The Benefits Of Competitive Cheerleading

Is competitive cheerleading considered a sport? For decades people have been arguing about whether cheerleading is a sport or not. Some of the loudest protests come from other athletes. It is a physical activity that is governed by rules under which a winner can be declared and its primary purpose is to compare the skills of participants. Cheerleaders are just as athletic and physically fit as those who are involved in other sports, and a substantial majority of the cheerleaders play other sports as well. Competitive cheerleading is considered a sport because they have the same guidelines as other sports, work just as hard, and have the same health regulations as other athletes.6 Like gymnasts, cheerleaders must learn to tumble, and they also perform lifts and tosses that require strength and cooperation with other teammates. Just as basketball and football have guidelines for competitive play, so does competitive cheerleading. The goal is to be the best, and the judges give out points for difficulty, technique, creativity and sharpness. There are scorecards that a panel of judges use to track the points accumulated, similar to boxing, which are tallied up after the squad has competed. Just as in any other sport, cheerleaders can prosper in this athletic career by having a chance of a full scholarship to college.5
Football and basketball games are just an extension of the sport. During practices, cheerleaders condition and practice their tumbling passes and stunts. The formal definition of a sport is an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. Cheerleaders exert physical activities and skills while tumbling and stunting. They also have an individual work effort that contributes to the team effort, is that not what any other sports