures mentioned above, then change must happen. The change is needed for athletes, and yes, it is not always comfortable but the right change is the right change.

I am also concerned about injury reporting for both All Star, school cheer and collegiate level. What methods are being used to currently collect this information? How is it being shared with parents, athletes, coaches and gyms?

 

[Rusty]

If I could "Shimmy" your post a million times, I would.

My question always revolves around, "Why aren't more people paying attention to the public media exposure of injuries related to Cheer, All*Star (Competitive Cheer) or School based (Traditional, Sideline, etc.)? Apparently the Cheer Industry has firm control of the lion's share of participants such that they either aren't paying attention, or truly believe my child (female, daughter) won't fit into the 66% of injured athletes and along the way they will win at least one National Title! Talk about the ostrich hiding their head in the sand waiting for trouble to pass!

It is amazing, we need to wake up the public before the next DEATH or QUADRIPLEGIA!

Any suggestions?

 

[Rusty]

All of the above I agree with. I am bringing up dangerous in the context that when just one certification is available for safety and does not perform the measures mentioned above, then change must happen. The change is needed for athletes, and yes, it is not always comfortable but the right change is the right change.

I am also concerned about injury reporting for both All Star, school cheer and collegiate level. What methods are being used to currently collect this information? How is it being shared with parents, athletes, coaches and gyms?

Dr. Fred Mueller of UNC Chapel Hill & the NCCSIR provides the only consistent long-term Cheer injury research, (email address below) dissemination occurs each year to the press outlets and is quoted frequently on TV and in the newspaper. NCCSIR’s collection, analysis and presentation of sport related injuries initiates many changes in sports … keeping more athletes healthy. Cheer does not currently have annual consistent injury collection methods which is analyzed by experienced and credentialed research teams tempered with experienced and successful Coaches providing feedback through a non-profit National Governing Board (NGB). NGB’s must remain separate from the profit centers and businesses of any sport to be effective in creating and enforcing safety rules and standards. Lack of a cheer NGB and cheer focused research team prevents success in creating rules which are enforceable and consistent throughout the USA.

In 2009, the NATA approved and financially supported a study on a cross section of Cheer athletes for one year with the results reported in the Journal of Athletic Training (JAT Nov.-Dec. 2009 issue). Reports were compiled by types of injuries for 9022 participants on 412 squads documenting 567 injuries with records illustrating; severity, frequency, Base, Top or Spotter, Stunt, Pyramid, Tumbling or Basket Toss and specific movement. (Link below)

Varsity Brands (VB) & USA Cheer responded to growing PUBLIC PRESS exposure on both TV & in Print to these alarming statistics by announcing a partnership with ASMI of Birmingham AL to BEGIN a study of Cheer injuries directed toward developing NEW Safety guidelines. A question should slap you in the middle of your forehead or the back of your head if you are an NCIS fan, “Wasn’t AACCA created in 1987 to address the issues of Safety “GUIDELINES” in Cheer?” (See Varsity Brands)

Dr. Mueller reports his figures annually which capture all Cheer (School based or not) injuries reported as associated to Cheer in ERs (Emergency Room) reports … and keep in mind the ER only. When he reports almost 30,000 injuries associated with Cheer in a single year then analyzes the numbers in comparison to numbers of participants to illustrate the dangers of Cheer participation. He ALWAYS recommends further research into Cheer related injuries and the creation of Certified Coaching Standards, rules to decrease injury rates and the severity of injuries and enforceable standards.

NATA also recommends additional research in Cheer related injuries by Professionals to create new Standards, rules and regulations similar to other physical activities. Keep in mind Jogging is not a sport, however depending upon the level of participation by individuals generally they have information appearing in publications recommending safety and health measures for all participants. A closing comment from the authors of the study reads, “Many cheerleading injuries are preventable. Development of a national database to collect cheerleading exposure and injury data, via mandatory reporting, would aid in the identification of risk factors for cheerleading injuries and guide the development of injury prevention strategies.”

Varsity Brands (VB) has been singing praises to AACCA since its formation under the direction of Jim Lord, however the number of ER visits by Cheer participants has increased more significantly than new athlete participation. Every year when Dr. Mueller issues his report including Cheer as the most dangerous sport for female athletes, AACCA, Jeff Webb & VB respond by attempting to add a new “SPIN” to his results thereby reducing injury rates based upon greater numbers of participants. You don’t need to really argue the fine print or stats, just look at the total number of Catastrophic injuries (death, quadriplegia, paraplegia, traumatic brain injury, …) in Cheer versus all other sports, we rank SECOND behind Football and they play with rules, Experienced Coaches, proper safety equipment, …! Do you see the point of arguing the mass number of ER visits, keep in mind that is only ER visits not total injuries. So all those trips to your Internist or directly to the Orthopedic are not included in the total injury list therefore most of the injured athletes you see at competitions with their uniforms proudly displayed but using a set of crutches, or carrying an injured arm in a sling or covered in a cast are not included! Once again, this should make you ask, “What are they doing?” Where are the “Best Practices” of very successful Coaches within the VB family of cheer training and competition sponsors? You have seen articles about cheer safety and from the surface level they sound good but they are “a mile wide and one inch deep!” When Dr. Mueller has recommended AACCA certification in his reports it is due to the sad state of affairs that AACCA is the ONLY Coach certification for Cheer. Realize the first level of Cheer Coach Certification by AACCA only requires 3-4 hours of classroom training and the ability to complete an OPEN BOOK test which you are trained for during the classroom session. No “hands on training” or experience required, just the ability to read a test and locate the answer in the book of “GUIDELINES!”

Dr. Fredric O. Mueller; [email protected]
NATA Study; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2775357/
National Athletic Trainer Association

 

[SharkDad]

My question always revolves around, "Why aren't more people paying attention to the public media exposure of injuries related to Cheer, All*Star (Competitive Cheer) or School based (Traditional, Sideline, etc.)? Apparently the Cheer Industry has firm control of the lion's share of participants such that they either aren't paying attention, or truly believe my child (female, daughter) won't fit into the 66% of injured athletes and along the way they will win at least one National Title! Talk about the ostrich hiding their head in the sand waiting for trouble to pass!

It is amazing, we need to wake up the public before the next DEATH or QUADRIPLEGIA!

Any suggestions?

@Rusty you can do what you are doing to raise awarenss. Eventually, through education, something has to change.

There are a number of factors at work at each level of cheer. PM me and we can discuss the ones I know in detail

 

[SharkDad]

Dr. Fred Mueller of UNC Chapel Hill & the NCCSIR provides the only consistent long-term Cheer injury research, (email address below) dissemination occurs each year to the press outlets and is quoted frequently on TV and in the newspaper. NCCSIR’s collection, analysis and presentation of sport related injuries initiates many changes in sports … keeping more athletes healthy. Cheer does not currently have annual consistent injury collection methods which is analyzed by experienced and credentialed research teams tempered with experienced and successful Coaches providing feedback through a non-profit National Governing Board (NGB). NGB’s must remain separate from the profit centers and businesses of any sport to be effective in creating and enforcing safety rules and standards. Lack of a cheer NGB and cheer focused research team prevents success in creating rules which are enforceable and consistent throughout the USA.

When Dr. Mueller has recommended AACCA certification in his reports it is due to the sad state of affairs that AACCA is the ONLY Coach certification for Cheer.

The National Cheer Safety Foundation (NCSF) at: http://nationalcheersafetyfoundation.com has had an injury collection database they have been compiling for years and they are linked with the reporting that occurs in the NCCSIR study.

The NCSF also has created an in-depth safety certification course that can be used as contining education credit in many areas. Most of what I have seen them do is NATA, medically, and research based.

I have seen AACCA step up their safety efforts in recent years, but not to the same level as the NCSF. As a parent, I hope they can cooperate better in the future.

 

[cheermomfootball]

The National Cheer Safety Foundation (NCSF) at: http://nationalcheersafetyfoundation.com has had an injury collection database they have been compiling for years and they are linked with the reporting that occurs in the NCCSIR study.

The NCSF also has created an in-depth safety certification course that can be used as contining education credit in many areas. Most of what I have seen them do is NATA, medically, and research based.

I have seen AACCA step up their safety efforts in recent years, but not to the same level as the NCSF. As a parent, I hope they can cooperate better in the future.

Does AACCA publish their injury reports for both All Star, School and Collegiate?

 

[SharkDad]

Does AACCA publish their injury reports for both All Star, School and Collegiate?

I have not seen anywhere that AACCA collects injury data and reports it.

There is a study they developed with different assumptions than the NCCSIR here: http://aacca.org/safetystudy/index.htm

It's basically a statistical analysis of injuries per athlete to compare the safety of different sports.

To properly compare the two you should read both and see the differences in data collection and data analysis. Here is the NCCSIR study: http://www.unc.edu/depts/nccsi/2009ALLSPORT.pdf

and their website: http://www.unc.edu/depts/nccsi/

If you really want to get smart on cheer safety I suggest reading both and forming your own conclusions then about how the data they collect reacts to the cheer world around your child.

 

[cheermomfootball]

I have not seen anywhere that AACCA collects injury data and reports it.

There is a study they developed with different assumptions than the NCCSIR here: http://aacca.org/safetystudy/index.htm

It's basically a statistical analysis of injuries per athlete to compare the safety of different sports.

To properly compare the two you should read both and see the differences in data collection and data analysis. Here is the NCCSIR study: http://www.unc.edu/depts/nccsi/2009ALLSPORT.pdf

and their website: http://www.unc.edu/depts/nccsi/

If you really want to get smart on cheer safety I suggest reading both and forming your own conclusions then about how the data they collect reacts to the cheer world around your child.

Unfortunately, Sharkdad, I have already obtained intelligence on cheer safety from personal experience. So, that is not why I am asking. I am interested in knowing about the "governing" and "certification" organization reporting on injuries versus their own comparisons. I also have the stats compiled above. I was simply curious to know if AACCA put out an injury report, which it appears that they don't unless someone can show me otherwise.

 

[Rusty]

That is preposterous! At a college level! Smh!

Athletic Directors, School Presidents and School Principles know they can reduce the risk of injury by "ground bounding" squads, since Cheer athletes don't currently have a NGB (non-profit National Governing Board) this may possibly be the least expensive method for reducing athlete injury risk and lowering their budget by reducing insurance premiums.

You are aware that practice for Cheer Nationals are not covered by the Schools Insurance premiums, ... right? But then, that's a whole nother topic.

 

[Rusty]

Unfortunately, Sharkdad, I have already obtained intelligence on cheer safety from personal experience. So, that is not why I am asking. I am interested in knowing about the "governing" and "certification" organization reporting on injuries versus their own comparisons. I also have the stats compiled above. I was simply curious to know if AACCA put out an injury report, which it appears that they don't unless someone can show me otherwise.

AACCA does not have an Injury Report Form, nor do they accumulate raw data on Cheer related injuries. The only report AACCA has prepared so far is a 1-page rehash ... of the NCCSIR comprehensive 50+ page report of injuries reported in ER's around the USA with connections to a Cheer activity.

Dr. Muller is a recognized & credentialed researcher who has influenced the safety development of many sports around the WORLD! Now ask one question, what are the credentials appearing in the description of AACCA Executive Director Jim Lord? You say ... none? So with no recognized degree, no experience in research, how is he qualified to take the report and reanalyze determining different results without ever personally reviewing the raw data? Even the person that works on your car today must have some Professional Training, what is Jim's? None? I'm just saying ...

Is the ridiculousness of the AACCA approach to injury research becoming clear? Keep in mind they only exist with financial support from one organization, Varsity Brands (VB).