Question - Is cheerleading a sport?

[blu]

Just interested in your opinions.:Cheerlead

[ElastiGirl]

They work hard and practice just like any other sport so i guess it is

[Hawks nest]

Yeah I see it as a sport. They work hard as the teams and i give a nod to the bands also. They spend a lot of time working in the summer and all season long. I give both a lot of credit.

[Tomcat68]

Yes it is in my opinion. They work hard, practice, and it takes much physical and mental ability. They receive scholarships even. I forgot where I saw it, but on one of the 20/20, dateline type shows they had a stat proving that the worst highschool injuries by number and severity both occur in cheerleading.

[go panthers!!!]

:Cheerlead yeah I think it's a sport, because the cheerleaders have to go practice, be athletic, and work together as a team really well
and they have all kinds of competitions and stuff like that too...

[thetribe]

tomcat put it nicely. I agree with that post better than I can put it into my own words now.

[hippo's hope]

No it is not a sport, The reason is in Ky the do not have any competitions that are sanctioned by the KHSAA, not saying it is not hard and they do not put in the time as any other sport but it is not a sport. Because if your team sport does not play in a district or regional or state can your cheerleaders go without the team (No!). This is forr Ky, a lot of states have been adding them to the sport catagory. But right now in the state of Ky the answer is no.

[Beef]

OK....so lacross isn't a sport, field hockey, hockey, skiing....I could go on...just because it isn't sanctioned by the KHSAA doesn't mean that it's not a sport.

Of course cheerleading is a sport. I bet they work harder than 90% of the other activities you call sports. Ever attended a practice or watched them compete? In order to have a top class program the cheerleaders have to lift and run like any other "sport".

[FOX SPORTS]

For fear of being lynched by cheerleader parents.










Nah, I'm smarter than that.
I'm not jumping into that frying pan.

[go panthers!!!]

No it is not a sport, The reason is in Ky the do not have any competitions that are sanctioned by the KHSAA, not saying it is not hard and they do not put in the time as any other sport but it is not a sport. Because if your team sport does not play in a district or regional or state can your cheerleaders go without the team (No!). This is forr Ky, a lot of states have been adding them to the sport catagory. But right now in the state of Ky the answer is no.

Well the way that KHSAA makes it sound like it is a "sport dependent on another sport" If that makes any sense...
Like you can't have a squad w/o your football and basketball teams, but if you do have them then you need to practice, work hard, make your routines perfect, and even compete

[hippo's hope]

I believe that it should be but that was not the ?

[Beef]

But you said it wasn't a sport? My point was that just because the KHSAA doesn't sanction it doesn't mean that it's not a sport :thumb:

[FOX SPORTS]

Here's a definition....just for argument sake.

sport ( P ) Pronunciation Key (spôrt, sprt)
n.

1. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.
2. An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.
3. An active pastime; recreation.

[Beef]

And which of those does cheerleading not fulfill? :confused:

[Johnny Ringo]

:watch:

[BallaBaby]

I think cheerleading is a sport, I mean it does fulfill those 3 points.

[MR.INCREDIBLE]

without a doubt:Cheerlead

[Beef]

:watch:
Now that ^ is not a sport JR...no matter how much you practice at it :wieghts:

[crazytaxidriver]

Cheerleading does have comptetions, they have practices, they use a lot of energy.. It's a team effort. Sure it's a sport. I mean if hunting is considered a sport then i think cheerleading is def. sporty.. Oh i forgot they even have uniforms lol.

[Beef]

And dong good unis too CTD.... :baby:

[Tomcat68]

Cheerleaders in Ky may not partake in competitions governed by the KHSAA, but they do compete in competitions governed nationally. Down the road from Ashland is the Greenup County Cheerleaders, they are known all across the country for their multiple national cheerleading championships in the large school division. They are continually one of the top teams year in and year out.

[Johnny Ringo]

Now that ^ is not a sport JR...no matter how much you practice at it :wieghts:
I wasn't meaning that:watch: is a sport, I was just waiting on an answer about which of the 3 in the post cheerleading didn't cover? :Thumbs:

[Wyatt Earp]

Cheerleading is recognized at the state tournament and if I am not mistaken they have some squads there that the host school is not in the sweet sixteen. It seems that cheerleading does have a growing interest. Dance teams and some of the other activities that are part of the halftime performance's at ballgames should also be recognized for their hard work and practice. It's all about having the opportunity for kids to get to compete in a sport and have themselves be part of a team or squad. How about a 4 wheeler soccer match. Now that would be a sport.

[DTfan]

I use to think that cheerleading wasn't a sport but now I see that it is. They put in the same hours as other teams, if not more by counting gymnastics. They work hard and they deserve credit too.

[Grammaton Cleric Preston]

By the letter of the law no it is not a sport
it does not count in title IX number and is not recognized by the khsaa as a sport
academic teams practice compete and wear uiforms so do chess clubs etc
but yes they are athletic.
Unfortuantly they are a support group according to federal guidelines
no different than the band
But they are athletic

[Grammaton Cleric Preston]

I think it could be considered a sport if they had weekly competitions rather than waiting till the dist tournament
regional and state
i mean how do you know how they are doing what is expected
they just announce it during the trophy presentations

no clock no scoreboard
if they could do that then there would be arguement

[go panthers!!!]

Well GCP i dont know where you're from, but here at Pikeville our girls do have other competitions other than the district tourney...
They got KAPOS and they do this thing themselves like how they won nationals 2 or 3 years ago..

Also yes the academic and chess team members wear uniforms and practice, but unfortunately you don't need any athletic tatlent to participate on either of those teams so therefore it doesnt really count as a sport...
but its still a team...
so all teams dont play sports

[Grammaton Cleric Preston]

I have a simple question how many National championships are thewr in the field of cheerleading?
The only reason I ask is I went to a tourament a few years ago in which 5 high schools from the state of kentucky had national champion squads, Im not knocking cheerleading.
those girls work hard, Marching bands work hard, KAPOS has dist, regionals and state championships , the year pikeville won nationals did the win the state?
I only ask this because the year Cawood won national championship so did henry clay as well as greenup co.
My point is this basketball has a state champion, so does all other Khsaa sport you can see the records at the khsaa site. Im saying they "cheerleading" needs the same so that those hard working girls can get the recognition they deserve.
I only wish it wasnt set up like the Olympics where a judge sits in the stands a give a score which can be as political as figure skating.


Serveral school sytems have a uniform policy that say you will have tryouts judged by Kapos officials to determine who makes a team.
Tell me any coach worth his salary that would allow an independent enity to pick a basketball teams varsity squad.
Trust me I know cheerleaders that are some of the best athaletes in school. And at some schools they are not they just happen to know someone who new someone who judges.

[go panthers!!!]

true true...i understand you're point
but the reason there were 5 national champs from kentucky is b/c there's so many different categories...just like w/ track you have single A, double A and triple A etc. with cheerleading you got different categories like small squad, big squad, medium varsity, and stuff...(thats not what theyre really called but its somethin along those lines...i dont cheer sorry)
yeah i see what you mean about the scoring too--last year some of my friends that do cheer said they were cheated outta winnin b/c of some bad judges...
but here's my argument for that...whoever judges it doesnt decide whether its a sport or not, they just happen to have alot of influence over how it's played...
like ok we all know tennis is a sport...and matter of fact i play it...so on our team last year, me and some of the other girls lost alot of points we really won playing against this certain school b/c the girls we played against we'rent callin the balls honestly and neither were the officials.

But see maybe we can compromise and say it doesnt count as a "real sport" like basketball baseball, football, and stuff like that (WHICH I THINK IT DOES BUT OH WELL) but its gotta count as somethin b/c i mean come on...now that we're discussin it does poker and nascar and horse-racing count as sports?
poker is on espn all the time...
sure it takes skill and patience, but then again so does reading an encyclopedia...
and for nascar and horseracin the driver doesnt do any of the work except actually get in the car/on the horse and make it go...
he's got a crew to take care of his car or a trainer to feed his horse...and in the end it all comes down to who's lucky and got the best ride

[98]

My take on this is, I never thought cheerleading was a sport until I was asked about it.

I think anything where you are competing against another team or person CAN BE considered a sport, scrabble, no, cheerleading, yes. It's physical it's active it takes skill.

Yes, cheerleading is a sport.

[accidentprone]

i would say that it is a sport, i am sure the girls work hard. And it is just as competitive as any other sport, i mean i know girls who want to fight the other teams cheerleaders after a game.

[raiders_basketball20]

NO it isnt

[PvilleCheerAlum]

ok kids.

If you ask just about any cheerleader in the state of kentucky if they want KHSAA to recognize cheerleading as a sport, they will say no. If kentucky makes cheerleading a sport no one will ever see greenup, pikeville, dunbar, or any other great squad win a national championship. According to the proposal set forth by the KHSAA, if they take over responsibility squads will not be allowed to travel out of state for competitions.

I think it could be considered a sport if they had weekly competitions rather than waiting till the dist tournament
regional and state
i mean how do you know how they are doing what is expected
they just announce it during the trophy presentations

no clock no scoreboard
if they could do that then there would be arguement

As a former cheerleader, having a competition every weekend is redundant. Like many other sports (gymnastics, figure skating, diving, etc) cheerleaders have to deal with choreography. And personally i would have had to quit high school just to have enough hours to prepare for a competition every weekend.

[Beef]

Welcome to the site PCA! :dance:

[Matt_Knee]

Not a sport..

[crazytaxidriver]

Ok,, in the olympics, gymnastics is a sport.. So basically cheerleading is a bunch of girls doin the gymnastics at the same time.. in sync. during comptetitions they have to earn points from the judges.. and to do that they have to do a routine in an allotted amount of time.. So what is it that makes it a non sport?? You say no clock no scoreboard not a sport..well.. during competition it seems an awful lot like a sport to me..

[crazytaxidriver]

I mean if cutting a freaking log in half can be considered a sport and shown on ESPN.. then yeah.. cheering can be a sport too..

[Pirate Pal]

It is a sport to me anyway. I started cheering in the 1st grade and continued until I graduated high school. I have been a sponsor for 8 years and a KAPOS Judge for 5. All 3 of my daughters cheer. It is a hard, tedious, time consuming, money spending, disrespected sport. I love it.

I seen where you had mentioned KHSAA and cheerleading. What's so funny to me is that KHSAA doesn't recognize cheerleading as a sport, but yet cheerleaders have to follow KHSAA regulations on the dead period. Strange!?!?!

Oh yeah, CTD, Cheerleading competitions are shown on ESPN also.
:Cheerlead :Cheerlead :Cheerlead :Cheerlead :Cheerlead

[Tweety]

I have cheerleaders AND ballplayers, so I'm not posting just as a cheer parent. These kids have tryouts, they have to be able to compete in various things AGAINST each other to make the squad. They have to be Very atheletic, put in a lot of hours, practice hard-usually daily, work together as a team in order to pull off very diffilcult routines, stunts and mounts. And yes they compete in tourneys but they also travel and compete in Cheerleading competitions that have nothing to do with ball. In fact there are squads that never cheer for games, all they do is travel and compete! So yes, definetely, it is a sport.

[Warrior_07]

Of Course its a sport! Cheerleaders practice, Basketball teams practice. B-Ball have games, cheerleaders cheer at their games b-ball have competitions and so does cheerleading! how does that not qualify? Cheering is probably one of the most strenous things you can do. I know. Its as much as anything

[candy_cane_17]

I was a former cheerleader and I had to go to practice everyday and work extremely hard. One sponser that I had when I was in the 5th grade that would make us run 10 laps around the gym. Cheerleading takes hard work, deditcation, work ethic and of course school spirt (which is manditory for cheerleaders). Nobody realizes how physically fit a cheerleader has to be. She has to deal with gymnastics at least once a week and practices. And like any other athlete, cheerleaders have to maintain a certain g.p.a.
So the question was: Is cheerleading a sport? In my book, Yes.

[shafter9]

Yes it is in my opinion. They work hard, practice, and it takes much physical and mental ability. They receive scholarships even. I forgot where I saw it, but on one of the 20/20, dateline type shows they had a stat proving that the worst highschool injuries by number and severity both occur in cheerleading.
I agree 68...

[#7]

A sport is something when you are competing head-to-head
in ceerleading you are competing against judges
so you could have judges that are baist towards a team and you wouldnt ever figure out who the best cheerleading squad is
in foot ball whoever scores the most points at the end of a game wins
in cheerleading the winner is determinned by opinions
son no it is not a sport

im not saying it isnt hard work because it is

[Beef]

So you are saying that many olympic sports arn't really sports then...

[Golden Toothpick]

:Cheerlead :bounce: I don't know but cheerleader watching at most games is a great sport!

[RedMan]

All cheerleaders say its a sport, and they do compete in competitions and it does take skill for all the flyers so its a sport to me, but to many its not.

[Trex]

I think it is a sport.

[Pirate Pal]

A sport is something when you are competing head-to-head
in ceerleading you are competing against judges
so you could have judges that are baist towards a team and you wouldnt ever figure out who the best cheerleading squad is
in foot ball whoever scores the most points at the end of a game wins
in cheerleading the winner is determinned by opinions
son no it is not a sport

im not saying it isnt hard work because it is

Your definition of "SPORT" is not the correct definition found in the Webster's Dictionary. The true meaning of "SPORT" is as follows:

sport (spôrt, sphttp://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/omacr.gifrt) n.

1. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.
2. An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.

3. An active pastime; recreation.

Nowhere does it say "head to head", so by the true meaning of sport, cheerleading applies!

[Kicker#22]

yes it is

[PvilleCheerAlum]

A sport is something when you are competing head-to-head
in ceerleading you are competing against judges
so you could have judges that are baist towards a team and you wouldnt ever figure out who the best cheerleading squad is
in foot ball whoever scores the most points at the end of a game wins
in cheerleading the winner is determinned by opinions
son no it is not a sport

im not saying it isnt hard work because it is
Every statement you just made is so false its not even funny.
1. FALSE. i have been to a cheerleading competition where it actually was two squads going head to head. imagine though, playing a football game or basketball game against 4-5 other teams.
2. FALSE. Last time i checked, cheerleading squads compete against other squads not judges.
3. FALSE. Judges in cheerleading, like other judged sports, have to go through training and are tested on their knowledge. i know this because i am a certified judge. judges that could have a bias toward a certain squad are not allowed to judge those competitions.
4. In cheerleading, whoever scored the most points wins.
5. The winner of a cheerleading competition is determined by the difficulty of the routine, required incorportated skills (jumps, tumbling, etc), and routine creativity.

SO YES i do believe that cheerleading is a sport :big grin:

[wildcat20]

Cheerleading being a sport depends on how cheerleading is implemented in the school. Some schools use cheerleading strictly to support teams while other schools endorse cheerleading in a competitive nature by attending competitions and events to gain titles. In my school however, myself being a cheerleader, i can honestly say that we do everything that any other sport would do- lift weights, stunt, tumble, and most of all hard work and lots of effort. Everyone has their own opinion, but in my eyes OF COURSE CHEERLEADING IS A SPORT!:Cheerlead

..*Blackcats*..

[PineRider]

Cheerleaders do compete in competitions throughout the state and nation just like other sports, but during the season they just cheer for the ppl playing those other sports. Like a really spirited fan. So in a way cheerleading is a sport and its not. I'm still undecided. But for the record I do know that Pikeville has produced some talented squads in the past with winning all the national championships and all. Every time i drive through Pikeville I always find a new billboard with all the cheerleaders faces on it for another national title.

Not to mention Pikeville has always had good cheerleaders:Cheerlead

[catsfan072]

Cheerleading is DEFINATELY a sport!

[PineRider4Life]

Cheerleading is definitely a sport. There is just as much contact in cheerleading as in other sports. Except football of course. Cheerleaders work just as hard as other athletes do in other sports but dont get the same credit as other athletes. They are very over looked athletes and some of the are more athletic than other players on other sporting teams. Also they dont get enough credit for the hard work they put into being good at what they do. Cheerleaders are over looked and without them it would be alot less noise at sporting events. These girls work hard every day to be good at what they do. Keep working hard girls and maybe some day you will get treated like real athletes and get treated with the respect you deserve.
:loveya: :Cheerlead :#1:

[#_4]

Yeah , I think it is a sport.

[jack rabbits]

At greenup co and pikeville it si.