College What's Everyones Thoughts On....

[ztaprincess]

The main reason it was shot down in court was because there was no single governing body or set of rules, not that it has to be in a format that the other two have set up. They lost that case because Quinnipac went about it completely wrong. Had things have been done correctly the court case would have never happened. I wouldn't blame it on it being called "cheerLEADING." If a name change had to be done then sure change the name, but why make the format the way it is now? You didn't just change the name and look you completely changed the sport which is why many people will never go for that format. Goodluck to STUNT and NCATA, but I wouldn't bet on it taking off as fast as they hope for it to.

 

[tntdynomite]

I am certain I am not missing the point. Perhaps you remain unaware of the court ruling last summer (although well crafted marketing sure can be confusing at times as well as the "play" on the word cheer/cheerleading/competitive cheer). Quinnipiac was a competitive cheer only team...not a cheerLEADING team. Perhaps you did not receive the "Dear Valued Customer" letter. The point is that Varsity fought for the 2.5 minute routine to remain an activity.

In this spirit post: http://spiritpost.com/notebook/2010/07/bill-seelys-response-to-the-decision/
note that they are referred to as a cheerLEADING team which they were not. More importantly, note that USA Cheer's President was the expert witness and he stepped in to PROTECT traditional cheerleading which he maintained is not a sport even if the sole mission is to compete. Even prior to the case he has maintained that for cheer to be a sport, it had to have a different name and look (not the 2.5minute routine)...again to protect traditional cheerleading as an activity. Here is an article from 2004 just a year and than some removed from when Varsity went from being publicly traded to private equity:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B04EFDE153FF936A2575BC0A9629C8B63
(also good to note that he did not control the allstar competitive cheer industry at that time...but somewhere along the line allstars biggest competition became the "cheerLEADING Worlds" Third time I posted this curiosity.Who named it so? Why?

The court case ruled that cheerleading in its current form is not a sport. It needs a governing body, a single set of rules, better organization, etc. not because the 'powers that be' want it to stay an activity. If cheerleading had met Title IV requirements in its current form, the judge could have ruled differently.
The powers that be and the leaders of A&T chose to create a totally different format instead of trying to find a way to make the current format work. People have been doing competitive cheer for decades, there is no way that we should have to create a separate format in order to be a sport. I don't know what the agenda is, but I fully believe there is one.

 

[Buzz86]

I personally think it would be insanely hard to justify 20 hours of practice a week dedicated to something that only lasts 2.5 minutes. I've never seen anyone object to partner stunt competitions or things of that nature ... it's really just allowing what every other sport in the NCAA allows for - both team opportunities and individual opportunities to excel in a sport.

With the rounds the team members that are most versatile (great tumbler, strong base, etc.) have more stats applied to the their name. So while a team will win an overall national championship, the top performer in certain categories will also be recognized for their achievements as an all-american. It's really not possible to select all-americans from the 2.5 minute routine since it is such a team-based round.

As far as lack of excitement goes - I've haven't been underwhelmed at a meet so far. I know not everyone will like it, but I personally think it's exciting to see team members cheering for each other through the rounds and then everything coming together in the team routine. A video doesn't necessarily do it justice and also remember you're used to the flashing lights/puffery that is going on in the background of all-star competitions. An all-star routine at NCA nationals or Cheersport is gonna look a whole lot more exciting on video than a video of the same team at practice or in a HS gymnasium.

Also, when you say "catch on" I think you miss the point that it's not cheerleading coaches or the cheerleading industry deciding whether or not to make this a sport. It's Athletic Directors and Presidents of universities. If they see that this a sport that will both allow opportunities for females and can fit in with the needs of the students at their university then they will pick it up. I haven't heard that an NCATA schools have had issues with lack of interest so far - the amount of girls that want scholarships and recognition as an athlete is actually overwhelming.

 

[Katybugmom]

I am not real familiar with this. Can teams not wear bows if they want to? Are they allowed to smile and do facials during routines?