8th Grade English
Mrs. King
April 26, 2016
Is Cheer a Sport
Do you think cheer is a sport? The argument of cheer either being a sport or not being a sport has been up in the air for years. This argument almost always ends up with someone getting upset. Here are some facts that might change your opinion, they also might help you the next time this argument comes up.
Stunting and tumbling is a very important part of cheerleading. These activities not only use every muscle, but they also use them in every way they can be used. Stunting might not be as hard for the flyer, but the bases are working extremely hard. The bases hamstrings, quadriceps, and gluteal muscles are the powerhouse you should get most of your strength in stunting from. In your upper body, you use your deltoid muscles in your shoulders, your pectoralis major and minor muscles in your chest, and your latissmus dorsi muscles in your back. You use these muscles to lift other cheerleaders above your head, to tumble, and even hit basic arm motions. Tumbling also uses extreme amounts of muscle power. During the back handspring takeofff and landing, the quadriceps and gluteal muscles produce the most power. The main muscles of the lower legs used by cheerleaders constantly to point, and jump are the gastrocnemius, soleus, peroneus longus, extensor digitorum …show more content…
There is a big difference between school cheer and competitive cheer. School cheer should not necessarily be called a sport. Sports teams exist to compete, not to entertain or perform while supporting another group that is competing. Cheer was created to get the crowd excited and wound up. One of the requirements of a sport is to compete against an opponent, not cheer your team on and for sure not support you opponent. Even though cheerleaders have after-school practices and even participate in cheering for a team, to be qualified as a sport you must know the real definition of a