Persuasive Essay On Cheerleaders
Cheerleaders are hardcore. Being able to flip through the air and land a front flip is not something most traditionally accepted athletes can say they can for themselves. Sure, a 250lb football player can run into another man at high speeds without blinking, but cheerleaders can throw another human being in the air and then catch them. Still, cheerleaders are recognized on a lower scale, and many do not even believe cheerleading is a sport. This is an important topic to discuss because all athletes deserve and receive a lot of respect. If a cheerleader is not considered an athlete, it is possible that these men and women who cheer could feel degraded or worthless. Cheerleaders are athletes because athletes rigorously train their bodies to get better, master the skills that go into their sport,
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and compete in a physically exhausting sport. Athletes rigorously train their bodies, and cheerleaders fit right into this definition. In baseball, it is okay for the player to be a little overweight as long as he can hit home runs all day, but cheerleaders do not have any room for a weak link. Every pyramid, stunt, and tumble relies on every single squad member to be exactly where they need to be and as strong as their body allows. Cheerleaders have to work just as hard, or possibly harder, to stay in shape as any other sport. Due to extensive training, cheerleaders often score medium to high in special fitness exercises (Lutenko & Bodrenkova, 2013). These men and women have highly athletic bodies which give them high ranges of motion, flexibility, agility, and endurance. Cheerleaders often train every day, possibly twice a day, before, during, and after their seasons. Whether it is football season or competition season, cheerleaders are constantly fine tuning their bodies so that every move is perfect, and this leads to mastery of skills. An athlete is someone who has mastered the skills of their sport. Cheering is something that not many people can do because it is extremely difficult. It can take years to get stunts down
Of course, every cheerer may not have mastered every skill, but an athlete is constantly training to improve their skills to master them. Cheerleaders know this more than anyone because many cheerleaders make cheer their number one priority. The University of Kentucky’s cheer squad has absolutely mastered their skills because they have won the UCA, or the Universal Cheerleaders Association, Nationals 21 times since 1987. According to their website, they have been in the competition’s top ten since the competition has been created (2017). Many, but not all, cheer teams are featured on ESPN, meaning that mastering the skills of cheerleading is something that many cheerers take seriously. Cheerleaders go to great heights to master their skills, and because of this, cheerleading is physically grueling. All athletes compete in a physically exhausting sport, including cheerleaders. Cheerleading may look effortless, but that is half of the battle while cheering. These men and women work extremely hard to make every stunt and trick look perfect, and many can develop injuries. In fact, cheerleading is actually one of the most dangerous sports. Of all catastrophic injuries, meaning serious injuries having to do with the head, neck, or back, among female college athletes, cheerleaders make up to 70% (Bagnulo, 2012). This means that cheerleading can take a huge toll on someone’s body if they do not take care of it right. Many people are actually petitioning for cheerleading to be included under the NCAA’s rules because so many athletes get injured. The NCAA would be able to offer better physical trainers as well as medical support for these athletes. For every argument, there is another side to the story, and many people believe that cheerleaders are not athletes.
There may be many reasons for this, but a big reason is that some do not compete. A lot of cheerleaders actually do compete in local, regional, or national competitions, like the University of Kansas squad who have won 21 national titles. However, like the Dallas Cowboy’s cheerleaders, many still do not compete. Even if a cheerleader does not compete in a literal competition, cheerleaders often compete with themselves or their peers to be as fit as they can be. In a study on cheerleaders, 39% of the girls said their squad would have regular weigh-ins to ensure that all the girls were maintaining a weight. About 40% of the same girls agreed that their cheering would improve if they lost 5 pounds (Reel & Gill, 1996). These girls, whether they participate in competitions or not, have so much more going on than just training. These girls are pushed to their limits while maintaining a weight; they are constantly being compared to each other by themselves, coaches, and parents. Cheerleaders do compete because cheerleaders have extremely high standards to live up
to. Cheerleaders are absolutely, without a doubt, athletes. They work harder, train harder, and dig harder than most sports out there. In my high school, we did not have cheerleaders but a dance team. The argument is all the same for dancers, though, and from my experience, they are still some of the most athletic people from my school. Cheerleaders are athletes because athletes rigorously train their bodies to get better, master the skills that go into their sport, and compete in a physically exhausting sport. For these reasons and much more, they are hardcore athletes and there should be no question about it.
and compete in a physically exhausting sport. Athletes rigorously train their bodies, and cheerleaders fit right into this definition. In baseball, it is okay for the player to be a little overweight as long as he can hit home runs all day, but cheerleaders do not have any room for a weak link. Every pyramid, stunt, and tumble relies on every single squad member to be exactly where they need to be and as strong as their body allows. Cheerleaders have to work just as hard, or possibly harder, to stay in shape as any other sport. Due to extensive training, cheerleaders often score medium to high in special fitness exercises (Lutenko & Bodrenkova, 2013). These men and women have highly athletic bodies which give them high ranges of motion, flexibility, agility, and endurance. Cheerleaders often train every day, possibly twice a day, before, during, and after their seasons. Whether it is football season or competition season, cheerleaders are constantly fine tuning their bodies so that every move is perfect, and this leads to mastery of skills. An athlete is someone who has mastered the skills of their sport. Cheering is something that not many people can do because it is extremely difficult. It can take years to get stunts down
Of course, every cheerer may not have mastered every skill, but an athlete is constantly training to improve their skills to master them. Cheerleaders know this more than anyone because many cheerleaders make cheer their number one priority. The University of Kentucky’s cheer squad has absolutely mastered their skills because they have won the UCA, or the Universal Cheerleaders Association, Nationals 21 times since 1987. According to their website, they have been in the competition’s top ten since the competition has been created (2017). Many, but not all, cheer teams are featured on ESPN, meaning that mastering the skills of cheerleading is something that many cheerers take seriously. Cheerleaders go to great heights to master their skills, and because of this, cheerleading is physically grueling. All athletes compete in a physically exhausting sport, including cheerleaders. Cheerleading may look effortless, but that is half of the battle while cheering. These men and women work extremely hard to make every stunt and trick look perfect, and many can develop injuries. In fact, cheerleading is actually one of the most dangerous sports. Of all catastrophic injuries, meaning serious injuries having to do with the head, neck, or back, among female college athletes, cheerleaders make up to 70% (Bagnulo, 2012). This means that cheerleading can take a huge toll on someone’s body if they do not take care of it right. Many people are actually petitioning for cheerleading to be included under the NCAA’s rules because so many athletes get injured. The NCAA would be able to offer better physical trainers as well as medical support for these athletes. For every argument, there is another side to the story, and many people believe that cheerleaders are not athletes.
There may be many reasons for this, but a big reason is that some do not compete. A lot of cheerleaders actually do compete in local, regional, or national competitions, like the University of Kansas squad who have won 21 national titles. However, like the Dallas Cowboy’s cheerleaders, many still do not compete. Even if a cheerleader does not compete in a literal competition, cheerleaders often compete with themselves or their peers to be as fit as they can be. In a study on cheerleaders, 39% of the girls said their squad would have regular weigh-ins to ensure that all the girls were maintaining a weight. About 40% of the same girls agreed that their cheering would improve if they lost 5 pounds (Reel & Gill, 1996). These girls, whether they participate in competitions or not, have so much more going on than just training. These girls are pushed to their limits while maintaining a weight; they are constantly being compared to each other by themselves, coaches, and parents. Cheerleaders do compete because cheerleaders have extremely high standards to live up
to. Cheerleaders are absolutely, without a doubt, athletes. They work harder, train harder, and dig harder than most sports out there. In my high school, we did not have cheerleaders but a dance team. The argument is all the same for dancers, though, and from my experience, they are still some of the most athletic people from my school. Cheerleaders are athletes because athletes rigorously train their bodies to get better, master the skills that go into their sport, and compete in a physically exhausting sport. For these reasons and much more, they are hardcore athletes and there should be no question about it.