Athletes Lift Weights, Cheerleaders Lift Athletes
Whenever I tell people that I’m a Competitive Cheerleader,
most people reply, “That’s not a real sport!” Most people in society don’t even
know what a competitive cheerleader is or does, they associate this activity
with a high school cheerleading. Although some of the techniques are similar
they are two very different sports.
High School Cheerleader
Most people think…
·
They are annoying people who try to entertain
the audience at school sporting events
·
They are attention seekers
·
They are preppy stuck up people
Competitive Cheerleader
We are….
·
They are talented athletes
·
They hard workers, who are fighting for the gold
·
They are kids that love to compete
In reply to these stereotypes, I respond to the unique
characteristics of Competitive Cheerleading and provide detailed facts of why
this activity is really a sport. Competitive cheerleading is classified
as one of the most dangerous sports in the world. Cheerleaders get injuries twice as often as
any other sport. For example, in the gym where I cheer competitively, we have
an injury at least twice a week. Some
are serious and others minor infractions.
The definition of a sport - a physical
exertion or skill in which an individual or
team compete against one another or others.
The definition of competitive cheerleading- a
physical exertion, having an organized routine where you compete against others
So if you observe the two definitions above you will see
their similarities. Then why isn’t it a sport?
A lot of non-cheerleaders fail to realize that being a
competitive cheerleader takes a lot of skill and technique. If you don’t use
the proper method, then someone could get hurt. Look at the video below to get
an idea of how dangerous this sport actually is, and you be the judge!
If you looked at this video and watched you will notice that
it takes a strong athlete to do these things, Competitive cheerleaders live to
do this kind of stuff and to hear from people daily that it’s not a sport. How
do you think that makes us feel? We work just as hard as any other athlete if
not harder but somehow people still try to downgrade us. We aren’t asking you
to become cheer obsessed or treat us like we are superior to the world. We are
just asking for you to respect what we do and not shoot us down every
opportunity you get.
This was a good topic to choose because everyone hears about this constant argument a lot. I really liked the use of the two definitions and how you literally bolded the similarities. I also liked how you incorporated a visual so the reader can actually see competitive cheerleading for themselves. The use of the bulleted lists was neat, too. It really gave a nice perspective of both types of cheerleaders. After finishing reading the blog, the fact about the injuries really stuck in my brain. It gives the blog logical appeal and really makes the reader think and compare it to other sports. Overall, job well done!
ReplyDeleteDespite the misspelled title :P I really liked this blog. Our school's cheerleading and dance teams may make me roll my eyes, but I can acknowledge that competitive cheering is much more skill-oriented. You did a fantastic job outlining the opposition and your position. I enjoyed the definitions, that was a great touch. I also liked how unsurprising it is that you would do this topic, because it is so much of how you present yourself. Your blog is really great, and you're a nice writer.
ReplyDeleteHey Loni,
ReplyDeleteOk so I wanted to say that I loved the way you organized and set it up with the bullet points and stuff, that was very smart. I agree with you that cheerleading is a sport, you work hard at what you do and it shows! A lot of people say that it has to have a ball to be a sport but I 110% disagree. I think its a sport if you work hard and prove the point you are trying. Right here I think you did it perfectly. So great job!! (p.s. read mine, it's good.)